At 18:08, a column of white smoke raised from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. A jolts crossed Piazza San Pietro, crowded for hours. The crowd replied with a roar, an instinctive applause, a song of joy. It is the smoke of the decision, the sign that the conclave has elected the new Pope. After a day of waiting, of more or less reliable comments and forecasts, the Church has its new successor of Peter. The identity of the pontiff will soon be revealed, when the Cardinal Protodiacono will pronounce the historic formula from the central loggia: “Annunio Vobis Gaudium Magnum: Habemus Papam!”. It is the most solemn and popular moment of an event that mixes the ancient language of the Church with the collective expectation of millions of faithful all over the world. The view from the loggia is not only a liturgical act, but also a symbol of closeness: the new Pope presents themselves to the people of God, blesses Rome and the world (Urbi et orbi) and begins his pontificate under everyone’s gaze.
The bells of the Basilica started playing on celebration, followed by those of the churches of Rome and then of the world. Meanwhile, behind the Vatican walls, the ceremonies are preparing: the new pope is dressing the white darker and choosing the name with which the church will guide. A choice that is never accidental: it says a lot about the intentions and style of the new pontificate. Who will be? Which face will we see in a few minutes? Will it be a Pope of rupture or continuity? Will he be the first of a new continent or the return to a European figure? Too many questions and, for now, no answer. But one thing is certain: every Pope brings with him a hope, a direction, a story to write. And the world is ready to listen to it. As he is about to fall into Rome in the evening, the flags sway, tears take the face of the older faithful, the children go up to the shoulders of the parents to see better. The guards of honor, carabinieri, gendarmes and Swiss guards are already lined up in the churchyard in front of the Basilica of San Pietro. It is a moment that unites, that moves, that marks a generation. Time stops, just the weather of a name, of a face, of a blessing.
