Thousands gather early for inaugural papal Mass

MaltaToday's Karl Stagno Navarra is in Rome and has posted these pictures:

A huge crowd converged on St. Peter's Square on Tuesday to see Pope Francis celebrate his inaugural Mass as he appeared in St Peter's Square earlier today. Francis toured the square in a papal vehicle, descending to bless pilgrims behind the barriers.

The Mass, set to start at 9:30am, will formally install Francis as the new leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics. Francis was elected by a conclave of cardinals last week to take over from Benedict XVI.

Reporters in Rome say the crowd may be the biggest in Rome since more than 1.5 million people came to the city for the beatification of the late Pope John Paul II in 2011.

Six sovereigns, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and other leaders as well as heads of many other faiths will be among the 130 delegations on the steps of the famous basilica.

Malta will be represented by President George Abela, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Opposition leader Lawrence Gonzi.

In the six days since his election, he has referred to himself only as Bishop of Rome, the position from which his authority flows, and hinted he plans to reduce Vatican centralism and govern in consultation with other bishops.

Pope Francis left his temporary residence at Casa Santa Marta shortly before 9am and began touring St Peter's Square. Francis will then go into St Peter's Basilica to don his vestments.

The Mass is scheduled to begin at 09:30 when the Pope goes down to the tomb of St Peter to venerate it. He will then be presented with his papal pallium made of lambs' wool and the "fisherman's ring" bearing the image of St Paul holding two keys.

The ring is second-hand and is made of silver-plated gold, not the solid gold worn by Francis' predecessor.

The Mass then formally begins in the main square, co-celebrated by around 180 clergymen, including Adolfo Nicolas, the superior general of Pope Francis' Jesuit order.

The list of attendees for the Mass includes the spiritual head of the Orthodox Church, Patriarch Bartholomew, marking the first Orthodox patriarch to attend a papal inauguration Mass since the two branches of Christianity split more than 1,000 years ago.

Communion will be distributed by 500 priests throughout the crowd.