Pope Francis blesses the faithful in St. Peter's Square during his inaugural Mass at the Vatican, March 19, 2013. /AP
Updated 11:13 a.m. Eastern
VATICAN CITY Pope Francis officially began his ministry as the 266th pope on Tuesday in an inauguration Mass simplified to suit his style, but still grand enough to draw princes, presidents, rabbis, muftis and thousands of ordinary people to St. Peter's Square to witness the inauguration of the first pope from the New World.
CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey says papal inaugurations used to be known as "enthronements." The service has been much simplified, but still carries the weight of centuries of ritual and tradition.
Francis thrilled the crowd at the start of the Mass by taking a long round-about through the sun-drenched piazza and getting out of his jeep to bless a disabled man. It was a gesture from a man whose short papacy is becoming defined by such spontaneous forays into the crowd and concern for the disadvantaged.
Pope Francis blesses a disabled man prior to his inaugural Mass, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 19, 2013.
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AP
The blue and white flags from Francis' native Argentina fluttered above the crowd, which Italian media estimated could reach 1 million but appeared to be significantly smaller. Civil protection crews closed the main streets leading to the square to traffic and set up barricades for nearly a mile along the route to try to control the masses and allow official delegations through.
Before the Mass began, Francis received the fisherman's ring symbolizing the papacy and a wool stole symbolizing his role as shepherd of his 1.2-billion strong flock. He picked the simplest ring out of several models offered him
Pope Francis' official coat of arms was revealed Monday, and it mixed his Argentine past with his Roman present.
The new pope chose to keep the same coat of arms he had as archbishop of Buenos Aires. However, the coat of arms has a necessary addition — the papal symbols surrounding it: a gilded miter, and crossed gold and silver keys.
The shield itself, in very simple almost modern heraldry, depicts a star, a grape-like plant, and a monogram of Christ at the center of a fiery sun. The symbols represent the three members of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph. In religious writing, Mary is often referred to as a "star," while St. Joseph is often depicted holding a nard, a Middle Eastern plant. The monogram is the symbol of Francis' Jesuit order.
His motto suggests even more about the root of Francis' message: "Miserando atque eligendo," Latin for "Having had mercy, he called him," comes from an episode in the Gospel where Christ picks a seemingly unworthy person to follow him.
Francis has stressed the importance of mercy, saying that often people are unforgiving with one another, but that God is all-merciful. "And very patient," he ad-libbed from the window of his studio during his first Angelus prayer Sunday.
Ahead of the Mass, the new pope also received vows of obedience from a half-dozen cardinals -- a potent symbol given that his predecessor, Benedict XVI, is still alive.
A cardinal intoned the rite of inauguration, saying, "The Good Shepherd charged Peter to feed his lambs and his sheep; today you succeed him as the bishop of this church."
Some 132 official delegations attended, including more than a half-dozen heads of state from Latin America, a sign of the significance of the election for the region. Francis, named after the 13th-century friar known for his care of the most disadvantaged, has made clear he wants his pontificate to be focused on the poor, a message that has resonance in a poverty-stricken region that counts 40 percent of the world's Catholics.
Pizzey notes that none of the dignitaries who lined up to meet the new pope -- ranging from royalty to heads of state and including U.S. Vice President Joe Biden -- were actually personally invited to the ceremony by the Vatican. And, for the first time in almost 1,000 years, the patriarch of the Orthodox Church chose to come.
The spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Bartholomew I, who became the first patriarch from the Istanbul-based church to attend a papal investiture since the two branches of Christianity split. Also attending for the first time was the chief rabbi of Rome. Their presence underscores the broad hopes for ecumenical and interfaith dialogue in this new papacy given Francis' own work for improved relations and his namesake St. Francis of Assisi.
Also meeting the pope, were Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe and his wife. Mugabe is persona non-Grata in European countries, but the Italian government essentially looked the other way to allow him to pass through its territory en route to Vatican City to meet the pontiff.
In a gesture to Christians in the East, the pope prayed with Eastern rite Catholic patriarchs and archbishops before the tomb of St. Peter at the start of the Mass and the Gospel was chanted in Greek rather than the traditional Latin.
But it is Francis' history of living with the poor and working for them while archbishop of Buenos Aires that seems to have resonated with ordinary Catholics who say they are hopeful that Francis can inspire a new generation of faithful who have fallen away from the church.
"I think he'll revive the sentiments of Catholics who received the sacraments but don't go to Mass anymore, and awaken the sentiments of people who don't believe anymore in the church, for good reason," said Judith Teloni, an Argentine tourist guide who lives in Rome and attended the Mass with a friend.
"As an Argentine, he was our cardinal. It's a great joy for us," said Edoardo Fernandez Mendia, from the Argentine Pampas who was in the crowd. Recalling another great moment in Argentine history, when soccer great Diego Maradona scored an improbable goal in the 1986 World Cup, he said: "And for the second time, the Hand of God came to Argentina."
Francis has made headlines with his simple style since the moment he appeared to the world on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, eschewing the ermine-lined red velvet cape his predecessor wore in favor of the simple papal white cassock, then paying his own bill at the hotel where he stayed prior to the conclave that elected him pope.
He has also surprised — and perhaps frustrated — his security detail by his impromptu forays into the crowds.
For nearly a half-hour before the Mass began, Francis toured the square in an open-air jeep, waving, shouting "Ciao!" to well-wishers and occasionally kissing babies handed up to him as if he had been doing this for years. At one point, as he neared a group of people in wheelchairs, he signaled for the jeep to stop, hopped off, and went to bless a man held up to the barricade by an aide.
A wax cast of the ring Francis received was first presented to Pope Paul VI, who presided over the second half of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that revolutionized the church. Paul never wore it but the cast was subsequently made into the ring that Francis chose among several other more ornate ones.
Francis will receive each of the government delegations in St. Peter's Basilica after the Mass, and then hold an audience with the visiting Christian delegations on Wednesday. He has a break from activity on Thursday; a gracious nod perhaps to the fact that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is being installed that day in London.
As a result, Welby won't be representing the Anglican Communion at Tuesday's installation Mass for Francis, sending instead a lower-level delegation. All told, six sovereign rulers, 31 heads of state, three princes and 11 heads of government are attending, the Vatican said.
For Jews, Orthodox and other religious leaders, the new pope's choice of Francis as his name is also important for its reference to the Italian town of Assisi, where Pope John Paul II began conferences encouraging interfaith dialogue and closer bonds among Christians.
The CC reminds me of kids playing a new game; they kind of make the rules up as they go. They have Bibles but they don't seem to read them. Or, if they do read them, they don't seem to care. Or, maybe they don't understand. Jesus did say that his Father has hid these things from the wise and the prudent and revealed them unto babes. I think there are quite a few people in the CC that think themselves wise and prudent.
Benedict and Francis appear to be goodly men, but it would be a stretch to view them as Godly men. They are more like the hireling than the shepherd.
The Bible is read at every Mass in 4 sections: a reading from the Old Testament, a Psalm reading, an Epistle reading, and a reading from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. There is a homily on the reading almost every week, usually a good homily and, sometimes, great. All Catholics regard the Bible as the word of God or as close as we can get. The amount of misinformation and prejudices held by some about the Catholic Church could fill volumes. That is only human as I probably have much the same toward other religions. All we can do is respect each other.
Thinkbeforeyouwrite...for the vast majority of Protestants it is Scripture alone as their spiritual authority within the church.
Within liberal Protestant circles it is Scripture and human reason as their spiritual authority within the church.
Within the Church of Rome it is Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and human reason as their spiritual authorities. Sad to say, within theological liberalism it is human reason/culture OVER Scripture as their authority
This is only Rome's sacred tradition, not the Orthodox's sacred tradition.
Now who was the REAL pope, when the Church of Rome had 3 popes at the same time reigning? Why did the Eastern Church excommunicate the Bishop of Rome? Who did that the Bishop of Rome, should be the first among equals? Interestingly, Christ makes no mention in of first among equals, however, he did mention that the first should be last.
The papacy is based on pious tradition, and it has no scriptural foundation.
CORRECTION
This is only Rome's sacred tradition, not the Orthodox's sacred tradition.
Now who was the REAL pope, when the Church of Rome had 3 popes at the same time reigning? Why did the Eastern Church excommunicate the Bishop of Rome? Who/what DECIDED that the Bishop of Rome, should be the first among equals? Interestingly, Christ makes no mention in of first among equals, however, he did mention that the first should be last.
The papacy is based on pious tradition, and it has no scriptural foundation.reply
When you refer to the time when there where the so-called "three popes" you are talking about a period called the Western Schism, during which there was always only one valid pope who oversaw the universal Church from Rome.
There were at the same time, first one other man who claimed to be pope while living in Avignon, France and then a second man who claimed to be pope while living in Pisa, Italy.
At no time were there actually three popes. Rather, there was one pope and two anti-popes, a situation that the Council of Constance finally resolved in 1415.
The early Eastern Catholic churches were in communion with Rome and with the pope, although on three occasions they entered into a schismatic state - first in the late 5th century under Acacius, Patriarch of Constantinople, then in the 9th century under Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople and finally in 1054 under Michael Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople.
After the first two schisms the Eastern churches returned to communion with Rome but after the third and final schism, many of the churches in the East refused to return to communion.
Since that time however, some 20 Eastern churches have indeed returned to full communion with the pope. They are now called the Eastern Catholic Churches.
Our deepest hope is that the 16 remaining Eastern churches finally return to a state of unity with the Holy Catholic Church.
Among the wonderful and promising aspects of Pope Francis' installation Mass is this one -
"Among the VIPs is the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Bartholomew I, who will become the first patriarch from the Istanbul-based church to attend a papal investiture since the two branches of Christianity split nearly 1,000 years ago."
Ecumenical work between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches has been ongoing for a number of pontificates now, but this is certainly an important development.
It was Pope John Paul II who said the Church needs to "breathe with both lungs", East and West. May this be so.
cleric77, The first pope of the Catholic Church, that is the first Bishop of Rome, was St. Peter, followed by popes Linus, Anacletus, Clement, Evaristus, Alexander, Sixtus and so on until we reached the 20th century with popes Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and now Francis.
There was never a pope who would have been called "Orthodox" since that is a term that only came into use much later in the East in order to distinguish orthodox (little "o") Christianity from the various Eastern heresies like Nestorianism and Monophysitism.
While it was certainly used in the East before the schism of Photius, it did not originally define the Eastern churches as distinct from Rome, which was always understood to be of greatest preeminence in the universal Church.
All of the early Church Fathers, both Greek and Latin, recognized the special preeminence of Rome and the Bishop of Rome, the Successor to Peter, as the source of unshakeable and unchangeable orthodoxy.
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(Tim Minchin - The Good Book)
Benedict and Francis appear to be goodly men, but it would be a stretch to view them as Godly men. They are more like the hireling than the shepherd.
Within liberal Protestant circles it is Scripture and human reason as their spiritual authority within the church.
Within the Church of Rome it is Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and human reason as their spiritual authorities.
Sad to say, within theological liberalism it is human reason/culture OVER Scripture as their authority
Now who was the REAL pope, when the Church of Rome had 3 popes at the same time reigning? Why did the Eastern Church excommunicate the Bishop of Rome? Who did that the Bishop of Rome, should be the first among equals? Interestingly, Christ makes no mention in of first among equals, however, he did mention that the first should be last.
The papacy is based on pious tradition, and it has no scriptural foundation.
This is only Rome's sacred tradition, not the Orthodox's sacred tradition.
Now who was the REAL pope, when the Church of Rome had 3 popes at the same time reigning? Why did the Eastern Church excommunicate the Bishop of Rome? Who/what DECIDED that the Bishop of Rome, should be the first among equals? Interestingly, Christ makes no mention in of first among equals, however, he did mention that the first should be last.
The papacy is based on pious tradition, and it has no scriptural foundation.reply
There were at the same time, first one other man who claimed to be pope while living in Avignon, France and then a second man who claimed to be pope while living in Pisa, Italy.
At no time were there actually three popes. Rather, there was one pope and two anti-popes, a situation that the Council of Constance finally resolved in 1415.
The early Eastern Catholic churches were in communion with Rome and with the pope, although on three occasions they entered into a schismatic state - first in the late 5th century under Acacius, Patriarch of Constantinople, then in the 9th century under Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople and finally in 1054 under Michael Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople.
After the first two schisms the Eastern churches returned to communion with Rome but after the third and final schism, many of the churches in the East refused to return to communion.
Since that time however, some 20 Eastern churches have indeed returned to full communion with the pope. They are now called the Eastern Catholic Churches.
Our deepest hope is that the 16 remaining Eastern churches finally return to a state of unity with the Holy Catholic Church.
Then the Church will breathe with both lungs.
"Among the VIPs is the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Bartholomew I, who will become the first patriarch from the Istanbul-based church to attend a papal investiture since the two branches of Christianity split nearly 1,000 years ago."
Ecumenical work between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches has been ongoing for a number of pontificates now, but this is certainly an important development.
It was Pope John Paul II who said the Church needs to "breathe with both lungs", East and West.
May this be so.
The first pope of the Catholic Church, that is the first Bishop of Rome, was St. Peter, followed by popes Linus, Anacletus, Clement, Evaristus, Alexander, Sixtus and so on until we reached the 20th century with popes Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and now Francis.
There was never a pope who would have been called "Orthodox" since that is a term that only came into use much later in the East in order to distinguish orthodox (little "o") Christianity from the various Eastern heresies like Nestorianism and Monophysitism.
While it was certainly used in the East before the schism of Photius, it did not originally define the Eastern churches as distinct from Rome, which was always understood to be of greatest preeminence in the universal Church.
All of the early Church Fathers, both Greek and Latin, recognized the special preeminence of Rome and the Bishop of Rome, the Successor to Peter, as the source of unshakeable and unchangeable orthodoxy.