where he had been living for the last two months. He was met by a jubilant group of staff and former colleagues, all eager to shake his hand and congratulate him.

A young girl handed him a Bible to bless and sign. "Of course, though, I have to try out my new signature," Pope Leo said with a smile. "The old one is of no use anymore." He had only stopped being Robert Francis Prevost a few hours before, when he was elected pope. As he took on the name Leo XIV, a new life began for the 69-year-old Chicago-born cardinal.

But details on how Pope Leo will be looking to run the Catholic Church are still scarce, and so over the next few days and weeks every small clue – from his attire to his choice of accommodation – will be examined. Scrutiny began as soon as he stepped on to the balcony, giving the crowd a glimpse of the vestments he chose for his first appearance.

The gold cross around his neck that caught the evening light was seen as a first sign he was departing from the simplicity of his predecessor's simple silver pendant; the embroidered stole and red mozzetta cemented that impression.

Then, the fact that the homily he delivered to cardinals in the Sistine Chapel on Friday morning was scripted – rather than improvised – also sent a signal that "Leo will be more closely aligned to tradition than Francis was," said Austen Ivereigh, a Catholic writer and commentator. But several events over the next few days and weeks will give Pope Leo a further chance to sketch out the priorities of his pontificate. On Monday he is due to hold an audience with the media and on  May 18th he will celebrate a solemn inaugural mass in St Peter's Square. As part of that mass he will deliver a homily in the presence of numerous heads of state and dignitaries. (BBC)