Pope Francis in Assisi

For a man with a message, his every move is full of symbolism and Pope Francis' pastoral visit to the hilltop Italian town of Assisi Friday is indeed long on meaning. CNN's Ben Wedeman reports.

It's the birthplace of Saint Francis, who some eight hundred years ago abandoned a life of wealth and privilege to serve the poor.

Since becoming pope, Francis has turned his back on the trappings of power, choosing to live in the modest Vatican residence, the Casa Santa Marta, and preferring to use a second hand car to drive around the Vatican.

He has stressed repeatedly he wants the Church to be a poor church serving the poor and in a recent interview published in an Italian newspaper, Francis condemned church leaders as narcistic and vain.

This week he held three days of closed door meetings with eight cardinals where they discussed ways to reform the church, its finances and its bureaucracy.

Some observers suggest Pope Francis may be more of a revolutionary than a reformer.