LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Thousands of people witnessed the election of a new pope Thursday, including eight students from the University of Louisville.
Among those eight students are Grant Avis and Macy Waddle, who are both juniors, about to be seniors.
It was a coincidence they were in Rome when Pope Leo XIV was elected, but it's an experience they'll never forget.
"A lot of people around us, I didn't speak their language, they didn't speak mine. I didn't understand the Spanish or what the Holy Father was saying but the excitement was still obvious, that transcends language," Avis said.
The students are in Rome through the McConnell Scholars Program. They were initially supposed to take a cooking class, but the night before the second day of the conclave, they decided to make a scheduling change.
"We sat down at 10 p.m. here and were like 'okay, we're going to change this and see if we can go to the square tomorrow to hopefully see white smoke' and we did it, and it worked out really well," Waddle said.
As for the new Pope being American, they said reactions in Rome were mixed. For Waddle, the American connection made the moment more special.
"I was overjoyed because this is already a once-in-a-lifetime experience and to see the first American pope be elected as well, that was insane to me, and I think that's when it really hit me like 'oh my gosh, I'm in Italy for the conclave,'" Waddle said.
They said they were in St. Peter's Square for about five hours waiting for the announcement, but every second was worth it.
Previous Coverage:
Robert Prevost, first pope from US in history of the Catholic Church, takes the name Leo XIV
'Day of great joy' | Louisville archbishop celebrates historic election of 1st American pope
Pope Leo XIV celebrates first Mass as details emerge of how votes coalesced in secret conclave
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