The significance of a pope’s first words
When the new pontiff eventually emerges and delivers his first public words as pope, this will set the tone for what the public can expect from him.
For instance, Pope Francis’s first words in 2013 were a humble, “Fratelli e sorelle, buonasera,” or, “Brothers and sisters, good evening.”
People will also be watching for how he presents himself. As CBC Vatican analyst David Perlich explains, Pope Francis wore the white cassock, but no adornments, and plain black shoes.
“Perhaps most importantly for the crowd, we would expect some kind of grand statement in Latin or Italian,” Perlich said.
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Instead, Francis looked out over the crowd and wished them a good evening.
“That told us right there that we were into a very different type of papacy.”
