As the world prepares for the selection of a new pope and mourns the death of Pope Francis, two West Virginia University faculty and staff members are reflecting on their roles as witnesses to history back on the first day of his papacy.
Aaron Gale, associate professor in the Religious Studies Program at the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, and Tara George-Jones, international risk manager with the WVU Office of Global Affairs, were in Rome on March 13, 2013 — election day for the first Latin American pontiff.
“Tara and I had traveled to Italy from Hungary, where we had just met with officials from the University of Szeged regarding a partnership,” Gale said. “Then we went on to assist our colleagues who were already in Rome.”
Gale and George-Jones said that day was a cold and rainy one in Vatican City.
“The weather was lousy,” George-Jones remembered, “but I was determined that I would see the conclave smoke. I was sure we would only see black smoke, but I still wanted to see it.”
George-Jones said they waited for many hours with several hundred people in front of St. Peter’s Basilica as the conclave did its work, and when the smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel where voting took place, “to our surprise, it was white.”
When a pope dies, the Vatican begins a set of rituals that have been in place for more than 2,000 years and guided the burials of over 250 popes.
The Vatican holds nine days of mourning known as “novemdiales,” and the funeral mass must take place between four and six days after the pope’s death.
The process of choosing a pope’s successor begins 15 to 20 days after the pope’s death, giving the cardinals time to gather from around the world to elect the next pontiff in a conclave.
During his papacy, Francis named 163 cardinals from 76 countries, many from poor and developing nations that had never been represented.
After taking an oath of secrecy, the cardinals begin voting by paper ballot, and a candidate must receive two-thirds of the votes to be elected. After each vote, the ballots are burned in a stove and the smoke rises from the chimney to deliver updates to the outside world.
Chemicals affect the smoke’s color as the ballots burn — black smoke means no choice has been made, while white smoke means a new pope has been selected. Bells ring to confirm the news, and the new pope declares his papal name.
In 2013, “Once it was clear a new pope had been elected on the fifth ballot of the papal conclave, the atmosphere became like a rock concert,” Gale said. “People piled in by the thousands and shouted their support for him.”
Francis, who died on April 21, was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936. The Argentinian was the first pope from the Jesuit Order, a papacy that began after Pope Benedict XVI resigned.
The pontiff was known for his humanitarian views on poverty and the environment, while he remained more conservative on issues like the ordination of women as priests.
“Pope Francis faced opposition during his 12 years of leadership,” Gale said. “Yet he remained steadfast in the face of criticism from his opponents.”
Though Francis’ message after his election was delivered in Italian, George-Jones said she understood his words of hope, love and acceptance. She credits WVU with giving her the opportunity, not only to travel abroad, but also to share her experiences with the University community.
“Travel abroad has shaped who I am and my career at WVU. I grew up in West Virginia and thought I would never have the opportunity to travel outside the U.S.”
Gale agreed and said the night “remains one of the most meaningful moments of my life. I felt so lucky to have had the opportunity to share in this history making event.”
In the years since, he’s incorporated his experience into both the textbook he authored and with his humanities classes, particularly now, with the renewed interest in the papal election process.
