Although witnessing the election of a new Pope isn't specific to being in Ireland, it's certainly made for an exciting night in Dungarvan. While I was at dinner with my roommates at the Park I saw an update on my phone that there was white smoke in Rome, and (after finishing dessert) we rushed back to our townhouse to put on the news.
It's really amazing to me how quickly news can travel in today's media-filled world. The thought that this is one of the first few Papal elections that the world has been able to watch in real time is fascinating! Watching with my four roommates and each of our respective laptops/smart phones was interesting as well. We were able to talk with people from home and keep them updated, as well as learn different bits of news about possible candidates before Pope Francis was announced.
The commentators on the news channel that we landed on were also really fun to listen to. It showed a different style of news reporting than I'm used to watching at home, but some of the funnier quotes will definitely stick with me. It's also interesting to be watching all of this while taking an Ethics class- our discussions over the past two days have focused heavily on Catholic Social Teachings, and the place of the church in Ireland historically. I'm looking forward to class tomorrow to hear the opinions of my professor and fellow students on how Pope Francis will fit into the evolving Catholic Church.
I'm happy that you were able to watch, i remember Brigid's stories when benedict came along, perhaps your St. John's classmates were not so involved.
ReplyDeleteThe new Pope has given his vatican security people some headaches...
I do remember watching the last election- they wheeled a TV into the cafeteria and we got out of art class. It was quite a big deal at the time.
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