SNAPSHOT: Pope Francis celebrates his first mass and delivers first Angelus as Pontiff

Pope after mass
Pope Francis appears at the window of his future private apartment to bless the faithful during the Sunday Angelus prayer at the Vatican

Thousands of Catholics waving flags from around the world packed St. Peter’s Square on Sunday to hear Pope Francis deliver his inaugural Angelus.

The new pontiff gave his Angelus — or noon blessing — from his papal apartment window.

Earlier, he made the historic address after celebrating Mass at Sant’Anna Parish in Vatican City earlier.

In a rare move for a pope, Francis spontaneously walked out from Vatican territory to greet cheering well-wishers outside Sant’Anna Gate.

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“Francesco, Francesco!” the crowd chanted.

In his first week as pontiff, Francis has enjoyed global fanfare as the first Latin American pope and the first Jesuit pope in modern times.

The official Mass to inaugurate Francis as the bishop of Rome — and leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics — will take place Tuesday.

The new pope explained his choice of the name Francis in a meeting with journalists Saturday, and discussed how he wished for a church that was both poor and “for the poor.”

Francis, who before he became pope was known as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, said a fellow cardinal from Brazil had told him “don’t forget the poor” as the votes stacked up in his favor.

“Right away, with regard to the poor, I thought of St. Francis of Assisi, then I thought of war,” he told the assembled journalists. “Francis loved peace and that is how the name came to me.”

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