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Pope pays for his inns

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HUMBLE BEGINNING: Pope Francis, making the rounds on his first day as pontiff yesterday (above), made a stop at the Vatican-run Domus Internationalis Paulus VI — to pay his bill.

HUMBLE BEGINNING: Pope Francis, making the rounds on his first day as pontiff yesterday (above), made a stop at the Vatican-run Domus Internationalis Paulus VI — to pay his bill. (Reuters)

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On his first morning as pontiff, Pope Francis slipped out of the Vatican — to pay his hostel bill and collect his luggage.

He had insisted on paying.

“He was concerned about giving a good example of what priests and bishops should do,” a Vatican spokesman said.

And, shunning the official “Vatican One” sedan, Francis was driven in a Vatican pool car without a motorcade to the church-owned priests residence in central Rome that was his home before his election

“I don’t think he needs to worry about the bill,” said Father Pawel Andrianik, who was also living at the Domus Internationalis Paulus VI — where rooms run up to $104 a night.

“This house is part of the church, and it’s his church now.”

Francis’ humility was evident yesterday as he broke more papal traditions in his first day than Pope Benedict XVI did in eight years.

For example, he delivered his first papal homily in Italian rather than Latin.

And he didn’t address the massive audience in St. Peter’s Square with the usual “praised be Jesus Christ” or “dear brothers and sisters” — but a conversational “buona sera,” “good evening” in Italian.

Vatican officials said they are learning a lot about the humble ways of their new leader.

“There are a lot of things we don’t know yet,” said Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi.

“A pope’s personal style has to be respected.”