You know what? I'm having a good day.
I love everything about being a Roman Catholic. Always have, always will. This column isn't a deep one about my spirituality or faith. I've written about that plenty in the past, and will again in the future. Today, I am just offering some thoughts about ceremony, tradition, and shared experience.
Maybe a high-five to pageantry, too.
This morning, I was outside writing in my courtyard and texting my daughter about maybe having the conclave on in the background while I was working today. I wasn't expecting the election of a new pope to happen this quickly, especially given the size of this conclave, so I was surprised when I got a "Habemus Papam" notification from the Hallow app (my friend, fellow Catholic, and colleague Ed Morrissey was not surprised, however). I immediately texted "WHITE SMOKE" to my daughter and sister, then hurried inside to get online and watch everything.
I should have watched it on television instead. Because I was at the computer, I got on social media and was in contact with other people. There was a lot of irreverence, which I'm no stranger to. I just wanted to be in a good mood for a while. LESSON LEARNED. It's always a slog for me to watch people try to be funny, and I shouldn't have subjected myself to it.
The anticipation of the new pope's first appearance shook all the cobwebs out of my head. This has only happened six times in my life, and I don't remember the first one. It never gets old. I could feel the energy and excitement from the throng of fellow believers in St. Peter's Square as if I were there. I can be dead inside when it comes to a lot of things, but I was extremely moved by the sight of thousands of other Roman Catholics sharing an extended moment that was both solemn and electric.
The unreal shock I felt when I found out that the new pontiff is an American would be impossible for me to overstate. I not only thought that it wouldn't happen in my lifetime, but I thought that it would never happen. When my sister said, "What do you think?" I replied, "I think I almost just had a heart attack."
Taking the name Leo XIV was a real winner for me. I'd been longing for a return to old-school papal names and was rooting for Clement, but Leo is solid. There was already a Leo the Great (the first Pope Leo), so the bar is kind of high for that one. Finishing off all early "Wow, that's good too," reactions for me was the fact that he is an Augustinian. Augustinians are great missionaries. Having a pope who is driven by missionary zeal is hugely positive.
Hours later, I'm still in a good mood, despite having returned to social media for work reasons and seeing some absolutely ridiculous stuff about Pope Leo. I'll address this more in a video, which will be posted tomorrow, but I've told people for years that I don't particularly worry about a pope's politics, no matter who the pope is at the time. He's the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church, not a guy involved in writing omnibus bills in the United States Congress. I'm more concerned with how each pope is on, as I like to put it, "the pope stuff," and the new Holy Father looks pretty solid in that department. The Latin prayers he said during his first blessing are encouraging.
I will leave you with Bishop Robert Barron talking about "the pope stuff" in a more priestly and eloquent manner. Then I will be praying for Pope Leo XIV's pontificate.
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