He greeted them all individually at the Vatican, including New York's Cardinal Dolan.

Francis praised his predecessor, and urged the cardinals to return home with a renewed sense of purpose.

"Go back to your homes and continue your ministry enriched by the experience of these days. So much faith and communion. A unique and incomparable experience which has enabled us to perceive the beauty of the church, which is a reflection of a resurrected Christ," Francis.

After celebrating mass with Pope Francis on Thursday, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said the new pope has his work cut out for him.

He expressed hope Francis will be able to surround himself with people of good conscience, who can help improve the image of the Catholic Church.

"You know he comes from Argentina. Now Argentina has a lot of good, and a lot of challenges. One of the challenges, like ours, is that some people are leaving the Catholic church. When he, like any other good pastor would say, 'Why?' He sees that people are sometimes shocked and scandalized by the church, so he knows we have to do something about that, and he will," Dolan said.

Pope Francis' installation is set for Tuesday.