Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican earlier this month. ROME— Pope Francis ’ reign promised from its first moments a decade ago to be distinctive. When Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the new pope on March 13, 2013, he appeared on a loggia on the front of St. Peter’s Basilica without the red cape that was traditional for the occasion, then broke with custom further by bowing his head to the crowd in the square below, asking them to bless him.

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