ISLAMABAD: Yousuf Raza Gillani, chairman of the Senate of Pakistan, on Sunday attended the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City, Pakistan’s Press Information Department (PID) said, in a show of Islamabad’s commitment to promoting interfaith harmony.

Pope Leo XIV set the tone for his papacy with a call to stop exploiting nature and marginalizing the poor at the inaugural mass, attended by dignitaries including Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and US Vice President JD Vance.

Ten days after he became the first US head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, some 200,000 people gathered to see his inaugural mass in St. Peter’s Square, according to the Vatican.

Gillani’s presence at the mass highlighted Pakistan’s respect for the Catholic community worldwide and its dedication to fostering dialogue and mutual understanding among diverse religious traditions.

“Gillani is scheduled to engage in bilateral meetings with Vatican officials and international counterparts to discuss shared interests, including the promotion of peace, protection of minority rights, and the advancement of interfaith collaboration,” the PID said.

“Pakistan remains steadfast in its advocacy for religious tolerance and coexistence, and Chairman Gillani’s participation in this significant event reaffirms the nation’s role in promoting global understanding and harmony.”

Before the mass began, the Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost delighted the crowds by taking to the popemobile for the first time, smiling, waving and blessing those he passed.

In his homily, the soft-spoken 69-year-old returned to the themes of peace, reconciliation and social justice that have marked his first few days as pope.

“In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest,” he said.

After two decades spent as missionary in Peru, the new pope — who was only made a cardinal in 2023 — is unknown to many Catholics.

But many of those gathered in St. Peter’s Square said they liked what they had heard so far.

Maria Grazia La Barbera, 56, a pilgrim from Palermo in Sicily, said Leo was “the right person at the right time” to lead the Church.

“He will certainly do what he promised: knocking down walls and building bridges,” she said.
— With additional input from AFP