Pope Francis thrilled tens of thousands of people today gathered for his installation Mass, taking a long round-about through St Peter's Square and getting out of his jeep to bless a disabled man in a wheelchair in the crowd.The blue and white flags from Francis' native Argentina fluttered above the crowd that Italian media estimate could reach 1 million. Civil protection crews closed the main streets leading to the square to traffic and set up barricades for nearly two kilometres along the route Read more [...]

Vatican City: Pope Francis swept into St Peter's Square on Tuesday to greet throngs of pilgrims before a sumptuous ceremony in which Latin America's first pontiff will receive the formal symbols of papal power.Wearing his papal whites and standing in middle of an open-topped vehicle, the pope waved, smiled and gave the thumbs-up to the ecstatic crowds in the sun-drenched square.The crowds had begun gathering from the early morning for a ceremony laden with centuries-old rituals and lavish Read more [...]