Valeria Villabelle and her mother, Alicia Garcia, were eating at a corner restaurant when the white smoke began pouring out. The two, from Monterrey, Mexico, arrived in Rome after a two-week cruise. They had hoped to see Pope Francis but felt blessed to witness the election of Pope Leo XIV.
“I’m so happy. This was just so fortunate that I’m here,” Ms. Garza told America in Spanish. They were both delighted that Pope Leo briefly spoke from the balcony in Spanish during his first address.
“It was a message, I think,” Ms. Villabelle said, noting he did not speak in English. “Because the language, as well as the people who speak it, have been attacked in his own country. So I think it was a beautiful humanitarian message.”
Luis Adrian Luna Barrios, an immigrant to Italy from Mexico, also noted that the pope spoke in Spanish.
“It was emotional. I am grateful that he kept us in mind—but all Catholics in the world really, of course. It was a beautiful gesture,” he said in Spanish. “The first time we have a North American pope. I feel overwhelmed to have experienced this moment.”
Alberto Bagaña, a Franciscan priest working as a hospice chaplain in Texas, also noted Pope Leo’s words in Spanish.
“To me, as a Hispanic person, I was very moved that in addition to Latin and Italian, the only other language he spoke was Spanish,” he said. “He spoke directly to the Hispanic people, where he has had his pastoral experience. For us, as Hispanics who are suffering in the United States, it gives us great hope to believe that this next pope will be like Francis and stand with immigrants.”
Father Bagaña, an immigrant to the United States from Mexico, made the trip to Rome to be on hand to welcome the new pope. He did not expect the pope to be elected so quickly and took it as a sign that he was chosen by the Holy Spirit.
“God truly placed this person here,” he said. “There are no words to describe what it’s like to be here, to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. We hear so many languages, but in the end we all speak the same one.”
Beyond Latin Americans, the pope’s message reached people from all over the world.
“This is a blessed moment,” said Joel Varghese, a seminarian from India studying in Rome. “We are so happy and excited.”
“Not long ago, we were here saying goodbye to our beloved Francis,” said Marcelo Caballero, a Franciscan brother from Paraguay. “And now, the church has given us another pastor. We hope that he will be as he says, a symbol of unity, of new evangelization and mission in the church.”
Karol, a young man from Poland, did not disclose his last name, but he did say he was named after St. Pope John Paul II, Karol Wojtyla. He was overjoyed to be in Rome for the election of the new pope.
“It’s my first time in Rome, at the Vatican,” he said. “This is one of my dreams.”
After the election but before Pope Leo XIV came to the balcony, Giovanni Franco said he hoped it would be an Italian. Mr. Franco lives in Rome with his family, and he has witnessed the election of the pope four times. “It’s very emotional,” he said.
Still, once Leo came to greet the tens of thousands waiting, he received his new bishop warmly with cheers and loud applause.
Paul Bridgewater was in Rome vacationing from Oklahoma with his wife, Teresa, when they decided to take in the election of the next pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
“We’re here, so when in Rome, that kind of thing,” he chuckled. “We didn’t want to miss it at all.”
Searching for words, Mr. Bridgewater said, “It was very poignant to be a part of history…. As a non-Catholic, I know a little bit, not a lot. It’s ornate and beautiful, and obviously pretty spectacular. It doesn’t happen very often.”
“It’s insane,” Ms. Bridgewater interjected. “The whole historical significance of this is overwhelming. I cried, and I’m, like, not even Catholic. And I’m tearing up.”
She laughed, then said, “We thought we’d see the smoke maybe, and I didn’t know he was an American until afterward because obviously I didn’t understand anything that was being said.”
Rodrigo Lorenzo came to Rome from Mexico for a pilgrimage. He waited for hours to see if he could catch the new pope before rushing off to catch his flight home this evening. As the white smoke billowed from the chimney and the bells rang, announcing the election, he was overcome with emotion.
“I am so happy,” he said through tears. “I never thought I would witness this moment. I am so hopeful for this new pope, and to see who it is! But they have elected him, and it’s a time of great joy.”
“I am certain they have elected the pope that the world needs at this moment. I have so much hope and so much love for him. And I will pray for him.”
“Look at all these people here, with so many different charisms, and we pray in different languages,” he said. “But we are all here to pray to God, to Jesus and to be united as Christians.”
