Helping others and traveling the world: Following Pope Leo's footsteps

Ines Santos, a junior multimedia journalism major, reflects on her experience at the papal audience and finds inspiration from Pope Leo's life and work during her study abroad experience. A large group of Rome Center students attended the audience with an LUC flag and when the Pope passed by and saw the university flag, he pointed and smiled, building a deep connection with the students. 

 

When the Rome Center emailed students with an opportunity for Papal Audience tickets, I don’t know if I have ever put an event in my calendar faster.  

I had previously attended the canonization of Saint Carlos and Saint Pier the Sunday before with my friends, and I felt moved, not only from the first millennial saint, but also from the grand community event. People from all over the world, spanning many different languages and cultures, celebrated together in St. Peter’s Square. While I am Generation Z, witnessing the first millennial saint was special because it brought the 2000 year-old, Catholic tradition closer to my lifetime. 

Just like the canonization, the Papal Audience connected my personal experience with the papacy. Over the two-thousand years of the Roman Catholic church, there have been 266 popes. I questioned why I was here celebrating a tradition that was created so long before my life.  

 

The Papal Audience, however, helped me understand that the tradition may be old, but Pope Leo is not. Throughout the two-thousand years, the papacy transformed to fit the needs of the people. Popes, like Francis and Leo, use their platform to speak out against injustice, spreading messages of peace and acceptance. The Papal Audience shifted my perspective, allowing me to see the relevance and importance of an old tradition. 

I attended the audience with a group of Loyola students. Up and ready to go at 6 a.m., we jumped on the 913 bus to Vatican City. Thousands of people were already lined up outside four hours before the event. In line, I saw newlywed couples hoping to be blessed, pilgrims reaching the peak of their journey, and tourists checking off a box on their bucket list. Whether the crowd attended for sacred or secular reasons, I felt united with the strangers around me, knowing we all shared the same dedication to arrive before the sun rose. 

 

When my clan and I entered St. Peter’s Square, we staked out a Loyola corner with a flag hung over the barricade to show our Chicago pride to the Pope and attract students as they arrived. I didn’t expect, however, the flag to attract Loyola and John Felice Rome Center Alumni. At least five alums approached us to talk about their experiences in Rome and ask how our semester was going. Again, the community I noticed within the crowd was overwhelming, and the event had not even started yet.  

Then finally, I heard the engine of the Pope-mobile start. I expected a lot of kissing babies, cheesy signs to get Pope Leo’s attention, and potentially some Chicago-style pizza. Honestly, I thought it would be more of a showy spectacle with music playing in the background as the Pope makes his way around the square. Instead, the crowd watched calmly – eyes glued to the big screens until the Pope was close enough to shift their view to the real thing.  

 

The moment when Pope Leo sees the Loyola University Chicago banner and realizes he is among other Chicagoans. (Photos by Brayden Diethelem) 

I was expecting to feel emotional and verklempt. At the canonization, my eyes watered during the Sign of Peace as I shook hands and spoke to other attendees in four different languages. The Tiber River, however, invaded my tear ducts at the Papal Audience.  

The Pope, no matter your religion, is a world leader. And once a week, he makes an effort to connect with the people he serves. The Loyola corner of St. Peter’s Square should’ve been in the Pope’s blind spot as he passed. As his sweet ride turned right, we were to the back left of him. Despite this, Pope Leo turned around, pointed to our flag, and smiled at the cluster of students. Just like looking at the Mona Lisa, every student there felt like they made eye-contact with the Pope.  

Our two seconds of connection with Pope Leo might as well been an infinity for me. The memory plays over and over in my head. When I watch the videos my friends took, I feel emotional all over again because those two infinite seconds humanized the Papacy for me.  

Every day, we watch as the empathy gap increases. In a moment where media connects us but values, beliefs, and experiences divide us, the Papal Audience showed me links across the world no matter political beliefs. And my two seconds with Pope Leo exhibited his humanity. 

Maybe he turned around because we were cheering; or because of our Loyola pride; or because he saw our flag said 'Chicago'. Who knows? But when he turned around, I felt the genuine smile and excitement on his face—an authentic, real reaction.  

At the end of the day, Pope Leo is still a kid from the South Side of Chicago who spent his life finding his calling, helping others, and traveling the world. 

Just like what Loyola’s Rome Center students are doing now.