09-05-2025
‘Incredible': West Michigan seminarians in Rome as Pope Leo XIV elected
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Seminarians from the Grand Rapids were among the thousands who celebrated in St. Peter's Square Thursday as a new pope was elected.
The three Diocese of Grand Rapids students at first did not believe the news that the new pope, Leo XIV, is American.
'It was absolutely crazy. It was insane,' Willison said. 'I was absolutely shocked. I never thought it was possible. The people around me started saying, 'I think he's an American.''
Robert Prevost elected the first American pope in history
Daniel Willison and Dominic Klaes were in the security line when the pope was announced.
'We were like, 'Is this it?' And so we kept like trying to peek around the columns and then we saw it,' Willison said.
They saw white smoke emerging from the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals were gathered for the second day of the conclave.
'I was very surprised as to the timing of it all. I really thought that the pope would be elected sometime later in the week and so actually I was considering not even going down to St. Peter's Square,' Klaes said.
Jack McCarthy rushed to the square after he heard the news.
'I saw on my phone that the white smoke was coming out of the chimney and so I ended up getting on an electric bike and biking, trying to bike to St. Peter's, trying to get there as fast as I could, but I ran into 5 o'clock traffic,' McCarthy said.
New pope attended Catholic high school in West Michigan
He made it in time to see Robert Prevost emerge onto the balcony to address the faithful below for the first time as Pope Leo XIV.
'It was really incredible. I mean, I thought the funeral (for Pope Francis) was a big crowd, but this was — this was really crazy. I think everyone descended on St. Peter's,' McCarthy said.
Back in West Michigan, Diocese of Grand Rapids Bishop David Walkowiak celebrated a Mass of thanksgiving for the election of a new pope at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew Friday. The cathedral was decorated in the colors of the flag of Vatican City.
The bishop, too, was surprised by the choice of Pope Leo XIV, but welcomed the news of a Midwestern-born pope. Traditionally, Americans have been considered long shots for pope because of the global influence of American society and the power of the government. But Walkowiak said the pope understands America and will be an asset to the church.
'This familiarity is just an amazing thing. To have somebody whose native language is English, American English, who came from Chicago, which is not that far away from Grand Rapids, it's kind of exciting,' Walkowiak said.
The seminarians agreed.
'It's really special, I think, to have a holy father that's from our country and who's from our region of the country,' McCarthy said.
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