At 6:07 pm today, May 8, 2025, in Rome (12:07 pm here), white smoke billowed from the temporary chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signifying the election of the 267th head of the Catholic Church, the new pope!
After about an hour’s time, we learned of his identity, as Cardinal Robert F. Prevost emerged on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, overlooking and addressing the crowd below. Taking the papal name Leo XIV, Prevost becomes the first pope from the United States of America, born in 1955 in Chicago. Of Peruvian descent, he served as Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru from 2015 to 2023. What an exciting day!
Read more about this breaking news ➡️ HERE!
Also, a bit of a “throwback” here on a Thursday, I wanted to share an Instagram post of mine from 6 years ago, of my visit to Italy and The Vatican along with the following caption...
Mark Twain once wrote in the Innocents Abroad, “From the dome of St. Peter’s one can see every notable object in Rome... He can see a panorama that is varied, extensive, beautiful to the eye, and more illustrious in history than any other in Europe.” Not sure if I could have said it any better.
The Vatican has to be the most beautiful place I have ever been. The emotions running through me while traversing the Roman streets to enter this special city/country onto itself, the intricate hallways of the Vatican Museum, the architecture of St. Peter’s Square, the enormity of St. Peter’s Basilica, to kneel in front of the chapel of Michelangelo’s Pietà, which holds a special place in my heart, the ancient narrow and winding corkscrew stairwell to get to the top of the Cupola that Samuel Clemens described so well... here’s just a small sampling of a truly incredible place that I was finally blessed to be able to experience with my brother. 🙏🏼
The countless photos and video we have all seen in the past certainly don’t do it justice. If ever given the opportunity to travel there yourself, don’t even hesitate. Carpe diem! Then you too will know how it smells in the Sistine Chapel (“No photos, no photos!” 😬) And about the “Eternal City” that is Rome... I can say that I now have a better understanding of its moniker, but more on that later 😉...
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