Video: Holy smoke! Pope Francis dons fireman's helmet Every Wednesday, Pope Francis has made it a habit of touring for approximately 30 minutes among the thousands of pilgrims who come to attend the weekly audience and to see him in St Peter's Square, blessing and shaking hands with the most varied groups of people, and often receiving gifts. According to the Prefect office of the Pontifical House, there were some 70,000 pilgrims taking part in the audience.