Pope holds inauguration Mass - The Times pictorial supplement

Updated 2.15 p.m. Pope Francis inaugurated his papacy this morning with a Mass in front of hundreds of thousands of people and foreign leaders in St Peter's Square with a simplified rite that fuelled hopes for change in the scandal-plagued Roman Catholic Church. Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope, has already put his mark on the papacy, abandoning much of the baroque pomp of his predecessor Pope Benedict and signalling that he wants a Church whose first priority is the poor and disadvantaged. He toured a crammed St Peter's Square under bright sunshine before the mass in an open white jeep, abandoning the bullet-proof pope-mobile used frequently by Pope Benedict. He stopped frequently to greet some of the hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the sprawling square, kissing babies and getting out at one point to bless a disabled person. He wore plain white vestments and black shoes, in contrast to the luxurious red loafers that attracted attention under Pope Benedict. The ceremony conducted from an altar on the steps of the huge basilica was also shortened to two hours after a three-hour service in 2005 when Pope Benedict began his papacy. Before the Mass, Pope Francis...