Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
SMA
by Sandro Lafranconi*
Huahine (Agenzia Fides) - At 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, in Italy, here, on the other side of the world, in the heart of the immense Pacific, it was 6:45 a.m. Like every day, I turned on the Italian radio, to my surprise, a voice mentioned crowds rushing toward St. Peter's Square. I doubted I had understood correctly. The night before, I had celebrated the opening Mass of the Conclave, and it seemed unthinkable to me that the lightning bolt of the election had struck so soon. But then, from the voice of the commentator, I learned that for almost an hour, thick, prolonged, unquestionably white smoke had been rising from the chimney of the Apostolic Palace. Without delay, I called the Raromatai Islands: "Turn on the radio or television, hurry!" I hadn't finished my round of calls when, over the radio, the voice of the Dean of Cardinals announced a name and surname unknown to me, which from that moment on would be LEO XIV. I then ran to the bell tower of the Church of the Holy Family, here in Huahine, and rang a sustained burst of one hundred bells. Then I returned home to search my computer for a live broadcast that would allow me to see the still-unknown face of Leo XIV Provost. And I thought: even before the new Pope appeared in the central lodge, in the heart of the Pacific, we had already proclaimed the appointment of Peter's Successor. Then when I welcomed the first blessing of the new Pope, while the radio transmitted his voice to me and while I made the sign of the cross, a wave of emotion ran through me and I realized that I was drying my eyes ... At midday we found ourselves celebrating the exceptional event with some parishioners. (Agenzia Fides, 12/5/2025)
*Priest of the Society of African Missions
