A priest from the Canary Islands says he feels absolutely privileged to have been present in the Vatican for the election of the new Pope yesterday evening.
David Rodríguez was perfectly situated at 19:13 when Cardinal Dominique Mamberti appeared on the balcony of to pronounce the keenly-awaited words “Habemus papam” indicating that the college of cardinals had made their decision and chosen US-born Robert Prevost as the new leader of the catholic church, taking the name Leo XIV.
David moved to Rome eight months ago to begin a theology course at the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy. He returned home to the Canaries at Easter to be present at the ordination of Tenerife’s new bishop but was back in Rome by the time the cardinals were sequestered to commence their deliberations this week to choose the successor to Pope Francis.
After spending the morning studying yesterday (Thursday), he and around twenty Spanish colleagues, including two colleagues from the Canaries, went to St Peter’s Square to join the tens of thousands of people keen to follow in person the historic developments in the Vatican.
They had given up hope that the early evening would see a resolution to the election when they spotted the all-important white smoke emerging from the chimney. “By then people were scattered around various parts of St Peter’s Square but began to run towards the basilica the amid cheers and the joyful music of the band of the Italian Carabinieri”.
Describing his feelings at seeing the white smoke and then, around an hour later, the new Pope appear on the balcony of the basilica to receive the acclaim of the crowds and pronounce his first words, David said it was an “absolute privilege”.
“The first time I witnessed a new pope being elected I was at university and saw it on the news; the second time, I followed proceedings on a large screen in the Diocese building and now I have been present at the historic event in the Square” he told Canarian media. David later posted a selfie of himself and his friends, sporting a Canarian flag, to record the moment for posterity.
David has an interesting background, having been born in England after his Canarian parents emigrated in search of work in the hospitality industry. However, he moved to La Palma aged three and went to school in Los Llanos before entering the seminary to be trained as a priest.
