At a little after 7pm Austrian time, excited cheers abounded at the residence buildings at the ITI, after white smoke poured from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel announcing that the conclave had decided on a new pope.
ITI students, faculty, family and friends gathered in great anticipation to watch the projected live streaming of the announcement of our new Holy Father. Nearly the entire campus crammed into the St. Therese Common Room and joyfully received the news that Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, taking the name Pope Francis, would be the successor to Pope Benedict XVI and the Chair of St. Peter.
It is a beautiful time here as we look toward the coming time with our new and already beloved Holy Father!