VATICAN CITY (AP) - Walking up to crowds, shaking hands withsurprised bystanders in the street, mixing his formal speeches withoff-the-cuff remarks, PopeFrancis stamped his own style on the papacy Sunday.
His humor and down-to-earth manner captivated those filling St. Peter'sSquare in Rome to overflowing, and he worked the crowd in a way that had togive his security staff palpitations. Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno, in the squarehimself, estimated the crowd's size at 300,000.
"Brothers and sisters, 'Buon giorno,'" Francis said in Italian inhis first welcome from the window of the papal residence, setting an informaltone that has become the defining spirit of his young papacy.
Earlier Sunday, he made an impromptuappearance before the public from a side gate of the Vatican that startledpassers-by and prompted cheers as he shook hands and kissed babies. Francis hadjust finished celebrating Mass and delivering a six-minute homily - brief bychurch standards - in the Vatican's tiny parish church, St. Anna, when hewalked outside to greet parishioners one by one, just as an ordinary pastordoes after weekly services.
Francis started speaking at the window even before the stroke of noon - theappointed time for the weekly papal address. The windows of the papal study inthe Apostolic Palace were opened for the first time since Francis' predecessor,Benedict XVI, gave his last Sunday blessing on Feb. 24. Four days later,Benedict went into retirement, the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years.
Francis, the first pope from Latin America, was elected Wednesday and hasbeen staying in a hotel on the Vatican's premises until the papal apartment isready.
"The pope is down-to-earth. He is a people person and it is amazing,"said Emanuel Anatsui from Britain. "He is going to do wonderfully for thechurch."
After Mass, Francis again put his security detail to the test as he wadedinto an intersection just outside St. Anna's Gate. Francis stepped up to thecrowd, grasping outstretched hands. The atmosphere was so casual that severalpeople even gripped Francis on the shoulder.
"Francesco! Francesco!" children shouted his name in Italian. Ashe patted one little boy on the head, he asked "Are you a good boy?"and the child nodded.
"Are you sure?" the pope quipped.
At one point he glanced at his watch and turned to an aide - as if to ask"How much time do I have?"
The pope then ducked back inside the Vatican's boundaries to dash upstairsfor the address to St. Peter's Square.
Often abandoning the prepared text in his hand, Francis told the crowd thathe wanted to talk about mercy, saying he was inspired by a book aboutforgiveness that he was reading. Citing the author, an elderly German cardinal,and praising him as a "top-notch" theologian, Francis quipped:"Don't think I'm making publicity for my cardinals' books!" drawing aroar of laughter from the crowd.
Francis said mercy can "change the world" and make it "lesscold and more just."
He spoke only in Italian - ending with "Buon pranzo" (Have a goodlunch) - a wish that triggered nods of approval from the crowd in Rome, where aleisurely Sunday family lunch is a cherished tradition.
But Francis did tweet in English and other languages, saying: "Dearfriends, I thank you from my heart and I ask you to continue to pray forme.'"
Past pontiffs have used the Sunday window greetings to offer briefreflections and wishes in several languages.
Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said Francis would likely stickwith Italian, a language he's comfortable with for spontaneous remarks.Lombardi left open the possibility the 76-year-old pope would use otherlanguages in future public appearances.
During his window speech, Francis also talked about of his family's roots inItaly's northwestern Piedmont region. He told the crowd that by naming himselfas pope after St. Francis of Assisi, an Italian patron saint, he was"strengthening my spiritual tie with this land, where, as you know, myfamily has its origins."
The crowd was cheering wildly when Francis appeared at the window, but fellinto rapt silence when he began to speak. Some people's eyes welled up. Manypeople waved the blue-and-white flag of Argentina, the pope's homeland. Somepeople held their children aloft or on their shoulders to get a better look.
"We are so proud. He is Argentine, but also belongs to the rest of theworld," said Ivana Cabello, 23, of Argentina.
Angela Carreon, a 41-year-old Rome resident originally from the Philippines,ventured that Francis "looks like John Paul II. "
"I hope he is like him," she said. "He has a heart."
The globe-trotting Polish-born John Paul II, who died in 2005, loved tocharm the crowds.
Several hundred extra traffic police were deployed Sunday to control crowdsand vehicles for Francis' first window speech as well as the annual Romemarathon. Bus routes were rerouted and many streets were closed off to channelthe curious and the faithful up the main boulevard from the Tiber river to St.Peter's Square.
Giant video screens were set up so the huge crowd could get a close look atFrancis, and dozens of medical teams were on hand for any emergencies. In thelast hour before noon, a large backup formed of people trying to squeezethrough three openings in the fence ringing the front of the square. But by thetime Francis appeared, all had calmly found a viewing spot.
Among Francis' first formal meetings is an appointment Monday with ArgentinePresident Cristina Fernandez. That will provide an opportunity to see if thenew pope's easygoing manner still holds - the two have been on opposite sidesfor many years. As Buenos Aires archbishop, Francis had lobbied hard againstthe government's move to legalize gay marriage and make contraceptivesavailable for free.
On Tuesday, Fernandez will join other world leaders and senior internationalenvoys, including U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and the president of Jesuit-runGeorgetown University, for Francis' formal installation as pope.
