Francis the humble pope who won the hearts of millions

Pope Francis arrives in a wheelchair at the end of a mass in St Peter’s Square at The Vatican on April 6 - (AP)

Two weeks after his surprise election as pontiff, Pope Francis carried out the Maundy Thursday ritual of washing and kissing the feet of 12 people, replicating Christ’s gesture of humility to his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion.

But in a notable break with tradition, the ceremony took place not in one of Rome’s basilicas but a youth detention centre on the outskirts of the city.