A Wisconsinite views the conclave from the Vatican
The election of a new pope draws strong emotions from the faithful.
One of my most powerful Catholic experiences came in 2013 while watching TV, as thousands in St. Peter’s Square cheered for the introduction of Pope Francis.
I loved what I saw, though I never considered it realistic to be involved in such a moment myself.
An uncertain journey
With Pope Francis’ passing, I quickly discerned going to Rome for the conclave.
With the encouragement of a cast of friends packed with travel tips, I bought tickets to leave Madison and be in Rome from May 3 to 11, hopefully enough time to see a new pope.
This was a leap of faith for me; I booked flights less than 30 hours before takeoff and couldn’t confirm my lodging until after arrival.
With some grace and luck, my first days in Rome were an explorer’s dream. I walked all over the city, had powerful experiences in many of its churches, and, being a cartographer, fell awestruck inside the Vatican Gallery of Maps!
Conclave time
After attending Mass celebrated for the success of the conclave, I entered the square early Wednesday afternoon, May 7.
Hours before the first vote, diehard pilgrims lined up to watch the Sistine Chapel chimney for the famous white smoke, indicating a new pope’s election.
I gravitated toward a pair of flag-bearing Newfoundlanders who, along with Irish, German, and American acquaintances, organically made a fun conclave watch group.
It was hardly a surprise when the first vote was inconclusive.
Our group of conclave watchers, now friends, reconvened Thursday morning with greater hope for a new pope.
Standing under the bright Italian sun, we learned a local tip: Romans stay out of the sun during conclaves and only rush St. Peter’s Square once white smoke appears!
Thursday afternoon brought diversions in the form of seagulls perching near the Sistine Chapel chimney, drawing cheers as they appeared on the Vatican jumbotrons.
After a while, a gray ball of feathers was seen walking around the chimney — a baby seagull!
As the millennial I am, I took a photo of the seagull chick with its parents on the big screen and posted it to social media. Just as I finished posting, I looked back up at the jumbotron and, without thinking, yelled
. . . “SMOKE!”
Tentatively at first, smoke came from the chimney.
The sun was dropping behind St. Peter’s Basilica, and a white cloud sat above the Sistine Chapel, making it hard to pick out the smoke’s color.
Moments later, everyone realized the smoke was white and erupted in cheers!
The square quickly filled as roughly 150,000 people crowded in to greet the new pope.
Bells rang as dozens, if not hundreds, of flags from all over the world waved as people shared their joy.
This moment is exactly what captured my imagination in 2013.
My mom even texted, saying how happy she was that I didn’t take her advice and instead chose to go to Rome.
The Ten Commandments tell us to obey our parents, but not necessarily to take their advice!
‘Habemus papam!’
An hour passed, full of anticipation and speculation over who had just been elected pope.
Finally, the iconic “Habemus papam” (Latin for “we have a pope”) address began.
Knowing little Latin, I couldn’t grasp the pope’s name.
As apparent Latin American voices began cheering, I was surprised but not shocked to think we have a second consecutive Latin American pope.
At this point, a French journalist whom I met earlier asked me something to the effect of, “What do you think of that, an American pope?!”
Papa Americano?
Confused, I replied, “A Latin American pope, right?”
The reporter kindly corrected my misperception, and as I like to say, I “had to lift my jaw off the cobbles of St. Peter’s Square.”
I thought and felt a lot of things, shock being the greatest.
Shortly after, Pope Leo XIV emerged and gave his first address and blessing as pope.
I was comforted by his choice to embrace the wider Church community through using languages apart from his native tongue in this first impression as the Earthly leader of the Catholic Church.
At this point, my heart started opening to our new, American Pope.
It was a great time to cheer and pray for him and for our Catholic community.
The remainder of my trip was spent with my conclave friends, celebrating what we experienced and helping each other pilgrimage through Rome’s Jubilee Year Holy Doors.
Now what?
Reflecting on my adventures in Rome, I want to better understand my role within the Church and our world.
With a new pope, we have a fresh opportunity to consider how to live our faith differently and more boldly.
My conclave excitement has shifted to anticipation for where Pope Leo XIV will guide us on that path.
I hope we all can use this moment and the new papacy to dig into things that challenge and intrigue us to get closer to God and love one another.