Pope Francis:

St. Francis of Assisi, ‘the man of poverty,’ inspires name.

In his address on Saturday, he offered his impressions of the conclave and said he chose his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi,

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Saturday offered a silent blessing to an audience of journalists and other news media workers, acknowledging that not all of them were Catholic or believers — a rare gesture for a pontiff and a sign of openness toward other faiths and engagement with the secular world.

“Given that many of you do not belong to the Catholic Church, and others are not believers, I give this blessing from my heart, in silence, to each one of you, respecting the conscience of each one of you, but knowing that each one of you is a child of God,” he said. “May God bless you.”

The pope, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was concluding an audience with thousands of members of the news media and press operators, who have been in Rome for the conclave in which he was elected last Wednesday.

In his address on Saturday, he offered his impressions of the conclave and said that he had chosen his name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, who worked for the poor and for peace.

“Let me tell you a story,” he said. He then recounted how during the conclave he had sat next to Cardinal Claudio Hummes of Brazil, whom he called “a great friend.”

After the voting, Hummes “hugged me, he kissed me and he said, ‘Don’t forget the poor.’ And that word entered here,” the pope said, pointing to his heart.

“I thought of wars, while the voting continued, through all the votes,” he said. “And Francis is the man of peace. And that way the name came about, came into my heart: Francis of Assisi.”

Francis joked that some of his fellow cardinals had suggested other names, including Adrian, since Adrian VI had been “a reformer, and we need to reform.” Others suggested Clement XV, to improve on the legacy of Clement XIV, who in the 16th century had tried to suppress the Jesuit order to which Francis belongs.

But he said St. Francis of Assisi was his inspiration. “For me, he is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation. These days we don’t have a very good relationship with cre- ation, do we?” he said. “He is the man who gives us this spirit of peace, the poor man.”

“Oh how I would like a church which is poor and for the poor,” Francis said.

The pope’s remarks were a marked change in tone from those of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, the pope emeritus, who was more reserved by nature and rarely spoke of personal recollections.

Francis called on the news media to help communicate that the Roman Catholic Church is not a political institution, but something built on faith, guided by the Holy Spirit and aimed at promoting “truth, goodness and beauty.”

The pope has a busy week ahead, including plans to meet with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez on the eve of his Tuesday installation Mass. The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Pope Francis speaks during a meeting with the media Saturday at the Pope VI hall, at the Vatican. Pope Francis offered intimate insights Saturday into the moments after his papal election.