POPE Francis has opened his inaugural mass by engaging the front row in a few minutes of cheeky chit-chat.
The new Pope confirmed his informal, off-the-cuff style by picking on crowd members at St Peter’s Square with distinguishing characteristics.
Pope Francis said: “So…any Catholics in today?”
After his initial question met with a deafening cheer, the Pope continued: “How about anyone from a small provincial village?”
Having elicited a show of around two hundred thousand hands, the Pope then chose a man in a hat, asking him what his name was.
“Domingo,” came the reply, although the Pope deliberately misinterpreted this as ‘Domino’, for comic effect.
The Pope said: “So, Domingo, God tells me you’re a homosexual.”
After a short pause, the Pope continued: “Just messing with you, no seriously it’s going to be a great mass today.”
Cardinal Angelo Sardano tweeted: “Pope Francis is absolutely smashing it!”
