InsightOut: Witnessing the White Smoke

    • Michael O’Connor, Associate Professor in the Teaching Stream of the Christianity and Culture and Book and Media Studies programs, and students from the Gilson Seminar witness the white smoke in St. Peter’s Square.

    Michael O’Connor is Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, in the Christianity and Culture program and Book and Media Studies. Since 2022, he has held the W. J. Bennett Family Chair of Christianity and the Arts.

    When we started planning the Gilson Seminar’s trip to Rome over a year ago, we had no idea that it would begin less than a week after the funeral of Pope Francis and that it would coincide with the conclave that had just elected his successor, Pope Leo XIV. Alongside all the thoughts, feelings, and hopes, there was a practical question: How is this going to impact our schedule? We soon became aficionados of “Universi Dominici Gregis,” the legal document that lays out the timeframe and the procedures to be followed. We put in place a plan B for every eventuality.

    On the first day of the conclave, we took our planned trip to Assisi, returning to Rome to see news of the black smoke.

    On the following day, we were graciously welcomed to the Vatican’s Secretariat of State by Archbishop Paul Gallagher (Secretary for Relations with States). He had cannily moved our meeting earlier, so that we would be finished before the first smoke of the day. When that came around noon, black smoke again, we set off on our afternoon’s activities, knowing that the cardinals were having lunch and a nap. We got back to St. Peter’s Square around 5 pm and settled into a location where the Piazza meets the Via Conciliazione. From there, we witnessed the white smoke above the Sistine Chapel about an hour later.

    Some of our students share their reactions:

    It was incredible, it brought so many people together, you really got a sense of community you normally don’t. When the smoke came out, the square filled with emotion, people were screaming and hugging each other, I have never seen anything like it. You could feel the adrenaline coursing through everyone’s veins.
    Simreet Rupal
    How beautiful it was to be in an enormous crowd, stretching out farther than I could see—to be so excited when the white smoke left the Sistine Chapel. From everywhere, I could hear chants of “Habemus Papam!” When the name was announced and the new pope walked out, there was confusion as not many people knew who this Cardinal was.
    Max Almonte
    · Being there was an unbelievable experience. Those were historic, rare and precious moments, an exultant excitement difficult to put into words. It is like the paschal joy of Easter vigil being renewed in the square, and it is there that you feel in a very unique way what it is like to be in communion with Christians from everywhere in the world.
    Peter Zhang
    I felt a powerful sense of unity with the people gathered there, all fixed on a common goal – to see the next pope appear on the balcony of the Vatican.
    Sarah Gangl
    The moment that the Cardinals stepped out onto the balcony was the moment that it all felt real for me. Until then, it had felt like Francis was still the pope. This was when it finally sank in, and I can only describe the feeling as emotional. I had tears welling up thinking about the new leader of our church and the jubilation of the crowd.
    Finn MacNeil
    It was a moment of amazement but also of blessing. God had blessed me with such an amazing opportunity of seeing Pope Leo XIV and receiving his first blessing that I felt a sort of peace and grace that I have never felt before.
    Ross Balsamo
    So many feelings raced through my mind, peaking with the suspense of who the elected Cardinal was? If I knew who the Cardinal was? And what would he look like on the loggia? Then, as he appeared, hearing the crowds chanting “Leone” and “Viva il Papa” were powerfully moving, even more so receiving his first address to the world and Apostolic Blessing.
    Sarah Gangl
    There really was a strong sense of seriousness and holiness – people all cheering and praying for guidance and leadership from the new Pope, not just among the Catholics but also as a globally significant figure. I also can’t stop thinking about how this has happened over the past hundreds of years, following the same processes step-by-step, and is still going on.
    Absolutely surreal. I stood with over 100,000 people who, in that moment, were my brothers and sisters, hopeful and excited for the future of our Church. Jubilation erupted from the crowd as the white plume of smoke puffed out of the chimney. What struck me to my core was the knowledge that despite the huge array of people and cultures, we all felt the same joy.
    Andrés Van Maanen

    There was one downside. The needs of the papal election meant that some parts of the Vatican Museums were closed to visitors. But as one of our group said, “I’ll take a conclave over the Sistine Chapel any day!”