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May 29, 2025Father Stephen Jones, soon to join Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond as an associate pastor, has spent most of the year in Rome following his ordination to the priesthood last June. Before departing Rome, however, he experienced the death and funeral of Pope Francis and the election and celebration of Pope Leo XIV. Father Jones served as a "reporter on the ground" of sorts for Sooner Catholic, providing stories of these historic days. Here is his final installment.
“Habemus Papam!”
What a beautiful few weeks this has been in Rome. It was awe-inspiring to see the Church come together in a very human way over the past month.
First, we had the funeral for Pope Francis. We came together to pray for the happy repose of his soul and to give thanks to God for the gift of his life as the Shepherd of the Church here on earth over the last 12 years.
After the funeral, we moved into the official novemdiales, or nine-day mourning period for Pope Francis. The College of Cardinals celebrated a mass for the repose of his soul every day for nine days. It was a good reminder of the importance of praying for the souls of the faithful departed. This was especially true as the rest of the world moved on to start speculating about who the Cardinals would choose to be the next pope.
After the nine-day period of mourning was over, the Conclave began on May 7. The highlight of the opening rites of the Conclave was definitely the solemn procession of the College of Cardinals from the Pauline Chapel to the Sistine Chapel. The choir solemnly chanted the Litany of the Saints, imploring them to pray for the Cardinals as they began the process of electing the next Successor of Peter.
Seeing their faces on the TV screen, there was a palpable sense of their recognition of the gravity of what they were about to do.
A few of my friends and I headed down to Saint Peter’s Square on the night of May 7. Since it was the first day of the Conclave, we expected black smoke. However, there was a substantial delay in the smoke appearing, which left everyone a little on edge. And yet, Black smoke finally appeared at about 9 p.m.
We returned to the square the next morning, and there was another round of black smoke at about 11:45 a.m. After a quick lunch and a return to the seminary, we journeyed back to the square and arrived about 5 p.m., not expecting any smoke until 7 p.m. or so, but we wanted to get a good spot just in case.
Suddenly at about 6:10 p.m, white smoke began to rise from the chimney! A moment of stunned silence was followed by wild cheering from the whole square. Some people began to speculate about who the pope was. Others began to pray for him, as he just accepted the weight of the world on his shoulders.
No one quite does drama or pageantry like the Catholic Church. The next hour seemed like an eternity of waiting. Finally, the curtains opened and Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, the senior Cardinal Deacon in charge of announcing the good news, came out onto the loggia of Saint Peter’s, pronouncing: “Annuncio vobis gaudium mangium: Habemus Papam” (I announce to you with great joy: we have a pope)!
He then proceeded to tell us his name: Robert Francis Prevost … an American!
What an additional joy to be in the square for the first pope from the United States. As he came out onto the loggia 10 minutes later, the crowd erupted. After three weeks as “sheep without a shepherd,” the Church received with great joy the successor of Peter.
It was an experience of profound joy to witness his first moments as pope. Over the next 10 days, he had many firsts: his first Regina Caeli in Saint Peter’s square, his first audiences with different groups, and his Inaugural Mass. All throughout, it is becoming clear that he is a very thoughtful, prayerful, and genuine shepherd who models the heart of Christ to the Church.
Praise God for his great goodness in giving us Pope Leo XIV!
Photo: Fr. Stephen Jones (right) waited in St. Peter’s Square for the new pope to be announced. Photo provided.