Black Smoke: My View & Father Roderick’s Too!

It’s clear I won’t be in St. Peter’s Square when our Cardinal electors announce their decision – I’ve decided I’m sort of at peace with that. God has me squarely where he wants me this week.

In a way, I have the sensation that it’s actually a bit more simple to watch the events of the Conclave from the comfort of my office.

Today, when the results of that first election became apparent via the “black smoke” spewing from the Sistine Chapel chimney, I was tuned into both Catholic TV and EWTN, and following the tweets coming in under the #Conclave hashtag. Yes, I’d rather be there in person, but this is not a bad setup. Unfortunately, the next rounds of voting will be happening in the middle of the night tonight, so I expect to be a bit sleep deprived tomorrow.

I thought you’d also enjoy seeing this firsthand video from Fr. Roderick, who describes the moment of seeing the black smoke from the vantage point of St. Peter’s Square.

Here’s another “live on the spot” view from Scot Landry of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Good Catholic Life – you get his real time view of the black smoke: