“Habemus papam:” WCC Community Celebrates Election of Leo XIV

“White smoke! There’s white smoke!”

For the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, the period of sede vacante, the interregnum that takes place between the passing of one pope and the election of the next, is always a strange one. Here at Wyoming Catholic College, the daily prayers being offered for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis and for the for the guidance and inspiration of the Church and her cardinals as the conclave began kept the fact that we were without a pope at the forefront of everyone’s minds. So it will come as no surprise that the appearance of white smoke above St. Peter’s on Thursday brought a rush of excitement to the offices, hallways, and classrooms of the College.

Thanks to Wyoming Catholic’s unusual tech policy, it took a while for the news to filter out into the community. But as word spread across campus, students and staff streamed into offices throughout the Baldwin Building, clustering around desks and computer monitors to watch the Vatican live-stream with baited breath. The absence of cell phones meant that the hour between the signaling smoke and the eventual unveiling of the new pope became a true community event. Everywhere, rooms were filled with eager chatter and nervous laughter, all eyes on the red curtains on the loggia balcony atop St. Peter’s Basilica. Elsewhere in town, faculty members gathered with their families, watching the silent, still curtains for signs of the new Pope.

When Leo XIV finally emerged to the roar of the crowd in St. Peter’s Square, he was greeted with shouts of excitement and prayers of gratitude back in Lander, as well. The Church had a leader—a father!—once again. Later, the College’s Roman  Rite chaplain, Father Godfrey Okwunka, announced that Friday’s midday Mass would be celebrated in thanksgiving for the election of the new pope.  “Habemus papam!”

“We rejoice with all the world’s Catholics at the election of Pope Leo XIV,” said President Kyle Washut. “And we ask God to grant him good health, fortitude, and sanctity as he shoulders the immense responsibility of protecting the deposit of the Faith and preserving the unity of the Church.”

“We are further excited, as fellow citizens of Pope Leo XIV, continued Washut, “to welcome the first North American pope.” In the days leading up to the conclave, many spoke of then-Cardinal Prevost as a man particularly well-suited to carry on the work of Pope Francis. In recent weeks, I have myself spoken about Pope Francis’s educational legacy, which I see as crucially important to our time: his development of the Church’s social doctrine through his critique of the technocratic paradigm; his embrace of a new, holistic educational model, focused on access for all; and his attempts to integrate the faith with the various disciplines of human knowledge (especially literature), immersing students in the goodness of nature and asking them to abstain from the ubiquitous screens that surround them. I see this as a vital part of Francis’s legacy, and I pray that Leo XIV will continue and further that emphasis.”

“Habemus papam!”