'White smoke!': Milwaukee monastery watches in awe as Vatican declares Pope Leo XIV
MILWAUKEE (CBS58) — It was a moment that moved millions, and right here in Milwaukee, one friar couldn’t believe his ears.
In only two days, the conclave has come together to announce who will lead roughly 1.4 billion Catholics around the world.
"I was not at all expecting an American pope, but what a joy to have then-Cardinal Provost now Pope Leo the XIV," said Father Nathan Linton OFM Cap.
Father Nathan Linton, with the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph, recounts the moment white smoke flew over the Vatican.
"As soon as the smoke started flying- I had the livestream on my office computer as I was working, of course- I was incredibly excited. I ran out of my office and shouted, 'White smoke! White smoke!' and immediately heard the echo through the monastery," said Father Linton.
Father Linton saying he was bombarded with texts and calls asking for his prediction of who it would be.
"We knew it was going to be quick, looking at the past conclaves, but to have a Holy Father after only three votes shows a great sense of unity amidst the college of cardinals," said Father Linton.
Father Linton couldn't take his eyes off the livestream from Vatican City. He says while the last few conclaves went relatively quickly, this might have been the fastest decision yet.
"To my knowledge, this was the quickest conclave that we've had. Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI were both very quick, but not as quick as this election," Father Linton explained.
We then joined Father Linton in a private room in the monastery as the Brotherhood of Friars and the rest of world watched and waited.
"With our new Holy Father Pope Leo XIV, I have to get used to that. He has spent so much of his life as a missionary in South America, he's a man that will be able to think at a global scale, in complicated situations, as the Holy Father has to do," said Father Linton.
Father Linton says a new pope is a renewal for not just the church, but Catholics around the world.
"We are incredibly excited that we have, once again, a man serving as the successor of St. Peter, to head Christ's church on earth. This is a moment of great rejoicing," said Father Linton.
Father Linton believes Pope Leo will have a special love for the needy and will follow in Pope Francis' footsteps.