Well, soon after our short adventure to the Alps, Stanley and I had another big change in our plans! When the (then) Pope Benedict XVI announced to the world that he had decided with the help of God in prayer to step down from the office of pope, this meant that a new pope was to soon be elected. When this happened, Stanley asked me, "What will happen now?" I told him that this was something new for both of us. The last time a pope (who is the leader of the Catholic Church, after Jesus) stepped down from his office was 600 years ago, since popes usually stayed in office until they died.
So to elect the new pope, the cardinals from all over the world would come to Rome, and after praying for the help of the Holy Spirit, they would vote for who they thought would be the best man to continue guiding the Church from over the whole world to God. This process is called the Conclave, which means "with a key," because the cardinals are locked into the Sistine Chapel when they decide their votes. This allows the cardinals to pray and choose freely without any pressure from anyone outside the conclave. When the votes finally reach a two-thirds majority, that means that a new pope has been elected, and white smoke comes out the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. If they don't get enough votes to elect a pope, then the smoke is black, which tells everyone waiting outside that the cardinals have to vote again.
In the mean time, I told Stanley that it would be fitting to visit St. Peter's Basilica, where St. Peter himself is buried, since the pope is actually the inheritor of the same command that Jesus gave to Peter: "Feed my sheep." Originally built by the Roman Emperor Constantine around 320 AD, and then rebuilt from 1506-1626, St. Peter's is the largest Church in the world, and since I am blessed to live just a 7-minute walk away, Stanley agreed that it would be a great way to spend the afternoon. But surprise, surprise! Guess who we met when we went up to top of the dome? Another Flat Stanley from South Carolina! Boy were they happy to see each other! They had a few stories to share with each!
At the highest point in Rome, St. Peter's dome gives a majestic view of the whole city. Behind us, you can see the front of the Basilica (there are statues of Jesus, John the Baptist, and the Apostles), which then opens up into St. Peter's Square, like arms of a mother welcoming her children from all over the world. The people in the square looked like small ants from our view! If you would look at St. Peter's Basilica and the Square from an airplane, it would look like a key-hole...which is fitting, because St. Peter was the Apostle to whom Jesus gave "the keys of the kingdom of heaven." Stanley was reminding me to hold on tight to him, or he might blow away in the strong wind!
Here's a picture from the dome, looking down at the roof of the Sistine Chapel, with the yellow arrow pointing at it. That's where the conclave would be.
As the time approached for the Conclave to begin, Stanley and I had the opportunity to attend the Opening Mass of the Conclave, March 12, which was also at St. Peter's Basilica. Here, we have some pretty good seats, as we sat with the other seminarians from the North American College here in Rome. Behind me, you can see the baldacchino, or canopy, over the main altar. Stanley told me that he felt under-dressed for the occasion, since all of us seminarians wore our clericals (that shirt I'm wearing with the white collar). I told him that didn't matter, since Jesus loves us all the same! The only reason I wear the clothes that I do, is because they are a visible sign for others to see that I am called by God to serve and help them get to heaven...similar to why a police officer wears a police uniform, so that people know that they can go to them for the help a police officer can give. From where we sat, we were right behind the cardinals I mentioned earlier, as we celebrated the Holy Mass, asking God to bless the Church with a good leader who will love and care for the Church like the Good Shepherd, Jesus, did.
Here's a picture of the Swiss Guard, who guard the pope. I told Stanley that they dress kind of like him, but he didn't laugh.
Here's a better picture of the main altar, baldacchino, and the main isle of the Basilica. Directly below that main altar is the tomb where St. Peter's followers buried him after he was martyred for his faith in Jesus...dating all the way back to the first century AD!
And then on March 13, 2013 at 7:06 pm, waiting in the cold, drizzly rain, Stanley (again in my coat pocket, because he seems to be scared of the cold!) and I heard the crowd in St. Peter's Square go crazy; "It's white!" they all yelled, and immediately began pushing their way to get as close to the front of the Basilica as possible to see who the new pope would be! The church bells all over Rome were ringing, people were yelling for joy, and everyone was excited for who it would be. Some even thought that it might have been one of the American cardinals! It was certainly one of the most exciting moments of either of our lives, as well as historic! Stanley could hardly contain himself! You can see in the photo the white smoke coming out of the Sistine Chapel's chimney.
With over 100,000 people packed into the square, this was as close of a picture as we could get of the newly-elected Pope Francis on the balcony of St. Peter's. He's the guy in the white in the middle of the balcony, waving at you. Jorge Bergoglio is his original name, from Argentina; but each pope chooses a new name when he is elected Pope, just like Jesus changed Simon's name to Peter, to show his new responsibility for the whole Church. So this pope chose the name Francis, after the St. Francis of Assisi, who showed the world how to love Jesus in the poor, while being poor himself. Nearly two months after his election, we can certainly thank God for giving us so loving and strong of a leader! His words were powerful that night, when he asked the whole crowd of people to take a moment of silence, and pray that God bless Francis, and that Mary take care of him. Then he asked us to remember to prayer for one another, so that the entire world may become a great family, caring one for the other. So Stanley and I agreed to follow our new Holy Father's request. We hope you will too!
Looking down the street leading to St. Peter's (Via della Conciliazione)...
...and then turning around to see St. Peter's at Francis's Inaugural Mass (around 200,000 people).
Pace da Roma!
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