St. Peter’s Square overflows with young people

    Habemus Papam Franciscum!
Selfishly, I was thankful that the conclave occurred during my spring break so that I could witness this wonderfully historic moment live, rather than read or review it online.
    You know you’re from a Jesuit school when, after the first announcement that the pope is a Jesuit, your Facebook feed lights up with status updates saying AMDG – Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (“For the Greater Glory of God”).
    As a graduate student at St. Louis University – run by the Jesuits – and as a newlywed, one of the budget sacrifices that my husband and I have made is not having a television. Most of the time, I’m thankful I don’t have the distraction of TV, but this past week, I was kicking myself.
    Certainly, the “Smoke Watch” live feed from EWTN came to my rescue; however, after watching the first eruption of black smoke on March 12, my computer froze! The same thing happened just before the white smoke on March 13, so I resorted to watching the live feed from my phone, reminiscent of the comparison photo from St. Peter’s Square in 2005 and 2013 floating around Facebook.
    In the photo, presumably waiting for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI to appear on the loggia, there are a few cellphones, but mostly the crowd just taking in the moment as part of their own memories; for Pope Francis, everyone displays a cellphone or iPad, capturing the moment digitally. “Oh, brave new world!”
Give him some time
    Newspapers and blogs everywhere have been scrambling to find out more about Pope Francis to give an idea of who he is, but I think we need to give him some time before we know him through his actions and words as pope. Many are already marking the noted simplicity of Pope Francis, pointing to the contrast from Benedict XVI. However, I think we need to give the pope some time to adjust to being a pope. Watching him nervously look out at the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square, I sympathized with him: what a large responsibility he now has, what a weight. But as he was looking out over the crowds, and as the cameras panned the crowds, I noticed an awfully large number of young people. Indeed, St. Peter’s Square looked absolutely packed – a good sign that people are bearing witness and uniting in their faith. This is a time of excitement and hope for our church, and this excitement and our witness as Catholics can bring people back to the church.
    A few weeks ago, we heard the story of the prodigal son. I think it no coincidence that this was the Gospel heard prior to conclave and prior to Pope Francis’ election: We need a return to our father. Perhaps, in this world of turmoil, we need simplicity in thought and action to contrast with our secular world of materialism and individualism. Perhaps we need the simple ways of St. Francis of Assisi, but also the great Jesuit missionary, St. Francis Xavier, to help bring more fallen away Catholic home, so that we, like the father in the Gospel message, can forgive and celebrate.
    Heather Bozant Witcher can be reached at hbozantwitcher@clarionherald.org.