In 1955, since I was going to be in Italy for the next two years, I tried to talk some of my Navy buddies to go with me to the Vatican. "Hey, we're not Catholics, but thanks anyway and always stay with the crowd. Rome can be tough place."

So here I stood, in the middle of this huge crowd, staring at St. Peter's Basilica. I was told that Sundays were usually quiet – most folks were at church – and walking around inside was nice and quiet. Not today. I started scooting around the columns so I could sneak in the big doors. Someone touched me on the shoulder and said, "Eccolo li!" "There he is!" Everyone began to kneel. I looked up and there stood on the balcony Pope Pius XII. He blessed the people, waved and walked back inside while the crowd cheered and clapped. I don't have room for all the history I saw: the paintings, museums, La Pieta, and well, I saw it all!

I left feeling that if I weren't a Baptist – that's before I became a Presbyterian – I'd be a Catholic.

When I was working on post-seminary education, I happened to get to know some young priests and we'd study together, and now and then get a large stein of beer and split it. These guys were Jesuits, scholars and into social justice. I told them about my trip to Rome years ago and asked if they ever thought about being selected as a pope. "Nah, we're smart enough, but we'd rather lead a church, and besides, we're Americans. After a thousand years of waiting, we're pretty well assured that it's not going to happen."

Guess what, guys? Cardinal Robert Prevost, a 69-year-old man from Chicago, is now Pope Leo XIV. He graduated from Villanova with a math degree, is a baseball fan, speaks seven languages, has some Creole ancestry and politically wise. Folks, that's just a small list of qualifications. What will he do? Anything the Pope wants to do, for starters. My guess is that he will be very supportive of the church, the traditions, the honor, integrity and dignity of the office, and ... a champion of the poor, down-trodden, migrants and forgotten. He will not hesitate to speak to the issues, nor will he hide his opinion in political rhetoric.

I know he was very supportive of Vatican II, but I'd like to hear a mass in Latin. I always thought that Latin was right up there with Elizabethan English with its formality. While I am at it, an open discussion with us reformed folks on the subject of the Eucharist transubstantiation and our Communion consubstantiation might help us a lot.

I am always excited when the church, whatever the denomination might be, gets involved in hometown mission and ministry. Isn't that what God expects of us?

Thanks, God!