(Note: live video has ended)
ROME (CNN) -- Through a square bustling with tourists, locals, pilgrims and dignitaries, Pope Francis made his way atop an open-top vehicle on Tuesday en route to a Mass that will officially inaugurate him Bishop of Rome.
He wore the simple iron cross he wore as a cardinal and which he had on when he first appeared to the world as pope.
When the gathered faithful at St. Peter's Square held up babies and young children for him to kiss, he obliged.
He also stepped out of his sports utility vehicle to kiss the head of a man with a physical disability.
Even though at least a dozen security officers in suits walked alongside the SUV as he circled the square, his decision to bypass the Popemobile, which his last two predecessors used, was telling.
The Mercedes Benz G-Class SUV afforded him the kind of direct contact with people he has embraced since becoming pope.
Had he been in the Popemobile, he would have been behind bulletproof glass, which was installed in 1981 after an assassination attempt on John Paul II.
The ceremony -- the "Mass inaugurating the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome" -- will be short in keeping with the spirit of simplicity embraced by the new Holy Father, the Vatican has said, lasting about two hours.
Francis has already made an impression as a pope of the people, who is concerned about the welfare of the poor. But he inherits a church wracked by a decades-old sexual abuse scandal and claims of corruption in the clergy.
The pope's path
He climbed aboard the SUV before the Mass began and took a ride through the throng in the square, spending 17 minutes circling through the crowds.
He then took part in ceremonies within St. Peter's Basilica, before emerging once more in solemn procession to be seated before the massed crowds in the square.
There he was presented first with a lamb's wool shawl, known as the pallium, to represent his role as "the good shepherd," then with the symbolic Fisherman's Ring, to represent his role of spreading the gospel.
The ring is not solid gold like that of this predecessors but made of gold-plated silver -- again reflecting his desire for simplicity.
The Mass is now under way before the massed crowds.
The pope delivered his homily in Italian, rooted in a message of looking after the weakest in society and the environment.
He reflected first on the symbolism of the date: Tuesday is the day that Catholics celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph to honor Jesus' father on Earth, the carpenter Joseph.
Francis spoke of Joseph's role in protecting not only Jesus and Mary, but also the church.
"Joseph is a 'protector' because he is able to hear God's voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping," he said.
"He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions."
Francis spoke also of the need to protect "all creation, the beauty of the created world" as instructed by the Bible and shown by St. Francis of Assisi, his namesake as pope.
This, he said, "means respecting each of God's creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about."
He warned of the consequences if people do not look after one another.
"Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hardened."
And he urged those in power to live up to their duties, and to all to avoid evil, hatred and pride.
"I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be 'protectors' of creation, protectors of God's plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment."
A river of dignitaries
Francis began his day in the residence Santa Marta, where the cardinals stayed for the conclave. Not until he has been inaugurated will he take up residency in the papal apartment.
Since his selection during the conclave, Francis has had a propensity to rewrite the rules of how a pope is traditionally to behave, and he has at times not stuck to the plan.
Dignitaries in St. Peter's Square for the Mass include European Union leaders Jose Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of the pope's native Argentina, and Zimbabwe's controversial President Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe is subject to an EU travel ban but allowed to visit the continent for religious events and international conferences.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is leading the U.S. presidential
PRINT
