Pope Francis has made the surprise decision to celebrate Holy Mass on Maundy Thursday in a juvenile detention center in Rome, rather than in St. Peter’s basilica. While he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, then Cardinal Bergoglio generally celebrated his Holy Mass on Maundy Thursday at a prison or hospital. The Holy Mass on Maundy Thursday is traditionally scheduled in the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

The inaugural Holy Mass of the new pontiff – Pope Francis- was celebrated in St. Peter’s Square on Tuesday 19th March before a crowd of nearly two million people. He is the first Jesuit, the first Latin American and also the first Pope Francis, a name he took after St. Francis of Assisi, who died in 1226 after a life of poverty and simplicity.

The new Pope arrived in the ‘popemobile’ about 45 minutes before the Holy Mass began, and drove slowly through the crowd, greeting the public. The formal ceremony began with a procession into St. Peter’s basilica, where the Pope venerated the tomb of St. Peter. Then he was vested with the pallium, the symbol of his authority, placed over his shoulders by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the senior Cardinal-Deacon. Next he received the Fisherman’s Ring, placed on his finger by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals. In the final ritual confirming his new authority, he received acts of obedience from six cardinals who had been selected to represent the entire College of Cardinals. The Gospel was read in Greek. Pope Francis delivered his homily in Italian.

The Pope began his homily by noting how appropriate it was to begin his papal ministry on the feast of St. Joseph, the patron of the universal Church. Then he observed that St. Joseph’s mission in life was to protect Jesus and Mary, and offered that same mission as a model for everyone. The Pope said,” Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation”. His Holiness added, “I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be protectors of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment”.

The new Pope acknowledged that he now has a special responsibility as the 265th successor to St. Peter. But he quickly added that Jesus told St. Peter to “feed my lambs, feed my sheep.” Pope Francis remarked, “Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross.”
The Pope concluded his homily by saying that he saw his role as very similar to that of St. Joseph: “To protect Jesus with Mary, to protect the whole of creation, to protect each person, especially the poorest, to protect ourselves.”

The spiritual head of the world’s Orthodox Christians attended Pope Francis’ inaugural Holy Mass on Tuesday in Vatican. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, travelled to Rome on Monday to take part in Pope Francis’ installation. He is the first ecumenical patriarch to take part since the Great Schism between their two churches in 1054. Pope Benedict XVI had made uniting all Christians and healing the split a priority of his pontificate. The decision to take part in the Holy mass was “the fruit” of the growing dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches.

The Catholic church has a new pope: Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio from Buenos Aires in Argentina, the first ever to come from South America, who has taken the name Pope Francis.

He was announced to the crowd waiting in St Peter’s Square from the vast balcony that runs across the front of St Peter’s basilica.

Earlier, white smoke had flowed from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, signalling that one of the candidates for the pontificate had obtained the necessary two-thirds majority for election. The fumata bianca– the white smoke signal that marks the successful conclusion of a papal conclave – arrived after five ballots on the second day of voting.

The smoke that poured out of the comignolo, the copper and steel chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, was greeted with cries of delight and applause from the crowd below. Soon afterwards, the bells of St Peter’s rang out, confirming that the 266th pope had taken over the spiritual leadership of the world’s 1.2 billion baptised Catholics.

Inside the Sistine Chapel, after the final vote was cast, the most junior of the cardinals, James Harvey, a former prefect of the papal household, called in the secretary of the college of cardinals, Monsignor Lorenzo Baldisseri, and the master of papal liturgical ceremonies, Monsignor Guido Marini, to witness the new pope’s acceptance.

The most senior of the electors, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, approached the pope-to-be and – in accordance with time-honoured tradition – asked him, in Latin: “Do you accept your canonical election as supreme pontiff?”

Having obtained his consent, he will have asked him: “By what name do you wish to be called?” The master of ceremonies, acting as a notary, will then have summoned two of his staff to act as witnesses, and prepared the document that certifies the new pope’s acceptance.

Newly elected popes are taken to be robed in the so-called Room of Tears, its name an indication of the reluctance with which most approach the task for which they have been chosen. The last holder of the office, Benedict XVI, introduced a change into the ritual that allows for the new pope to pray before he is announced to the world.

“The duty of the conclave was to appoint a bishop of Rome, and it seems to me that my brother cardinals have chosen one who is from far away, but here I am,” he told the crowd in Vatican City on Wednesday night.

World leaders are sending their congratulations and Catholics around the world are celebrating after the Vatican announced the election of the Argentinian cardinal Jorge Bergoglio to the papacy, making him the first pontiff from the Americas.

The UK prime minister, David Cameron, tweeted: “A momentous day for the 1.2bn Catholics around the world as His Holiness Pope Francis I is appointed the 266th Bishop of Rome.”

The US president, Barack Obama, said: “On behalf of the American people, Michelle and I offer our warm wishes to His Holiness Pope Francis as he ascends to the chair of St Peter and begins his papacy.

“As a champion of the poor and the most vulnerable among us, he carries forth the message of love and compassion that has inspired the world for more than 2,000 years that in each other we see the face of God.

“As the first pope from the Americas, his selection also speaks to the strength and vitality of a region that is increasingly shaping our world, and alongside millions of Hispanic Americans, those of us in the United States share the joy of this historic day.”

The European Union leaders Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso wished the new Catholic leader “a long and blessed pontificate”.

In Latin America, there were tears and cheers at the news of the first pope from the hemisphere. Even in Communist Cuba, there was pride as church bells rang to celebrate the news.

The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, said: “I offer my heartfelt congratulations to Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who has taken the name Pope Francis on his assumption of the papacy, and to all Catholics across the world on this momentous occasion.

“I look forward to continuing co-operation between the United Nations and the Holy See, under the wise leadership of His Holiness Pope Francis.

“We share many common goals – from the promotion of peace, social justice and human rights, to the eradication of poverty and hunger – all core elements of sustainable development.”

He added: “I am certain that His Holiness will continue to build on the legacy of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, in the promotion of inter-faith dialogue which is at the heart of the Alliance of Civilisations initiative.”

The first General Congregation of the College of Cardinals during the sede vacante will meet on 4 March Monday, at 9 o’clock in the New Synod Hall. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the dean of the College of Cardinals, formally summoned all cardinals to Rome with a letter dated March 1, the first day after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI took effect. The cardinals will probably set a date in the meeting for the conclave that will elect a new Roman Pontiff. A second meeting will be held on Monday at 5p.m

Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI spent his first evening of retirement quietly, praying and listening to music.  In the evening, after supper and prayer, His Holiness read some of the many messages that came to him from well-wishers. He has brought with him reading material including theology, spirituality and history.

Pope Benedict XVI resigned at 8 p.m. local time (Indian time – 12.30 a.m.) on Thursday. There was a farewell gathering with all of the cardinals present in Rome at 11am on Thursday morning.

Pope bade farewell to the pontifical household at 4.55 p.m on Thursday afternoon and departed by car from Vatican’s San Damaso courtyard. There, he  took his leave of Secretary of State officials and then proceeded to Vatican’s heliport, where he was  seen off by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College of cardinals.  At 5.15 p.m. he left for Castel Gandolfo, a small Italian town some 30 kms from Rome.  At 5.30 p.m. he briefly greeted the faithful of the Diocese of Albano from the central balcony of the Apostolic Palace. That was the last public appearance of Pope Benedict XVI.

The “Sede Vacante” or Vacant See began at 8 p.m. of February 28.

When renovations on the monastery inside the walls of Vatican City are complete, Pope Benedict XVI will take up residence there and will lead a secluded life of prayer and meditation.

His official title will be “His Holiness Benedict XVI, Roman pontiff emeritus. The Swiss Guards will no longer protect the pontiff, as they are charged with guarding only the pope.  He will continue to wear a white cassock, but no longer will be seen in red shoes. Instead, the pope has decided to wear a pair of brown shoes given to him at the papal visit to Mexico in 2012. His fisherman’s ring, which contains the pope’s formal seal, will also be destroyed.