There he goes again.

In a nearly two week papacy full of surprises, Francis has once again turned Vatican protocol on its head.

Today, it was announced that Pope Francis will not live in the apostolic palace, but will instead live in a Vatican guest house in community with lay people, men and women religious and priests.

Francis will become the first Roman Pontiff in over a century to not live in the apostolic palace.

Stay tuned to Millennial for more updates on this latest surprise from Rome.

[UPDATED: 12:00 PM]

This clearly is a reflection of Pope Francis’s desire to humanize the papacy. As John Thavis notes, “his quarters at the Domus Sanctae Marthae are much more simple than the 10-room apartment on the other side of St. Peter’s Square. He also likes being with people, and at the Domus he’s been much less cut off than in the Apostolic Palace. He celebrates Mass with groups every morning, shares meals with other guests in the dining room and sometimes goes outside to walk.”

The Apostolic Palace is a grand structure that was completed in the sixteenth century. The Domus Sanctae Marthae–the pope’s new home–was built in 1996.