We originally planned our parish pilgrimage to Italy for the free days in May from the 1st to the 8th. You correctly suspect that if we had traveled during this period, the election of a new pope would have slipped by us by a day. Therefore, tickets were certainly so expensive on the original days that we had to make a concession and set off on our pilgrimage from the 2nd to the 9th of May.
This unplanned highlight of our pilgrimage was experienced at the very end of our journey. Just before we experienced the election of the pope (which we secretly hoped for given the situation), we visited Bari with St. Nicholas Cathedral, where we celebrated Holy Mass at his tomb. From there, we drove the next day to San Giovanni Rotondo, where we had the opportunity for Holy Mass and prayer at the tomb of Padre Pio, and also took a trip to San Archangelo, and the next day to the seaside town of Vieste. Here, we took advantage of the beautiful weather to swim in the surprisingly warm sea.
The next day we traveled to Rome with a stop at Monte Cassino. In Rome, we wanted to go through the Holy Doors and also pray at the tomb of Pope Francis. And of course, stroll around selected monuments depending on the time and weather. On Thursday, May 8th, in the morning, we had Mass in the crypt close to the tomb of Saint Peter, followed by a tour of the basilica and a climb to the dome, from where we could see not only the entire Vatican but also, mainly, the chimney of the Sistine Chapel waiting for used ballots. We missed the second black smoke of this conclave by a few minutes, as we were probably walking through the basilica. No matter… black smoke isn't that interesting.
In the afternoon, we returned to Nepomuk and then set out again toward the Vatican. Since the smoke was expected either around 5:30 PM or around 7:00 PM, we did not wait so early directly in the square, but strolled through the nearby streets around Piazza Navona. All the while, Father Jenda was checking the voting chimney on YouTube, but around 6:05 PM, he closed his mobile and began to talk about the beauties of architectural competitions and jokes. At 6:07 PM, however, the news came: white smoke. At that moment, we forgot about the most beautiful architecture and immediately headed for St. Peter's. Soon it seemed that most of the city had the same idea. Indeed, we made it to Via della Conciliazione, but only about halfway. Therefore, with all our strength, we slipped out of the crowds on the main street and hurried down a side street towards the left side of the square. Before long, we were already standing in St. Peter's Square with a view of the balcony and the screen, it was 6:55 PM, 48 minutes after the successful smoke signal. The atmosphere was very joyful and we all waited for the balcony doors to finally open. And here it was! The cardinal protodeacon came and announced the name of the new pope. Shortly after, Pope Leo XIV himself appeared. There was excitement and jubilation!
After the blessing, the new pope left, and we realized that we were hungry and needed to go to the restroom. So, we set off on our way back. The streets were completely full of people, cars had no chance and were sadly waiting for perhaps some movement in due time. What a surprise that at that moment the local public transport wasn't working very well either. Therefore, we walked more than half the way on foot.
On the way, we stopped for an excellent dinner and finally arrived in Nepomuk around midnight. It would all have been very beautiful if we didn’t have to get up and leave for the airport at 4:15 AM. But even that we managed. The election of a pope in Rome is something one just doesn't experience every day; it really takes a proper plan.
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