Pope Francis has marked the first anniversary of his election as head of the Catholic Church with a tweet from his retreat outside the Vatican.
“Pray for me” was the message the pontiff sent out in nine languages to his more than 12 million followers.
If you are a Latin lover, the literary kind, it was “Orate pro me”.
Tributes have been pouring in from all over the world but Francis is unlikely to have seen any of them.
He and his top aides are spending the week in the relatively simple building of a religious institution in the town of Ariccia, in the Alban Hills about 24 km away from the Vatican’s frescoed halls.
Outside the Vatican, many visitors were eager to share their memories of his first year in office.
“The gesture that struck me most was when he went to prison to wash the prisoners’ feet,” said one tourist.
“After one year I think the door is wide open finally, I’m crossing my fingers that it keeps going as wonderfully. I think he’s got it right,” added one woman from the United States.
Sentiments shared by an Argentine tourist in St Peter’s Square: “Now the Vatican is in contact with the poor, with those who most need it, and not with wealth and luxury, as I think it has been up to now”
The pope’s first anniversary is not being celebrated at the Vatican, another sign supporters of the South American say that this pope is unafraid to change age-old conventions.
