By Seth Gonzales
Special to The Texas Catholic
When University of Dallas sophomores Natalie Kelly and Sophia Cabello traveled to Rome to study history, they didn’t anticipate becoming a witness to it.
The two were among many students who were studying abroad and preparing for final exams when news of the death of Pope Francis broke.
“I was pretty shocked,” Kelly said. “I had been to the Easter Vigil Mass, and Sophia went to the Easter Sunday Mass. I remember seeing closeups of (Pope Francis) at Easter Sunday and then waking up to the news the next day that he had passed away.”
The pontiff’s death set in motion a series of events spanning more than two weeks that included a public wake, a funeral, and a conclave that would determine the next successor of St. Peter. Kelly and Cabello said keeping track of all of it, on top of their academic obligations, meant very late nights, early mornings, and lots of trips to St. Peter’s Square. Hoping to get a spot for Pope Francis’ funeral, Cabello and 20 other UD students camped out in the square the evening before the Mass, bringing what they could, including homework.
“We tried to sleep, but obviously there were a lot of people there and workers all around us,” Cabello said.
Neither Cabello nor Kelly were old enough to remember the stunning resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2015 and the last papal conclave that saw the election of Pope Francis. As she grew older, however, Cabello said Pope Francis’ public activities stood out and caught her attention.
“He wanted peace so badly,” Cabello said. “I remember hearing how he was on the phone from people from Gaza, even in his last days. I really loved that he was so involved in that issue. His compassion gave me so much hope with him going to the lowly, hugging people, and having so much care for people. That’s how Jesus is, and he lived like Jesus. So I was definitely sad when (Pope Francis) died.”
Aware that they were watching history unfold, Kelly and Cabello extended their stay in Rome after the conclusion of their spring semester. The conclave neared, and they were anxious to see history unfold. On the evening of the second day of the conclave, the two were eating a meal with friends in St. Peter’s Square when the crowd noise began to rise. White smoke had appeared, then began billowing from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. The cardinals had selected Pope Francis’ successor.
“I was eating my chicken sandwich, and all of a sudden we heard screaming; so we jumped up, saw they were pumping a lot of white smoke out of the chimney,” Cabello said. “Everyone was cheering, and some people were crying, and I remember Natalie and I were hugging each other.”
Kelly said she and Cabello initially didn’t know who had been picked but soon realized, with help from people in the crowd, that Cardinal Robert Prevost had become Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States. It was a selection neither of them had anticipated, putting them in good company with the rest of the shocked crowd.
While the historic weight of those two weeks has not set in, Kelly said she anticipates it will as the years pass.
“I don’t think it will hit me until we look back on it years from now, and I look at the footage I took from my phone and see the photos I took,” Kelly said. “I don’t think you realize that you’re experiencing history until you look back at it years later.”
Cutline for featured image: University of Dallas sophomores Natalie Kelly, left, and Sophia Cabello extended their stay in Rome following the death of Pope Francis to witness the historic election of Pope Leo XIV on May 8.
