By Fr. Justin Echevarria
The 1968 film The Shoes of the Fisherman, starring Anthony Quinn and based on the 1963 novel by Morris West, centers on a fictional pope, Pope Kiril, and the challenges he faces upon accepting the papacy. There is a very interesting line uttered by one of the other characters that immediately relates to what has recently occurred in Rome: “It is strange…When a king dies, long live the king. When a pope dies, everything stops.” At the death of Pope Francis, there was a pause and a shift in gears. On the morning of Easter Monday, I was on a retreat with a brother priest. We were returning from a hike when we had gotten the notification that Pope Francis had passed away. The news felt so surreal. I had just seen him greet the crowd on Easter Sunday, and his death was so sudden. Our retreat then reoriented to praying for his soul, as the reality of this was slowly sinking in.
With the news of his passing, everyone returned to Rome for the funeral and to begin a nine-day period of mourning. At the seminary, we had his portrait on top of a stand veiled in a black cloth with a lit candle to symbolize our mourning. Once the days of mourning had passed, the cardinals departed for the Vatican to begin the conclave. The city of Rome during a conclave has a gravitas to it. Everything stops in the sense that everyone is watching the Vatican, waiting to see the smoke from the chimney. If the smoke is black, no pope has been elected. If the smoke is white, we have a pope. The first night I was in St. Peter’ Square with a few friends from the seminary. We encountered many people waiting for the smoke, engaging in various conversations, whether specifically talking about the faith or fun things to do in Rome. After a couple hours, there was black smoke and we returned to the seminary.
The following day I returned to the square with my friends in the afternoon to get a good spot to see the smoke. When it did not appear, we decided to wait for the smoke that was going to be released in the evening. About a half-hour afterwards, white smoke was released. The roar of the crowd, coupled with the ringing of the bells expressed the elation of the Church at the election of a new Holy Father. An hour later, the windows of St. Peter’s Basilica opened and Cardinal Mamberti made the announcement we all were waiting for: Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum; habemus papam (“I announce to you a great joy; we have a pope”). The feel of being there and hearing those words was absolutely electrifying. The joy and excitement for my brothers and I only grew when we heard that our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, was from the United States! For the men studying at the Pontifical North American College, we were witnessing something historic: a new pope and the first pope from North America. It was only last November that Cardinal Robert Prevost had visited our seminary to celebrate Mass and enjoy our Thanksgiving dinner. As a newly ordained priest, I had the opportunity, along with Fr. Brent Durschmidt, to concelebrate this Mass, not knowing we were celebrating the Holy Eucharist with a future pope!
It was beautiful to hear his first words: “Peace be with you all!” His first words were the first words of the Risen Christ, appropriate as we are currently in the Easter Season. However, the part of his greeting that struck me the most was when he referenced a quote from St. Augustine of Hippo as Pope Leo XIV was originally from the Order of St. Augustine: “‘With you I am a Christian, and for you I am a bishop.’” It is a beautiful phrase that radiates Christian fraternity and fatherly charity. Like a father, he is both part of the family and he is given the responsibility to lead, guide and protect the same family. This is our Holy Father who serves us as the Bishop of Rome. Let us continue to pray for Pope Leo XIV as he begins shepherding our Church.