Francesco I

So there I am, minding my own business and getting ready to meet some friends for dinner, when I see that the live feed of the Vatican chimney is now covered in white smoke.  After checking with some friends of mine that I was indeed seeing white smoke (it would be awkward to get there and it's just business as usual), I grabbed my jacket and my friend Sam and we literally ran to the Vatican.  I now see the benefit of my school being positioned where it is: we got there in five minutes.  Along the way I tried calling people from the U.S. to tell them to turn on the news, but no one seemed to pick up *cough* Mom *cough* Dad *cough* so I started sending out texts just saying "white smoke".

We got there to see that the square had largely filled.  It is a ritual for people to come down to the Vatican at noon and 7 to see the smoke rising from the chimney, so there were quite a few lucky people who were already there.  Luckily enough however there was room inside the square still, so my friend and I wove through the crowd until we got close enough to see.

The way the process works is that, when elected, the new Pope and the cardinals return from the Sistine Chapel with a battalion of Swiss Guards and apparently a marching band.  Then the new Pope is given about thirty minutes to prepare - three papal robes are made in different sizes for this purpose - and then he comes an hour after the vote had taken place.  As it were, they were operating on Italian time, and so he came out at around 8:15.

The issue is that it had been raining most of the day, we stood on cobblestone for two hours, and I ran out of the dorm without a hat or an umbrella.  So, despite the air of importance, people were somehow excited and miserable simultaneously (keep in mind that may have just been me though).

Packed House

Umbrellas and Cameras

Papal Swiss Guard

Papal Marching Band

Papal Marching Band Playing the National Anthem

Papal Balcony

Quite a few people brought flags; we happened to be very close to a South Korean flag as it were, but there were also South American, British, and American flags throughout the crowd.

Viva Papa

When finally, the doors opened and a cardinal - Cardinal Jean-Louis Pierre Tauran - stepped out to announce who was the new Pope:

 

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum; habemus Papam:

Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum,
Dominum Georgium Marium
Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Bergoglio
qui sibi nomen imposuit Franciscum

We announce with great joy; we have a Pope:

The most eminent and most reverend Lord,

Lord Jorge Mario

Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church Bergoglio

Who takes for himself the name of Francis.

When I say that the South Americans lost their minds, I mean they lost their goddamn minds.

Below is his speech as is customary for a new Pope, "Urbi et Orbi" (To the City and to the World):

Brothers and sisters, good evening!
You know that it was the duty of the Conclave to give Rome a Bishop.  It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone to the ends of the earth to get one... but here we are... I thank you for your welcome.  The diocesan community of Rome now has its Bishop.  Thank you!      And first of all, I would like to offer a prayer for our Bishop Emeritus, Benedict XVI.  Let us pray together for him, that the Lord may bless him and that Our Lady may keep him. 
Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...
And now, we take up this journey:  Bishop and People.  This journey of the Church of Rome which presides in charity over all the Churches.  A journey of fraternity, of love, of trust among us.  Let us always pray for one another.  Let us pray for the whole world, that there may be a great spirit of fraternity.  It is my hope for you that this journey of the Church, which we start today, and in which my Cardinal Vicar, here present, will assist me, will be fruitful for the evangelization of this most beautiful city. 
And now I would like to give the blessing, but first - first I ask a favour of you: before the Bishop blesses his people, I ask you to pray to the Lord that he will bless me: the prayer of the people asking the blessing for their Bishop.  Let us make, in silence, this prayer:  your prayer over me. 
[...]
Now I will give the Blessing to you and to the whole world, to all men and women of good will.
[Blessing]
Brothers and sisters, I leave you now.  Thank you for your welcome.  Pray for me and until we meet again.  We will see each other soon.  Tomorrow I wish to go and pray to Our Lady, that she may watch over all of Rome.  Good night and sleep well!

The weird thing is that the man had a sense of humor; the crowd erupted in laughter and applause at "Good night and sleep well!" and his joke about coming from the end of the Earth in Argentina.  From that point the square emptied with people chanting "Viva Papa!" and "FRAN-CES-CO!", and I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to have met people for dinner an hour prior.