Vatican City, Yesterday – April 7
The outcome of the first vote was expected sometime after 7:00 PM Rome time. St. Peter’s Square was packed by 6:15 PM. There was no smoke until just after 9:00 PM. There was a great deal of speculation: did the new Cardinals not understand the voting procedure? Was the size of the conclave making the process exceptionally long? Had there been a medical emergency? Was a new Pope selected on the first ballot? As time went on, more and more people seemed to be convinced a new Pope would be announced. The black smoke was a surprise to them.
I found it to be an experience of Advent in this historic Easter season. We were all waiting, anticipating something that would happen in its own time. It provided lots of opportunity to hear from people about why they had come to witness the vote’s outcome, and about their hopes. Everyone I spoke with while waiting was hoping for the new Pope to be like Francis to some degree. People spoke about his kindness, his concern for the earth, his opening up the church in some ways, his “down to earth” quality, and his willingness to speak out against war.
During the rest of the day I did a number of media conversations or email exchanges, mostly centered on the qualities of various perceived potential Popes and whether they’d be good for the LGBTQIA+ community. As I was on the way to meet with a Korean journalist, a representative of Irish NewsTallk Radio asked for an on-the-spot interview. I chatted with Jim Martin early this morning as he was preparing to do conclave commentary for ABC. (I hope he didn’t have to fill 2 hours of waiting time!) Speaking with the Korean reporter was very interesting—I think I had as many questions about Korean Catholic communities as she had for me! It was a delight.
I was in St. Peter’s Square for all the rituals surrounding the start of the conclave. They were live streamed on enormous screens throughout the Square. We chanted the Litany of the Saints along with those inside the Sistine Chapel, and witnessed each Cardinal Elector take his oath before everyone who was not an elector was ushered out of the Chapel. Witnessing these ancient rituals with people from all over the world was quite powerful.
Throughout the day I wore a rainbow button that says “It’s Our Church Too!” At times, I had an inclusive rainbow flag out. These sparked a number of conversations, some smiles and thumbs up gestures, and one “Glad you’re here.” There were a few clearly disapproving looks, as well. Most conversations involved people telling me about LGBTQ+ family members or friends, most of whom had left the church. This clearly saddened people, and most said they hope the next Pope will do even more to make our community truly welcome.
One young woman from the U.S. noticed my button while we were in the security line and asked if I spoke English. When I said yes, she said she wanted the next Pope to follow the church’s doctrine of homosexuality and make it clear it was sinful. She said she’d had a girlfriend and that God saved her from that life. I said that I think we were both present because we cared about the good of our church, even if we had very different ideas about what that looks like, and that I hoped she was truly happy. She responded in a way I felt showed a lot of anger, telling me I couldn’t love the church because the Holy Spirit can’t talk out of both sides of his mouth. At that point, the people she was with urged her forward. Soon after, a man in clerical garb came over to me and asked my name. He introduced himself as a seminarian. He said he did not believe what the woman said represented God’s perspective. I agreed, and we chatted a while. He comes from Mexico City, and I talked about the GNRC Global Assembly there, and the power of being guests of honor at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He was thrilled to hear about that experience. We exchanged contact information and headed into the Square.
It’s been a long, full day! It is a great honor to represent our movement.
Marianne Duddy-Burke
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