09-05-2025
SLU students celebrate selection of new pope
ST. LOUIS – Students at St. Louis University were in the middle of finals when news broke about the selection of the new pope, giving them something new to study up.
Andrew Siemer was in the middle of a finals essay when suddenly, bells rang at College Church to mark the selection of a new pope.
'I get a text that they saw white smoke, so I quickly pull out my phone and put it up next to my laptop to watch the live stream and I'm still quickly writing my essay,' he said.
Another student, Max Look, just finished a final exam of his own.
'A bunch of my friends were watching the live stream across campus so I got in my car as fast as I could and drove over,' the senior said.
It is a brand-new experience for someone who was 10 years old the last time a pope was selected.
'I don't really remember anything about Pope Benedict's papacy, so Pope Francis is really all that I know,' Look said.
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Now with a sense of patriotic pride with the first U.S. pope, Look hopes Francis' legacy of bringing more people into the church continues. But he also says the name 'Leo' could give us some insight into this papacy.
'You should see increased devotion to Mary, to St. Francis, and possibly workers' rights, which was a big thing Pope Leo XIII was about, so I guess we'll have to see,' Look said.
Even non-Catholics, like student Carter Hickel, are excited, waiting to see how the new pope interprets the gospel.
'I think it's an integral moment to see a unique opportunity to see how the catholic church is going to pivot, what things they're going to keep and what they're going to change,' Hickel said.
'Something that I've heard is that he loves doing service, especially with the poor and that's something that really attracts me about a pope,' Siemer said.
SLU's College Church will hold mass Friday at noon.
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