GRAND RAPIDS..MICH — In 2013, the world watched as white smoke billowed into the sky, signaling a new chapter for the Catholic Church. Among the crowd in St. Peter's Square was Grand Rapids priest, Father Ron Hutchinson, who says he didn't just witness history, he felt it.
"Well, the first thing I felt is absolute fear, because we were in the middle of the piazza, and all of a sudden the crowd started rushing," Hutchinson, the Rector of the Basilica of St. Adalbert, recalled.
Twelve years ago, in Rome, a moment was burned into Hutchinson's mind. "And I said to my friend, something is up, this is really strange, and then the next thing we know, the smoke came out of the 16th chapel ceiling, or should say roof and it was white."
He recounts the wave of emotions he felt in that moment, realizing the Pope was about to be chosen right in front of his eyes. "They threw the carpet over the balcony that they usually cover the front of the balcony with that signals the pope is going to come out."
Hutchinson described the surreal moment as Pope Francis first stepped out. "The first thing he did was he said, before I pray for you, will you pray for me. It was a strange moment, because getting the people in the Piazza to quiet down doesn't happen very often, trust me."
More than a decade later, that powerful moment in Vatican City still resonates with Hutchinson. "I remember those days, and I'm remembering the excitement we had and the, you know, just desiring that we would have a new pope soon, because it felt like being without a father, without a Shepherd."
As the Catholic Church prepares for a new papal election, with 133 cardinal electors responsible for deciding the next Pope, Hutchinson looks forward to the excitement. "We're just as Catholics excited that this is happening in the Easter season, that we get to not only be excited about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but the election of a new pope, a new Roman Pontiff for this church."
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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