As parish priests throughout Italy do during the Easter season, Pope Francis has spent an afternoon going door to door and blessing homes.
Continuing the "Mercy Friday" visits he began during the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis chose a public housing complex in Ostia, a Rome suburb on the Mediterranean Sea.
The Vatican press office said that Fr Plinio Poncina, pastor of Stella Maris parish, put up signs announcing that a priest would be visiting the neighbourhood to bless houses.
The signs, which indicate a date and give a time frame, are a common sight in Italy in the weeks before and after Easter.
