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People watch Pope Francis on a giant screen in St. Peter's square as he celebrates his inaugural Mass with cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel, at the Vatican Oded Balilty/AP/Press Association Images

Pope Francis warns Church of dangers of inaction

In his first mass, the new pope said the Catholic Church risked becoming little more than a charity with no spiritual foundations.

POPE FRANCES WARNED today that the troubled Catholic Church risked becoming little more than a charity with no spiritual foundations if it failed to undergo renewal.

The 76-year-old Argentinian told the cardinals who elected him as Latin America’s first pope that the Church could “end up a compassionate NGO”.

“I would like all of us after these days of grace to have the courage to walk in the presence of the Lord,” Francis said in his first mass, amid the splendour of the Sistine Chapel.

He warned the cardinals against “the worldliness of the Devil”.

“Walking, building and confessing are not so easy. Sometimes there are tremors,” the pope said, in a homily that will be scrutinised for clues to the style of his leadership.

Followers

The new head of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, who was formerly known as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, had begun his reign by meeting people in Rome and laying a bouquet of flowers in homage to the Virgin Mary in a basilica.

The pope also prayed at the altar of St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order to which he belongs.

He returned to the priests’ quarters where he stayed before the conclave and settled his own bill.

The election of the son of an Italian emigrant railway worker, who was considered a rank outsider, was met with widespread surprise and expressions of hope for change in a Church riven by scandal and internal conflict.

His elevation was also seen as recognition of the Church’s power in Latin America, which now accounts for 40 percent of the world’s Catholics, while it is in decline in Europe.

Projecting an image as a simple man of the people, the pope chose to name himself after St Francis of Assisi, the 13th century saint who shunned the riches of his family to devote himself to God and the poor.

The Vatican revealed that, for the ride back to the conclave lodgings after Wednesday’s election, Francis shunned the papal limousine with the “Vatican City State One” number plates and instead boarded a minibus with the cardinals.

The Argentinian of Italian descent, the 266th pope, faces the immediate challenges of stamping his authority on the Vatican machinery and trying to coax back worshippers that are deserting churches across the West

The sexual abuse of children by paedophile priests stretching back decades cast a dark shadow over the conclave, which included several cardinals implicated in the scandals.

A US man who has just won a $1 million settlement for abuse at the hands of a Californian priest called for Francis to excise the “cancer” in the Church and defrock one of those cardinals, former Los Angeles archbishop Roger Mahony, for allegedly hushing up the abuse.

“I hope that our new pope defrocks … Cardinal Mahony for his role in covering up the abuse that I suffered,” Michael Duran said, while acknowledging: “I don’t have high hopes for that.”

- © AFP, 2013

Read: Pope Francis is technically the Bishop of Kilfenora, Co Clare>

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    Mute TellingItAsItIs
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    Jun 1st 2018, 10:05 AM

    “The host was comedian Jason Byrne”. Comedian!? Seriously? Cholera is funnier than that lad.

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    Mute Shimmy Shammy
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    Jun 1st 2018, 10:11 AM

    @TellingItAsItIs: How himself and Ed Byrne have made career in comedy is baffling.

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    Mute Jodi
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    Jun 1st 2018, 10:12 AM

    @TellingItAsItIs: But he is a comedian, that’s his trade. Not saying he is funny, that’s subjective. I mean, look at Taxi Drivers…

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    Mute I like this cushion
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    Jun 1st 2018, 10:12 AM

    @TellingItAsItIs: He’s like an Irish Samantha Bee. Unfunny, cringey and annoying.

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    Mute TellingItAsItIs
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    Jun 1st 2018, 10:14 AM

    @Shimmy Shammy: Marty Morrissey won best TV presenter? Ah here! Now that IS comedy.

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    Mute Gerry Fallon
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    Jun 1st 2018, 10:33 AM

    @Jodi: at taxi drivers???
    Is that meant to be humorous jodi?

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    Mute Rear Admiral
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    Jun 1st 2018, 12:33 PM

    @TellingItAsItIs:

    Jason Byrne is about as funny as burning orphanage. His whole monologue is:

    “D’ya remember dat, d’ya remember dat, who remembers dat?”, and
    “Moi ma woulda give me a bleedin box round the head”

    I see he’s picked up the goofy glasses as an extra prop

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    Mute I like this cushion
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    Jun 1st 2018, 12:46 PM

    @Rear Admiral: burning orphanage.. love it. Gonna steal that one :-)

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Jun 1st 2018, 1:55 PM

    @TellingItAsItIs: I’m sure IFTA will look for your approval for its next ceremony given all the achievements in your life!

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    Mute Michelle OShea
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    Jun 1st 2018, 2:16 PM

    @Shimmy Shammy: Ed Byrne has got where he is because of Dara O’Briain, riding on the coat tails. They did do road trips that were quite funny..

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    Mute Sean Leonard
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    Jun 1st 2018, 10:12 AM

    Lisa McGee deserved the award as did Goggle Box and Red Rock…. But whoever voted for Marty Morrissey or Dancing with the Z-Listers need help!

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    Mute Sideshow Bob
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    Jun 1st 2018, 10:43 AM

    @Sean Leonard: Dancing show had a load of viewers.

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    Mute Rob Cahill
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    Jun 1st 2018, 10:58 AM

    @Sean Leonard: Dancing with the Staff morelike.. Goggle box is people watching people watching TV.. They should get an award for most ridiculous idea ever.

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Jun 1st 2018, 1:57 PM

    @Sean Leonard: The Young Offenders would have pipped it for me. What talent in the one category! AND Sharon Horgan is killing it!

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    Mute Sean Leonard
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    Jun 1st 2018, 3:19 PM

    @Deborah Behan: true

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    Mute Jeremiah Dempsey
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    Jun 1st 2018, 10:42 AM

    We are a funny people naturally and I know some genuinely hilarious people. It always befuddled me as to how we manage to consistently produce such bland, safe middle of the road comedies and comedians

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Jun 1st 2018, 1:59 PM

    @Jeremiah Dempsey: maybe it’s you?

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    Mute Jeremiah Dempsey
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    Jun 1st 2018, 2:25 PM

    @Deborah Behan: maybe it’s me what? It’s pure shite we produce

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    Mute Marcia Craine
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    Jun 1st 2018, 12:24 PM

    Wondering why activists aren’t doing more for travellers? Ha ha ha! I wonder why.

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    Mute Liam Ward
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    Jun 1st 2018, 10:35 AM

    Marty Morrissey? Wouldn’t cross the rd to see him,met him once enough said

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    Mute cath
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    Jun 1st 2018, 10:39 AM

    The only good thing about derry girls was sister micheal she should have her own show, as for the young offenders it was okish both not that funny!

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Jun 1st 2018, 10:14 AM

    Did anyone turn up for their awards?

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    Mute mike scott
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    Jun 1st 2018, 10:18 AM

    @Paul Furey: nobody important did.

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    Mute Mike Keane
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    Jun 1st 2018, 1:52 PM

    @Paul Furey: Because Jason Byrne was the only one to turn up, he got to present the awards as well.

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    Mute Gomurphy
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    Jun 1st 2018, 12:46 PM

    John Connors passionate speech, Bet it was about the poor Travellers

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    Mute Tom McHugh
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    Jun 1st 2018, 11:13 AM

    When I think of these events, it reminds me of the Jimmy Savilles of this world, who with a modicum of talent and a massive ego, managed to keep himself in the limelight for years.

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    Mute Brian Deane
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    Jun 1st 2018, 10:31 AM

    Never mind the IFTAs – does television even have a future? Load of biased overpaid windbags.

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    Mute Ciara Ni Mhurchu
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    Jun 1st 2018, 7:44 PM

    John Connors and his Travellers rights speech!? Travellers have the same rights to go to school and get a job like the rest of us. They can even pay taxes, use bins and tax and insure their cars too!

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    Mute Ronan Skelly
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    Jun 1st 2018, 12:17 PM

    Really in all honesty the IFTA awards are a joke…no one who is anyone actually goes to them. For good reason too. They are an embarrassing example of Irish TV…. same old same old. They must do a trawl of the rte canteen before every show to see if anyone wants to do a nicer!

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    Mute Ciara Ni Mhurchu
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    Jun 1st 2018, 1:09 PM

    Infairness they had absolutely no competition.

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    Mute Tom McHugh
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    Jun 1st 2018, 11:08 AM

    As it is difficult to provide metrics for being a celebrity, what better way to celebrate?

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    Mute Graeme Murphy
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    Jun 1st 2018, 11:23 AM

    What’s this toxic warning crap? Is for snowflakes? #Moretoxicthebetter

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    Mute Ger Murphy
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    Jun 3rd 2018, 5:15 AM

    This title should read Jason Byrne is a complete knob

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    Mute Graeme Murphy
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    Jun 1st 2018, 2:59 PM

    What kind of message do i have to post to get a 10/10 on the toxicometer dealy thing a ma jig

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