A Witness to History, A Seminarian's Perspective During the Papal Transition
June 17, 2025
Photo credit: CNS photo/Lola Gomez
Seminarian Connor Lynch, who studies at the North American College in Rome, got a close-up look at history in the making with the death of Pope Francis, the conclave, and the installation of Pope Leo XIV.
It was a surreal experience that put life in perspective. He shared his experience via video with Bishop’s Council, an advisory group of lay people throughout the Diocese.
“It was a bit of a shock that (Pope Francis) passed away” on Easter Monday, he said. Lynch and friends went to St. Peter’s Square, dropping to their knees when a bell tolled 88 times, once for every year of Pope Francis’s life.
It was a great gift for Lynch, of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Indianola, to be able to grieve and mourn at St. Peter’s Square.
He went to pay his respects at the coffin and, seeing the late pontiff’s grey, bruised face “brought the reality of his death. Our Holy Father has passed away. Peter is dead. We do not have a father. We are fatherless,” he said.
“The weight of that moment had such gravity, combined with the Swiss guards there, his discoloration. There was such emotion and appreciation of the gift of his life, that he gave his life to the Lord to become a Jesuit and to become the Holy Father.”
On Saturday at his funeral, Lynch watched as the late pontiff’s casket proceeded out of St. Peter’s basilica. Cardinals lined the interior knave as the casket passed by the human columns.
“The respect shown in that moment was substantial and moving,” Lynch said. “It was a witness of the fraternal love, the fraternal charity that the episcopacy, that ordination and the Christian community give for each other.”
On a Thursday, Lynch was walking from Latin class thinking the next pope would be elected on Friday. He went to sit at St. Peter’s Square when the traditional white smoke indicating how the cardinals voted began to emerge.
“Everyone was misty-eyed. We didn’t even know who he was yet,” Lynch said. “Before we knew who he was, everyone was in ecstasy because we had a father. We had Peter. He was back. That dynamic, that reality says so much in and of itself. Before we knew who he was, we loved him.”
His first reaction upon learning the pope was from the United States?
“No way!”
Celebrations began.
Following the election of Pope Leo XIV, the American cardinals went to the North American College in Rome, where they were staying, and held a news conference. Lynch watched.
Cardinal Robert Prevost, who became pope, is a citizen of the world, said New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Having done mission work in Peru, and having a global perspective shows our homeland is not here on Earth but that we’re all pilgrims for heaven.
“His comments brought this sort of dissonance I was living in into complete harmony,” Lynch said. “It’s a beautiful thing that (Pope Leo XIV) is American. It’s so good for the people of God back home, that they have a connection to the Holy See on a personal level. He knows the White Sox! He’s a fan! We have a Midwest pope,” said Lynch.
Chicago Cardinal Blaise Cupich, from the pope’s hometown, in an emotional moment spoke about the pope’s love for his people.
“The whole dynamic behind everything was surreal,” Lynch said. “That we have an American pope. We have a pope. Peter is back. We have a father.”
In closing, Lynch said: “I pray we can all continue to receive (Pope Leo XIV) with such gratitude in a new and deeper way that we haven’t had before. His being an American enlivens within us a deeper appreciation and a deeper personal relationship with the great ecclesial community, with the Church universal, and ultimately, hopefully, reminds us that we’re all pilgrims on this earth. We’re ultimately destined for heaven.”