CHICAGO (WLS) — In Chicago Wednesday, there were prayers for the papal process.
A Mass was held at Holy Name Cathedral focused on the election of a new pope.
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The local faithful shared their hopes for the next leader of the Catholic Church.
The conclave is in progress, and although the Vatican might seem distant to some, it holds significant importance for the global Catholic community, as it is there that many direct their prayers, anticipating the appointment of their new spiritual leader.
Vatican City is 4,804 miles away from Chicago’s Holy Name Cathedral, yet a devoted group congregated on Wednesday to pray for the cardinals worldwide as they begin the process of electing a new pope.
“I hope they elect the right one: a people’s pope,” parishioner Tom Theobold said.
SEE MORE: Cardinals retire for night after no pope chosen on 1st day of papal conclave | Live updates
In his homily, Father Louis Cameli called on the cardinals to set aside their own ideas and personal ambitions.
“Our prayer for the election of a new pope has bearing, not only on the church, but on the whole world,” Cameli said.
Despite the cardinals’ initial vote not achieving the necessary 2/3 majority, parishioners maintained their trust in the leadership, noting that 80% of the cardinals were appointed by the late Pope Francis.
“Pope Francis, who we just adored, he appointed cardinals from all over the world, even areas I wasn’t even familiar with,” parishioner Victoria Almeida said. “This is not a matter of politics. It’s not a matter of conservative versus liberal; this is a matter of uniting everyone and conforming with the doctrines of our faith.”
One of those 133 cardinal electors is Chicago’s Blase Cupich, who on Wednesday, along with the rest, took the oath of secrecy and fidelity. Seeing those images was a thrill, even to those who work with him on a daily basis.
“He’s a part of history. He’s one of those electors. It’s exciting for us Chicago Catholics to have a vote, in a sense, at the conclave,” Father Andy Matijevic said.
Just as the world will know that a new pope has been selected when white smoke emanates from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, at Holy Name, the black mourning bunting that has been adorning the entrance will be replaced with either white or gold.
The first signs from the Sistine Chapel with the black smoke delivered a very clear “no consensus” on a new leader of the Roman Catholic faith, 3 hours and 14 minutes after the doors to the Sistine Chapel shuttered.
As the voting began, the 133 voting cardinals includes those with ties to the Chicago area.
Gerarda Tobin is watching with the rest of the Catholic world through a lens that’s deeply personal. To everyone else, her brother is known as Cardinal Joseph Tobin.
“It was wonderful, wonderful experience,” Gerarda Tobin said. “I still have goosebumps. It’s just, it’s, can’t believe you’re a part of it, and all my brothers in there.”
Now sworn to secrecy and sealed in the Sistine Chapel, she has no inside knowledge on who Cardinal Tobin may be considering for the next pope.
“It’s a huge responsibility, a very big responsibility,” Gerarda Tobin said. “And I could see that in him. I could see the weight of it on him.”
A former pastor of St. Alphonsus in Lake View in the early 1990s, Cardinal Tobin was elevated to the college of Cardinals alongside Chicago’s Cardinal Blase Cupich by Pope Francis.
Father Jack Wall, pastor emeritus of Old St. Pat’s, is waiting for the Cardinals decision, carrying the prayers of Chicago parishioners.
“There’s something about in our spiritual DNA that we want oneness,” Father Wall said.
ABC7 Chicago’s Liz Nagy is in Vatican City for the conclave. Look for her reports all week long on ABC7 or wherever you stream.
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