Pope Francis Nearly Falls During His First Day, Laughs Off The Stumble [VIDEO]

Pope Francis had a bit of a fall during his meeting with the College of Cardinals on Thursday. At the Mass for the closure of the Conclave, Pope Francis tripped as he was getting up from his chair.

The near-accident was laughed off by Pope Francis and the near-fall will not have the Vatican questioning their selection of the first Latin American, and first Jesuit, pope. During the Mass, Pope Francis was being addressed by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Sodano, reports The Huffington Post.

As Pope Francis keeps his attention on Cardinal Sodano, the man affectionately known as “Papa” in his native Argentina, misses the small step that leads up to his chair. With his foot slipping off, Pope Francis quickly recovered and managed to share a laugh with Cardinal Sodano as the two embrace.

The near-fall should be of no concern to the Vatican or to Pope Francis’ public image as the new pope continues to display the humility that he is known for.

With the announcement of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis, many cited his humble nature, including his penchant to cook his own meals, and that has not changed during the first few days of his papacy.

Before his fall on Thursday, the new pope made an unplanned trip to the Rome Basilica of Saint Mary Major and even traveled in a Volkswagen. During the conclave, Pope Francis stayed at a Vatican hotel, the Domus Internationalis Paulus V, reports Reuters. On Thursday, Pope Francis returned to collect his luggage and pay for the bill, despite, technically, being the new boss. Speaking about the new pope’s visit to the hotel, a Vatican spokesman said, “He then stopped in the office, greeted everyone and decided to pay the bill for the room ... because he was concerned about giving a good example of what priests and bishops should do,” reports Reuters.

Video of Pope Francis’ near-fall can be view on IBTimes TV.