In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis puts flowers on the altar inside St. Mary Major Basilica, in Rome, Thursday, March 14, 2014. Pope Francis opened his first morning as pontiff by praying Thursday at Rome's main basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary, a day after cardinals elected him the first pope from the Americas in a bid to revive a Catholic Church in crisis and give it a preacher with a humble touch. In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis kneels in prayer in front of the icon of the Virgin Mary inside St. Mary Major Basilica, in Rome, Thursday, March 14, 2014. In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis prays inside St. Mary Major Basilica, in Rome, Thursday, March 14, 2014. VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Francis put his humility on display during his first day as pontiff Thursday, stopping by his hotel to pick up his luggage and pay the bill himself in a decidedly different style of papacy than his tradition-minded predecessor, who tended to stay ensconced in the frescoed halls of the Vatican. The break from Benedict XVI's pontificate was evident even in Francis' wardrobe choices: He kept the simple pectoral cross of his days as bishop and eschewed the red cape that Benedict wore when he was presented to the world for the first time in 2005 - choosing instead the simple white cassock of the papacy. The Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi acknowledged the difference in style, attributing it to Francis' life work as the pastor of Buenos Aires whereas Benedict was long an academic. He said it was too early to make a "profound evaluation" of Francis' priorities, urging instead reflection on his first few homilies - particularly at his installation Mass on Tuesday. The former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio began his first day as pope making an early morning visit in a simple Vatican car to a Roman basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary and prayed before an icon of the Madonna. The main item on Francis' agenda Thursday was an inaugural afternoon Mass in the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals elected him leader of the 1.2 billion-strong church in an unusually quick conclave. Francis is expected to outline some of his priorities as pope in the homily. Lombardi said it would likely be delivered in Italian, another break from the traditional-minded Benedict whose first homily as pope was in Latin. By Thursday morning, members of his flock were similarly charmed when Francis stopped by the Vatican-owned residence where he routinely stays during visits to Rome and where he stayed before the start of the conclave to pick up his luggage and pay the bill. The Rev. Pawel Rytel-Andrianek, who teaches at the nearby Pontifical Holy Cross University and is staying at the residence, said he didn't just come to get his luggage, noting that anyone could have come to get his suitcases. "He wanted to come here because he wanted to thank the personnel, people who work in this house," he said. Francis met with the staff in the dining room. "He greeted them one by one, no rush, the whole staff, one by one," Rytel-Andrianek said, noting that the pope knew everyone by name. "People say that he never in these 20 years asked for a (Vatican) car," he said. Even when he went for the conclave with a priest from his diocese, he just walked out to the main road, he picked up a taxi and went to the conclave. So very simple for a future pope. Benedict displayed that same sense of simplicity and humility immediately after his election, shunning the special sedan that was to transport him to the hotel so he could ride on the bus with other cardinals, and refusing even an elevated platform from which he would greet them, according to U.S. Cardinal Timothy Dolan. "I think we're going to see a call to Gospel simplicity," said U.S. Cardinal Donald Wuerl. He is by all accounts a very gentle but firm, very loving but fearless, a very pastoral and caring person ideal for the challenges today. During dinner, Francis, however, acknowledged the daunting nature of those challenges in a few words addressed to the cardinal electors: "'May God forgive you for what you have done,'" Francis said, according to Lombardi. Benedict's longtime aide, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, accompanied Francis to the visit Thursday morning at St. Mary Major. He then also went into the main altar area of the basilica and prayed before relics of the manger in Bethlehem where Jesus is said to have been born - an important pilgrimage spot for Jesuits "If he brings that same desire for a simple lifestyle to the papal court, I think they are all going to be in shock," said the Rev. Thomas Reese, author of "Inside the Vatican," an authoritative book on the Vatican bureaucracy. Francis also inherits a Vatican bureaucracy in need of sore reform. The leaks of papal documents last year exposed the petty turf battles and allegations of corruption in the Holy See administration. One of his most important and watched appointments will be that of his secretary of state, who effectively runs the Holy See. Lombardi said Francis, like his predecessors, would probably confirm all Vatican officials in their jobs for the time being, and make changes at a later date. Reporter Rob Gillies in Toronto, Karl Ritter and photographer Luca Bruno in Rome contributed.