As pope, Francis will have the same coat of arms and motto as he did as cardinal. The fisherman's ring is made of silver and gold. Tomorrow's ceremony will begin at Saint Peter's tomb. Today the pope had lunch with the Argentine president.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The ceremony of inauguration of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome will be attended by 132 delegations from various countries and international organisations. In 31 cases, the delegation will be lead by the country's head of state, in 11 cases by the head of government (France and German for example), in others, by foreign ministers or other officials. Vice President Joe Biden will represent the United States.

Thirty-three delegations will represent Christian Churches, said Vatican Press Office director Fr Federico Lombardi. They include 14 Eastern Churches, 10 Western Churches and 3 international Churches. Church leaders will include the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians Karekin II, Metropolitan Hilarion of the Patriarchate of Moscow, the Secretary of the World Council of Churches Fykse Tveit, etc.

The Jewish community will also be represented with an important delegation of 16 members, which will include Rome's Chief Rabbi and representatives of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and international Jewish committees. Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jainists will also be represented.

The briefing gave Fr Lombardi an opportunity to present the pope's coat of arms and motto, which are the same he used when he was a bishop. The shield has a bright blue background with the IHS Christogram representing Jesus, a Jesuit symbol. There is also a star representing Mary, and a nard flower (not a bunch of grapes) that represents Joseph. Together, these symbols represent the Holy Family of Jesus, Joseph and Mary. The papal coat of arms is different in one respect though; a papal tiara and St Peter's crossed keys will replace the wide-brimmed, red cardinal's hat atop the shield.

The pope's motto-"miserando atque eligendo" (because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him)-comes from the Venerable Bede's homily on the Gospel account of Matthew's call. It is based in the episode when Jesus sees the publican, has mercy on him and calls on him to follow him. Thus, it is about Jesus' mercy and call to follow him, namely Card Bergoglio's own experience of calling and personal vocation.

The inauguration will take place tomorrow centred on a solemn Mass associated with the Petrine Ministry. The ceremony will begin at St Peter's Tomb and move to the square where, according to tradition, Peter he was martyred and where the pope will become his successor.

At 8.50 am, the pope will leave Saint Martha's House, driven around the square on either a jeep or the popemobile. He will return to the Sacristy to visit St Peter's Tomb around 9.15 am accompanied by about ten patriarchs and major archbishops, including four cardinals, from the Eastern catholic Churches. Together, they will say a prayer over the tomb where the papal ring and pallium, the two symbols of the Petrine Minister, are kept before they are presented to the pope.

Afterwards, the pope, the patriarchs and the cardinals present in Rome, the secretary of the College of Cardinals, two Superior Generals (that of the Order of Friars Minor, Jose Rodriguez Carballo, and that of the Jesuits, Adolfo Nicolas Pachon, respectively President and Vice-President of the Union of Superior Generals) will move in procession out into the sagrato.

During the procession, the Laudes Regiae (Praises of the King) will be chanted, praising Christ. It is a particularly solemn chant that includes litanies and invocations in Christ's honour. The Laudes include invocations to many saints, especially the canonised popes, the last one being Pius X. The procession will leave through the door to the left of the basilica.

Before the Mass begins, the pallium and the fisherman's ring, symbols of the Petrine Ministry, will be given to the pope.

The pallium, the same one that Benedict XVI used, will be placed on the pope's shoulders by Cardinal proto-deacon Jean-Louis Tauran (first of the Order of Deacons). This will be followed by a prayer by the Cardinal proto-presbyter Danneels, first in the Order of Priests. Finally, the ring will be presented to the pope by Cardinal Deacon Sodano (first of the Order of Bishops).

Fr Lombardi said that the ring is called the 'fisherman's ring' because Saint Peter was a fisherman whom Jesus turned into a fisher of men. This particular ring bears the image of Saint Peter with the keys, in gold and silver, designed by Enrico Manfrini, a famous Italian artist who created a number of works of art with a religious theme.

The ring was in the possession of Archbishop Macchi, Pope Paul VI's personal secretary, and then Mgr Malnati, who proposed it to Pope Francis through the Cardinal Re. The pope chose it out of a selection of two or three.

The Act of Obedience follows the presentation of the ring. Six cardinals, two from each order among the first of those present, will come before the pope to make an act of obedience. The other members of the people of God will not carry out their act of obedience at the time; they will do so after the pope takes possession of St John Lateran, the cathedral of Rome, a few weeks from now.

 The solemn Mass dedicated to Saint Joseph, patron saint of the Church will follow these highly symbolic rituals associated with the Petrine Ministry comes the Mass. On this occasion, the Gospel will be proclaimed in Greek to show that the universal Church includes all its great traditions. "Latin," Fr. Lombardi said, "is already abundantly present" in the other parts of the Mass.

Overall, the ceremony will be simpler. There will not be the offering procession, nor will the pope give the communion. This task will be performed by the deacons in the sagrato and some 500 priests around the square.

Chants will be performed by the choirs of the Sistine Chapel and the Pontifical Academy of Sacred Music. A rare motet by Pierluigi da Palestrina, Tu es pastor ovium (Thou art Shepherd of the sheep), written for a pontificate beginning, will be sung during the offertory. The Te Deum will follow, bringing the ceremony to a conclusion. There will be no Angelus because it is not Sunday.

At the end of the Mass, the pope will go up to the central altar, that of the Confession, where he will receive the greetings from the various national delegations.

Speaking about it, Fr Lombardi noted that the Holy See does not send out invitations. Anyone who wants to come is welcome. "No one has privileged status or will be refused," he said.

Delegations representing the Christian Churches and other religions will see the pope on Wednesday in the Clementine Hall.

Today, after an informal private meeting of about 15-20 minutes, the pope had lunch with Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (pictured) at Saint Martha's House. Before that, at 10 am, he had met with Secretary of State Card Tarcisio Bertone.

Yesterday, the pope had a "very private and cordial" meeting with the Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

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