Pope begins to outline vision for Catholic Church
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Pope Francis I greets Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi (L) as he conducts a general audience in the Paul VI hall for members of the media at the Vatican March 16, 2013. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
VATICAN CITY (AFP) - Pope Francis begins his papacy in earnest on Sunday ahead of his formal inauguration mass, with a weekly prayer address used by previous pontiffs to comment on international affairs.
The pope's first Angelus prayer, delivered from a window high above St Peter's Square, is a chance for the first Latin American pontiff to begin to sketch out a more global vision for the role of the Roman Catholic Church.
City authorities are expecting around 200,000 people to turn out.
The 76-year-old pope has already been winning hearts with an informal style markedly different from that of his more austere predecessor Benedict XVI.
