Pope Francis’ March 19 enthronement ceremony, as he had requested, was kept simple and included gospels presented only in Greek, and with the presence of The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the first time the Orthodox Church has sent its leader since the schism between the churches in 1453.
The Pope passed through the crowd with the special vehicle and when the faithful called him to go close to them, he didn’t hesitate to go, causing alarm among his security men.
The Dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Sodano, slipped the Ring of the Fisherman on the finger of the Pope’s hand. This ring connects the Apostle Peter with each Pope. By a decision of Francis, the ring is gold-plated silver and depicts Saint Peter and the keys of the Vatican.
In his speech, the new Pontiff urged the faithful “not to fear kindness and tenderness,” and said that, “Humans should protect the world and its brothers and should reject hatred, envy and arrogance.” He repeated that he starts as the Bishop of Rome and successor of Peter, without referring to the role of Pontiff. “What is my role? To offer my embrace to the poor, to the nude, to those who are in prison. To all the weak people, ” he said finally.
Almost one million faithful were at St. Peter’s Square. Among them were leaders and delegates from more than 130 countries and international organizations, including the Argentina’s President, Christina Fernandez de Kirchner from the Pope’s homeland; German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano, as well as the outgoing Prime Minister, Mario Monti.
Security measures were tight, with about 3,000 guards in St. Peter’s Square, many of them dressed in civilian clothes. Other measures included snipers on rooftops, speedboats on the Tiber River and a flight ban over Rome. Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew dined the night before in the Vatican.
The dinner lasted about two and a half hours. The Pope, as well as the Ecumenical Patriarch reside inside the Vatican, in Santa Marta House (Domus Santae Martae), the residence of cardinal electors during the conclave.
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