As he serves the apostles an early morning lakeside breakfast over a charcoal fire in this Sunday’s gospel, the risen Lord calls on Saint Peter to “feed my lambs,” and “tend my sheep.” Continuing the Petrine ministry today, Pope Francis was formally installed as bishop of Rome on Sunday and encouraged disaffected Catholics to return to the fold. “God's patience has to call forth in us the courage to return to him, however many mistakes and sins there may be in our life,” he said, speaking in Italian.

Francis celebrated a Mass before thousands of people in Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran to formally take possession of the cathedral in his capacity as bishop of the Italian capital, his other major role along with the papacy.

Francis, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, has indicated that he intends to embrace his role as Rome's bishop as well as leader of the 1.2-billion-member Roman Catholic Church. Since his election on March 13, he has referred to himself more often as "bishop" than "pope" and is expected to visit many of Rome's parishes, a practice he maintained in Buenos Aires.

Francis urged disaffected Catholics to let God back into their lives. “We hear many offers from the world around us; but let us take up God's offer instead: His is a caress of love. For God, we are not numbers, we are important, indeed we are the most important thing to him; even if we are sinners, we are what is closest to his heart," he said.

A 2009 report by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life estimated one in 10 adults in the U.S. was raised Catholic but stopped identifying with the church or practicing the Catholic faith. But that may be changing with the election of Francis.

Tom Peterson, president of Catholics Come Home, which airs ads aimed at the disaffected, said his website traffic tripled the day of the election, adding several thousand visitors. It's been high ever since. Some interest could stem from the hubbub surrounding the selection of any pontiff, but Peterson thinks Francis' "love for the poor and his humility is exciting people to a great extent."

Homily hint: Known for his lively wit and writing style, Father James Martin, S.J. of America magazine, an open admirer of his fellow Jesuit Pope Francis, has started a movement to popularize a new shorthand: WWPFD—“What Would Pope Francis Do?” Parishioners may enjoy Martin’s Twitter post: "Our washer flooded and I spent an hour mopping, annoyed. Then I thought: I'll bet Pope Francis wouldn't get annoyed. And felt better. #WWPFD."

Sources: Philip Pullella for Reuters and Tracy Connors for NBC News