Rome (CNN) -- Pope Francis officially becomes pontiff Tuesday, in a ceremony that the Vatican says will be short in keeping with the spirit of simplicity exuded by the new Holy Father.
The "Mass inaugurating the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome," as the ceremony is officially called, should last just more than two hours, said Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi. It begins at 9:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. ET).
St. Peter's Square, which holds around 100,000 people, will bustle with tourists, locals and pilgrims and dignitaries. The ritual service will be broadcast live around the world.
Anticipation has mounted among the faithful across the globe awaiting a joyous and solemn chapter of Christian history.
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First Sunday Mass for new pope Francis has made a deep impression as a pope of the people, who is concerned about the welfare of the poor. But he inherits a church wracked by a decades-old sexual abuse scandal and claims of corruption in the clergy.
His own legacy as a priest in Argentina during the so-called Dirty War has also haunted him in recent days, as allegations the church didn't do enough to confront the military dictatorship then came back to the fore.
The Vatican has denied any implications as defamatory.
The pope's path
Francis begins his day in the residence Santa Marta, where the cardinals stayed for the conclave. Not until he has been inaugurated, will he take up residency in the papal apartment.
He will climb aboard either the Popemobile or a Jeep before the Mass begins and take a slow ride through the throng in the square, said Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi.
Since his selection during the conclave, Francis has had a propensity to rewrite the rules of how a pope is traditionally to behave, and he has at times not stuck to the plan.
If he rides in the Popemobile, a special construction by Mercedes Benz, he will be behind bulletproof glass, which was installed in 1981 after an assassination attempt on John Paul II.
But Pope Francis has refused his official rides before, opting for a shuttle bus on a trip with cardinals instead of the pope's official car.
After cruising through the crowd, he will arrive at the Basilica for a litany of precursory ceremonies before the Mass begins.
He will be adorned in lamb's wool to represent his role as 'the good shepherd,' who tends responsibly to his flock and receive the papal ring, the 'fisherman's ring,' to represent his role of spreading the gospel.
The pope, who plans to deliver his homily in Italian, isn't expected to religiously stay within a script.
This has raised some security concerns.
Security vs. spontaneity
Pope Francis got an enthusiastic reaction when he spontaneously engaged the crowd with handshakes and hugs Sunday.
One Italian newspaper quoted a member of the pope's security detail as saying, if the pope he carries on like this, it will "drive us all crazy."
"There he was, standing right in front of me reaching out his hand and smiling," said John Bingham, a reporter who got to shake the pope's hand. "It was incredibly different from any pope that I've ever seen at work before."
As the pontiff darted over to the barricades and even went out the gate that opens onto a public street, expressions of concern could be seen on the faces of security officers accompanying him.
Andreas Widmer, who protected Pope John Paul II as a member of the Swiss Guard in the 1980s, says a pope has to balance security considerations against his mission of engaging the public and speaking to Catholic audiences around the world.
"The first priority of the papacy is not security. The first priority of the papacy is his ministry," he said. "Having the pope go in St. Peter's Square and things like that -- that's never going to change. That's part and parcel of what he does."
The security of the pope is hardly a new concern. The Swiss Guard began protecting the pope in the 1400s
A week of ceremonies
The choice of day to anoint Pope Francis as the Holy Father of the Roman Catholic Church carries a rich symbolism: It is the day that Catholics celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph to honor Jesus' father on Earth, the carpenter Joseph.
It also happens to be Father's Day in Italy.
It is also one of the busiest times of the year on the Christian calendar, which will mean many public appearances in series for the new pontiff.
Less than a week away is Palm Sunday, the holiday that kicks off Holy Week, which culminates in Easter celebrations.
Foreign dignitaries, royalty, heads of state, and representatives of other religions will attend Tuesday's Mass.
The pope, who plans to deliver his homily in Italian, isn't expected to religiously stay within a script. He will have prepared comments but, his spokesmen say, he might diverge because he likes to be spontaneous.
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Dignitaries stream in
Among the dignitaries, one may garner attention for the wrong reasons.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, reviled for his human rights abuses, has arrived. He is under a European Union travel ban, but he can skirt that because he entered Italy on religious grounds.
In power for decades, Mugabe visited the Vatican in 2011 for the beatification of the late Pope John Paul II. He attended that pope's funeral in 2005.
Vatican spokesmen briefing reporters Monday stress that dignitaries are welcome to attend the inauguration but, by tradition, they don't receive a specific invitation.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will lead the U.S. presidential delegation for the Mass, the White House said Friday, with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi also among the party.
On Friday, House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, said he will send a separate bipartisan congressional delegation.
Those delegations are among scores from nations and international organizations traveling to the Vatican, led by heads of states and governments.
Delegations will be on hand from Italy and the pope's native Argentina.
There will be other groups from the Americas, including Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Canada, and European nations such as Holland, Belgium and Germany.
Representatives from across Christianity -- Eastern and Western -- will also be present, as will members of other religions, including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainismn.
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