Before giving his first Apostolic Blessing, the new pope, Francis, led the vast throng of 100,000 people below him in St. Peter's Square in reciting the Lord's Prayer. He asked them to pray for him, and ask for God's blessing on him before he blessed the crowds. That was a good start: the pope certainly needs the prayers of the people. I pray that he follows up by listening to the people and then communicating with them rather than pontificating, as too many of his predecessors, and his confrere cardinals and bishops have been wont to do.
Francis, bishop of Rome, lately known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires, looked stunned when he made his appearance as the first pope from Latin America or from a developing country. He did not wave his arms in triumph as Benedict XVI had done eight years ago, but just said "Good evening".
He chose the name Francis, in recognition of Francis of Assisi, who gave up his worldly possessions to live a simple life, but it carries echoes of Francis Xavier, the Jesuit who brought Christianity to Asia, including Japan. Francis is the first Jesuit to be pope, from the society whose priests undergo a rigorous 12 years of intellectual and religious training, double that of the normal priest. It is also an excellent sign that as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis lived in a modest apartment rather than the bishop's palace, cooked for himself, and traveled by bus or metro rather than in a chauffeur-driven car.