Neither his papal ring nor his coat of arms will be ornate

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/9939508/Pope-Francis-his-inaugural-Mass-at-the-Vatican-in-pictures.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/the-pope/9937813/Vatican-releases-Pope-Francis-coat-of-arms-motto-and-ring.html

The Vatican said that neither his papal ring nor his coat of arms will be ornate. The coat of arms is the same one he used archbishop of Buenos Aires, with the addition of the papal symbols of a bishops' miter and gold and silver-crossed keys.

 A gold star representing the Virgin Mary, and the nardo, a grape-like plant with which St Joseph is often represented, are painted on a bright blue background. Above them is the emblem of Francis' Jesuit order. Together the three represent Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

 The papal ring is in gold-plated silver and was originally offered to Paul VI in the 1960's.

 The Vatican also unveiled the coat of arms and motto Francis will use - which remain the same as those he used as archbishop of Buenos Aires.

 The coat of arms shows three symbols on a blue background: at the top, a sun with the letters IHS in the middle - the logo of the Jesuit Society - and underneath a five-point star and a lily, symbolising the Virgin Mary and St Joseph.

The Latin motto beneath the crest is "miserando atque eligendo" - which refers to a Bible passage showing Jesus Christ's "mercy" in choosing Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of his disciples.

 "The motto recalls Pope Francis's personal vocation and he wanted to keep it," Fr Lombardi said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/the-pope/9939327/Pope-Francis-inauguration-live.html

13.29 (12.29) US Vice-President Joe Biden, a Catholic who attended this morning's mass, is already airborne and heading back to America.

 He's set to arrive in Washington, DC at 9.30pm - presumably just before his boss, Barack Obama, departs for the Middle East, avoiding POTUS and VPOTUS being out of the US at the same time.

 From the pool report: "VP, all smiles, shades, did round of farewells and then jogged up the stairs to AF2 at a brisk clip."

12.52 (11.42) After the mass, first in line to greet the Pope was his old foe Cristina Kirchner, with whom he appears to have buried the hatchet.

 Yesterday, Mrs Kirchner also became the first head of state to officially meet with the Pope when she lunched with him at the Vatican - and asked him to intervene in the Falklands conflict.

AFP has more on the Pope's meet-n-greets with VIPs after his mass this morning:

 Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, a former Marxist guerrilla and an atheist, was among those received by the pope, while Chilean President Sebastian Pinera asked the new pontiff to bless some rosary beads that he had brought with him.

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa cried as he spoke with the Argentine pope and several leaders brought small gifts, with some of the first ladies wearing black lace veils or "mantillas".

Among the crowned heads were Prince Felipe of Spain, Prince Albert II of Monaco and King Albert II of Belgium, who was accompanied by his wife Paola, who wore a white veil as queen of a mainly Catholic country.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were also received, as was Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi.

 The Pope met a few other notorious world leaders:

12.42 (11.42) Pope Francis really does have the populist touch. It's emerged that he made a surprise phone call to the thousands of Catholic faithful who held an all-night prayer vigil in Buenos Aires as they waited for his inauguration this morning.

Reuters reports that Francis rang the cathedral in Buenos Aires where he used to be archbishop:

 In his telephone message at 3:30 a.m. local time, Francis, or Francisco as he is known in the Spanish-speaking world, thanked the crowds for their prayers.

"Thank you for praying, for your prayers, which I need a lot," he said. "I want to ask you a favor that we walk together, that we look after each other ... look after life, look after the family, nature," he said.

"Don't forget this bishop, who though far away, cares so much for you."

12.12 (11.12) The Telegraph video team have put together footage of the moment Francis received the Fisherman's Ring.

 All Popes wear a Fisherman's Ring, but Francis has - once again - eschewed tradition and chosen a silver one rather than a gold one.

 The ring - which is gold-plated - was also designed decades agao rather than created specifically for him.

11.54 (10.54) With the mass over, the Pope is now shaking the hands of various dignitaries who are lining up to meet him.

 The Pontiff's official @pontifex Twitter account has also just sent the second tweet since Pope Francis was elected:

11.31 (10.31) Swivelling away from the Vatican for a moment, the Associated Press has filed on the scene in Buenos Aires this morning where, despite the early hour, thousands are out celebrating their compatriot's papacy.

 From AP:

 A big crowd watching the papal installation ceremony from the central plaza of Buenos Aires has erupted in joy at the moment Pope Francis appeared.

The pope's fellow Argentineans are watching on four huge screens set up outside the Metropolitan Cathedral at different points in the Plaza de Mayo.

"Welcome to the Pope!" many shouted.

Many spent the entire night holding a vigil before Tuesday's ceremony began in the pre-dawn hours Argentina time.

Juan Martin Cazzos, a 16-year-old, says "It's an important day for all young people. We've been here since before midnight, listening and singing songs."

11.06 (10.06) Europe's royals are among the VIPs attending the ceremony this morning. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester are there to represent the Queen.

Monaco's Prince Albert and Princess Charlene sit with Belgium's King Albert and Queen Paola before the inaugural mass. Picture: Reuters

Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands and Spain's Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia assemble before the inaugural mass. Picture: Reuters

10.59 (09.59) Pope Francis's homily has been interrupted several times so far by applause.

 He has said his role will be one of service, and that he will be inspired by "the lowly".

Cardinals attending the mass. Picture: AP

10.40 (09.40) Nick Squires has spoken to Baroness Warsi, who is attending the ceremony at the Vatican this morning to represent the British government, along with Ken Clarke.

 She told him:

 It’s an honour to represent the UK Government at the inauguration of Pope Francis and a privilege to witness first-hand this historic event.

This is a hugely significant moment for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, and many more people of all faiths and none.

The UK Government warmly welcomes Pope Francis and wishes him the very best as he embarks on his pontificate.”

One baby in St Peter's Square is not too sure how he feels about the Pope. Picture: EPA

10.23 (09.23) Pope Francis, who is delivering his homily at the Vatican this morning, has called for the defence of the weakest in society: the elderly, the poor, "the last we think about".

 He has told the crowd, who are hanging on his every word, to "be protectors of God's gifts", appealed to them to avoid the "destruction" of nature, and to defend human relations.

 "Hatred, envy and pride defile our lives", he said, calling on worshippers to be open to "goodness or even tenderness".

The pallium, a woolen strip representing the Pope's role as a shepherd, is fitted on to Francis. Picture: Reuters

The Fisherman's Ring is placed on the Pope's finger. Picture: Reuters

10.03 (09.03) A child has just led the thousands in St Peter's Square in a hymn. The Vatican's got talent.

 Francis has also received the ring and pallium symbolising his new papal powers.

 A cardinal intoned the rite of inauguration at the start of the mass, saying: "The Good Shepherd charged Peter to feed his lambs and his sheep; today you succeed him as the bishop of this church."

 After, half a dozen cardinals approached the Pope to vow their obedience.

09.52 (08.52) Anyone can go watch the inauguration, it seems:

Cristina Kirchner, president of Argentina, and Robert Mugabe, leader of Zimbabwe, at the Pope's inaugural mass at the Vatican today. Picture: AP

09.42 (08.42) The mass which formally launches the papacy of Pope Francis has begun, and he looks the tiniest bit relieved to be sitting under a shaded canopy out of the sun.

 The Associated Press have called his blessing of the invalid man in the crowd "a gesture from a man whose papacy is becoming defined by concern for the disadvantaged".

 We've got the video clip:

09.26 (08.26) As the mass itself begins, a little more detail on the security in the Vatican this morning comes from AFP, which reports there are 3,000 officers deployed including sharpshooters on the rooftops and bomb disposal experts.

 Nick Squires has sent us this image of Carabinieri in full dress uniform at the entrance to the square:

Picture: Nick Squires

09.19 (08.19) So far, the People's Pope doesn't seem to need a lot of tips on how to charm a crowd - but, just in case, The Thick Of It actor Chris Addison has some advice:

09.15 (08.15) Nick also watched as the Pope gave his blessing to the invalid man in the square:

The Pope's minders must be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. In an unprecedented gesture, he told his driver to stop the Popemobile in the middle of St Peter's Square, climbed down off the back steps and kissed and blessed a severely handicapped man in the crowd.

Francis has established a much more informal, relaxed and spontaneous style in the few days he has been Pope. But the unscripted behaviour will be a nightmare for his security people.

There were loud cheers as he was driven around St Peter's Square in the sunshine, with people waving flags from dozens of countries - Argentina, India, France, Indonesia, Cuba, Brazil....

Picture: Reuters

The Pope waves to the crowds in St Peter's Square this morning. Picture: AP

09.10 (08.10) Nick Squires gives us a quick overview of what we can expect over the next few hours as world leaders - including Cristina Kirchner and Robert Mugabe - take their seats under the Italian sun.

The ceremony will start at the tomb of St Peter, beneath the main altar of the basilica. The Pope will be presented with a gold-plated silver ring showing St Peter holding a pair of keys in one hand and a fishing net in the other - Jesus called him a fisher of men. It is officially called the Fisherman's Ring. It will be presented to him by Angelo Sodano, the Dean of the College of Cardinals.

Francis will pray at the tomb. He will also be given the pallium, a band of white woollen material that symbolises his role as the good shepherd of the Church. It is decorated with red crosses.

The inauguration is being held on the feast day of St Joseph - he is the patron saint of the Universal Church.

Picture: Reuters

The Pope will deliver a homily in Italian and may well go off script. "We have seen that the Pope loves a certain element of spontaneity," said Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman. "It may well be that he adds unscripted phrases and observations as he speaks."

At the end the Pope will walk into St Peter's and receive foreign heads of state, royals and other dignitaries.

Delegations from more than 130 countries will attend the mass. There will be 31 heads of state, 11 heads of government, and royalty from Belgium, Monaco, Spain, Holland and Bahrain.

The Queen will be represented by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

The government will be represented by Cabinet ministers Kenneth Clarke and Baroness Warsi. David Cameron is not attending.

The world's media wait for the inauguration mass of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square. Picture: EPA

09.05 (08.05) Francis has blessed a sick man in the square, kissing his head. There's no barrier between him and the crowds - security guards are flanking the Popemobile, but Francis is standing in the open air, not protected by bulletproof glass, as the BBC's foreign editor Jon Williams notes:

08.51 (07.51) The Pope is making his way around St Peter's Square before the delighted crowds, standing, giving the thumbs up, and waving in his open-air Popemobile. Flags from all around the world are dotting the crowd, including one particularly large French flag.

08.38 (07.38) Our correspondent in the Vatican City this morning, Nick Squires, informs me that it is a beautiful day there. That's nice. To our British readers, whatever you do, don't click on this link.

 More from Nick:

Tens of thousands of people are streaming towards St Peter's Square for a huge open air mass that will mark the formal start of Francis's papacy.

The Argentinian Pope will drive around the massive square in a white Popemobile to greet the crowds before the two-hour service begins.

The piazza and surrounding streets are jammed with Catholic faithful as well as hundreds of police, Carabinieri, medics and first aid personnel.

A huge banner hangs from a window on the avenue leading to the square. It reads "Ciao Papa Francesco!"

 The excitement is building. This young priest is already swept up in the emotion, giving the air a victory punch. Just pleased to have reached his seat?

Picture: AP

 And these nuns aren't flying, but they're coming pretty close as they race through the square to grab a good vantage point:

08.30 Vatican City (07.30 UK) Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the inauguration mass of Pope Francis.

 World leaders have joined hundreds of thousands of people in the Vatican City this morning, where the Pontiff is due to leave his hotel shortly for a tour of a packed St Peter's Square in his Popemobile. After the rock-star reception he had to his first angelus on Sunday, it's safe to predict he'll have a warm greeting.

 The ceremony itself - which the Pope has shortened from three hours to two - is set to start at 9.30am in the Vatican (8.30 UK). In addition to this blog, we're also live streaming it.

 So, I know you are all just starting your work day, but I say abandon your morning plans and join us as we watch Pope Francis make history.

Pope Francis to visit Benedict XVI at Castel Gandolfo

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21908576

The newly-elected Pope Francis is set to have lunch with his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict, in a first for the modern day Catholic Church.

Pope Francis will be flown by helicopter to his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo for the private lunch.

Benedict has lived at the lakeside castle south of Rome since last month, when he became the first pope in 600 years to resign, citing ill health.

Cardinal Jorge Maria Bergoglio was elected to succeed him on 13 March.

No known precedent

There is no public record of any previous meeting between a Pope and a former Pope as usually a new head of the Catholic Church is only elected upon the death of his predecessor, says the BBC's David Willey in Rome.

Although there were periods in the middle ages when there was more than one pope, after disputed elections, there is no precedent in modern times for a sitting Pope sitting down for lunch with the pontiff he succeeded.

In 1294, former hermit Celestine V resigned after five months as Pope. He is said to have consulted Cardinal Benedetto Gaetani on the decision, but it is not clear whether the two men dined together after Cardinal Gaetani was elected Pope 10 days later: Boniface VIII had his predecessor imprisoned and Celestine was dead within a year.

In contrast, Pope Francis has spoken warmly of his predecessor: One of his first acts as Pope was to call him at Castel Gandolfo, where the former pontiff had been following proceedings on television.

The pope emeritus is expected to stay on at the papal summer residence until new accommodation being prepared for him inside the walls of Vatican City is ready at the end of April.

For his part, Pope Francis will begin the Church's most important liturgical season on Sunday with a Palm Sunday Mass in St Peter's Square.

He will then lead six more liturgies during the week, culminating with the Easter Sunday Mass and Urbi et Orbi ("To the city of Rome]and the world") blessing.

New style

The new Pope chose the name Francis in honour of St Francis of Assisi - the 13th century Italian saint who spurned a life of luxury to work with the poor.

He has called for the Roman Catholic Church to be closer to ordinary people, especially the poor and disadvantaged.

And, only 10 days into his pontificate, he has made some subtle but significant changes in the lifestyle of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, says our correspondent.

He dresses very simply, preferring to wear plain black shoes under a simple white habit rather than the specially-made red leather loafers and ermine-trimmed cape worn by his predecessor.

The first Latin American Pope spurned a special car to take a bus with his cardinals after he was elected, and insisted on returning to his Rome hotel the next day to pay his own bill.

And Pope Francis places himself on the same level as his guests, rather than greeting them from a throne on an elevated platform - which is seen as a powerful gesture after centuries of Vatican pomp.

The former archbishop of Buenos Aires has also started inviting guests to his early morning Mass - including Vatican gardeners, street sweepers, kitchen staff and maids working at the hotel where he is currently staying.