Tuesday April 19, 2005

“Habemus Papam” We have a Pope…..and now a new chapter begins.

I find it ironic that this historic day began for me by going to my history class. I rushed home after morning class with some friends from the Gregorian to be in the Piazza by the noon signal. At ten before noon we saw the results of the second ballot. Smoke began pouring forth and it was definitely black this time…and there were no bells. As we were walking back to Santa Monica, the 12 noon bells started to ring, bringing some excitement to the crowd because at the same time, more smoke began to pour from the chimney….just another coincidence....it was the smoke from the third ballot and it was also black. So far, we still have no pope and the Cardinals were going to break for Pranzo and would reenter the Sistine at 4:00 this afternoon.

I usually teach English at Santa Anna Parish in Vatican City on Tuesday afternoons from 5:00 until 6:15. My students were all anxious today and we decided that unless we heard the bells ringing beforehand, we would end the class at 6:00pm, giving us all a chance to be in the Piazza in plenty of time to for the 7:00 signal. Well, the bells started to ring earlier, but it was not the bells of Saint Peter. At ten minutes before six the ringing filled our classroom. It was the cell phone of one of my students, Maria Lucia, who works for L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper. Her friend called her to tell her that white smoke was coming out of the Sistine’s chimney. We all quickly learned the English phrase, “Class dismissed!” and started our way to the Piazza.

People of all ages were running to Piazza San Pietro to witness the smoke. We were there in plenty of time and after about a minute, the bells started to ring and the crowd began to cheer with joy. A decision had been made and we have a new pope. By now, we had all become familiar with the chant of “Giovanni Paolo” followed by two claps and then four quick claps. This time the chant, “Habemus Papam” followed by those claps, filled the Piazza!

We then waited for the announcement to come from the center balcony of St. Peter Basilica. The first cardinal deacon, Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez, came to the balcony a little before 7:00pm, to announce that we have a new Pope and that it is Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger and that he took the name Benedict XVI. The crowd went wild with cheers and clapping and tears and flag waving. It was quite exciting, even among the people who were hoping for someone other than Cardinal Ratzinger. The new Pope, Benedict XVI, then appeared at the center balcony as the other Cardinals began to come out on the balconies to the right and left.

Benedict XVI, then gave a short address reminding all of us that God can choose even those who can seem to be insufficient instruments to do his work in the vineyard, as long as they are supported by the prayers of others.

When it came time for Benedict XVI to offer his first blessing, people began to fall on their knees and prepare themselves. I was reminded of all of the times that my Uncle Don, my father’s brother who was a diocesan priest from Philadelphia, would visit our home and before he would leave, my parents would always ask for a blessing. All of us would then kneel down and prepare ourselves for it. Our kneeling was an opportunity to remind ourselves that God’s blessing was something awesome and holy. Recently, I have not found myself to be kneeling very much, but I did join those around me by kneeling in Piazza S. Pietro and celebrated God’s blessing through Benedict XVI.

Time will tell what is to be written in the coming pages and chapters of our history as a Church. Because we are a diverse people from diverse parts of the world with varying needs, some are certain to be overjoyed by choice of the new pope, others will be disappointed, and still others will be cautiously withholding judgment to see what direction we will be moving. On this day, we continue with our prayers. We pray for our new leader; we also pray for all of us. For the church is not defined as the Pope alone, but by all of its members living as the Body of Christ.