Tens of hundreds of trustworthy crammed into St. Peter’s Sq. exchanged befuddled seems when Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was introduced as pope from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
They knew Cardinals Pizzaballa and Parolin and Tagle. However Prevost?
A number of folks with cellphone reception began looking on-line because the information started to ripple by means of the group.
“I believe they simply elected an American pope,” stated Nicole Serena, 21, a pupil who’s in Rome finding out advertising.
Wait — an American?
Some faces fell.
“Possibly he’s a superb man?” stated Catalina Zaza, 27, an Argentine artwork pupil in Rome who had been rooting for Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines to succeed Pope Francis. “We don’t know.”
A bit of over an hour earlier, when white smoke had began billowing from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel, the group erupted with pleasure. “Habemus papam!” the trustworthy screamed.
Some folks hugged. Others raised their fingers to rejoice in prayer. Some briefly sang the Italian nationwide anthem. Crowds surged ahead towards the basilica, packing tightly inside barricades, to be taught who the brand new pope could be.
As soon as he was introduced, as Pope Leo XIV, the group started to chant, at first considerably timidly: “Papa Leone!”
Then, Leo stepped out.
The folks within the sq. shrieked with delight.
“Peace be with you,” he stated in Italian.
Solely as soon as Leo paid homage to Pope Francis did lots of the these gathered seem to calm down. Ms. Zaza and her good friend Sofía Basanes, 30, additionally from Argentina, began to nod on the new pope’s requires peace, justice, dialogue and love. Subsequent to them, a younger priest sobbed, and an older nun’s eyes glistened with tears.
And when Leo started to talk in Spanish, the group broke into enthusiastic applause. “He lived in Peru!” one man yelled in Spanish. “Peruuuu!”
Leo didn’t communicate in English or point out the USA.
By the tip, Ms. Basanes was crying, together with fairly a number of others round her. “We have now a lot religion in Pope Francis’ legacy,” she stated.
Ms. Zaza, standing beside her, added: “In the beginning, I used to be a little bit suspicious, I didn’t know. However now, I believe it’s good.”
“I believe it’s good, the truth that he’s an American,” she added, “as a result of on this second when there’s an enormous determine like Trump within the authorities, possibly he can create a bridge between believers and, I don’t know, attempt to make this world a little bit extra peaceable.”
Not everybody agreed.
“I’m shocked and a bit upset,” stated Adam Mocarski, 31, who had traveled to Rome from Poland. “Everyone knows about Donald Trump and Elon Musk.”
Fabio Vagnarelli, a 42-year-old Roman actor, stated he had anticipated an Asian pope. His mother-in-law, Aurora De Rubeis, 75, a retired trainer, stated she had anticipated an Italian.
After listening to Leo, Mr. Vagnarelli stated he was impressed by the brand new pope’s message. Leo’s first phrases, he stated, had been “very human, very empathetic, very emotional.”
Two beaming People, Sean Sikora, from Oklahoma, and Cole Wendling, from Texas, clutched an American flag as strangers congratulated them. “You received in the present day,” a tall man draped in a Canadian flag shouted out, to a roar of good-hearted laughter from the group.
“From the group, there’s been a lot of love, a lot of pleasure,” Mr. Wendling, 29, stated, as chants of “U.S.A.! U.S.A! broke out behind him.
Matthew Mpoke Bigg, Motoko Wealthy, Bernhard Warner and Josephine de La Bruyère contributed reporting.
