A word from the editor in chief: In addition to the feelings of expectation, excitement and even a bit of unease that Sebastian Gomes names below, I have finally pinned down another feeling that I have been struggling to name, or at least its closest equivalent. It is something like test anxiety, which I have not felt to this degree since undergraduate days—because one of the things we in the media are doing right now is trying to learn and memorize as much as we can about 20 or more different cardinals, preparing for the surprise of whomever steps out onto the loggia.
One strange aspect of this waiting period is the feeling that there ought to be some way to know something, to predict or at least narrow the range of possibilities somehow, to read into the (literal) smoke signals some sign that can be parsed for meaning. But all we can really do is wait. That does not stop TV networks from talking to analysts and journalists, of course, nor journalists from talking to each other. At least for the moment, however, you know exactly as much as we do on the other side of this email, as we all watch the chimney together. – Sam Sawyer, S.J.
Prepare to be surprised by the next pope
By Sebastian Gomes
It’s hard to describe the mood in Vatican City right now. There is great expectation and excitement but also a sense of unease. If this conclave follows the pattern of 2005, which elected Benedict XVI, or 2013, which elected Francis, we will have a new pope on Thursday evening. If it follows 1922, which elected Pius XI, 1958, which elected John XXIII, or 1978, which elected John Paul II, we will be waiting three to five days. No matter when the white smoke goes up, this conclave has been and will continue to be a surprise. But there is great consolation in “the God of surprises,” as Pope Francis taught us.
Most of us felt surprised when Jorge Mario Bergoglio walked out on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on March 13, 2013. Surprised at first because we didn’t recognize him from the papabile lists. But even more so because of the simplicity of his look, wearing only the white cassock and his unassuming pectoral cross. Scott Pelley of CBS told me he remembered thinking: “That’s not right, he’s not wearing the right clothes! As if the pope was making a mistake. It wasn’t a mistake; it was a message.”
When Francis asked the people in the square to bless him and bowed his head, the surprise turned into outright disbelief. What was happening? Anderson Cooper of CNN was in the square and spoke to me about that moment when the raucous crowd of tens of thousands of people fell completely silent in prayer. “The energy, the solemnity and the peace of that moment. There’s really nothing like it,” he shared.
I had been in Rome for a month already, covering the historic resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and assisting the Holy See Press Office with English language media. The evening of the election was a whirlwind of media hits and conversations about what had just happened. We eventually made it back to our residence just outside of St. Peter’s Square. It was about 2:30 a.m. We poured ourselves a beer in the refectory. Then, unexpectedly, a Jesuit priest who worked in the Vatican strolled into the room, poured himself a beer and sat with us. It turns out he, like the new pope, was Argentinian. Padre Jorge, as he was known, was the provincial of the Jesuits when he first joined as a young priest.
I recounted everything we had experienced that evening, the surprise of his appearance and the powerful gestures he made. I asked the Jesuit priest: “Is this the Bergoglio you knew? Are you surprised?” He smiled at us and said, “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
If you, like me, feel a sense of unease, remember that God will always surprise us in unexpected and consoling ways.
Here are the other stories you need to read today:
- Gerard O’Connell was one of the few Vatican watchers to predict that we would have a “pope from the Americas” in 2013. As we head into Day 2 of the Conclave, here’s who he sees as the likely contenders—and what the number of voting rounds might tell us.
- What time will we see black or white smoke? How can I watch the chimney? Your guide to Day 2 of the conclave.
- There’s only one thing left for Catholics to do: Pray for the conclave.
