I was blessed to be at the right place at the right time last Thursday night while touring Rome, Italy. I was on the Ponte Sant'Angelo bridge to Castel Sant'Angelo. As I was taking photos of the sculptures on the bridge, there was a loud commotion from the direction of St Peter's Basilica. The new Pope must've been decided, so I ran towards the Basilica before it got too crowded. I wanted to capture the spirit of the event and took many photos and some of them are below.
It was a bit difficult to get close because they had barricades setup for crowd control. Eventually, I made it past the first barricade and got inside the square. Once I got through, it wasn't crowded as compared to behind the first barricade. There was another barricade that I couldn't get past, so I stayed in the area where all the reporters were.
The most excited person I saw was an American reporter once he heard an American Pope was selected. Most everyone else I saw was quiet, reverential, and just soaking in the event. Of course, since I didn't know Italian, I had no idea what they were announcing from the balcony the entire time. After the announcement, everyone headed out and caused a massive log jam along the main road.
It was a tremendous blessing to me to witness and capture such a historic event. To participate at the location where the first American Pope was selected is a memory I'll cherish forever.
Pope Leo XIV announcement at St Peter's square
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