An Inside Look at the Papal Transition
His daily routine consisted of a 7:00 a.m. mass in the Vatican crypt or at the Jesuit Headquarters where he resided, then they went right to work taking media calls and scheduling interviews up until 9:30 p.m. Rosica recalled doing 28 interviews during one of the days. He dealt with the leading anchors and media personalities from the entire English-speaking world. Many saw him on CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, CBC, and many national and international networks. He also dealt with print media on a daily basis. He said one of his biggest tasks was taking part in the news conferences the Vatican Press Office and the Vatican Audience Hall held every day, which drew between 600700 people – most of them media. They lasted 1½-2 hours each time, and Rosica recalls deep questions along with funny moments. In all, they coordinated and conducted interviews for a total of 6,000 journalists from around the world. Rosica himself handled about 165 interviews, and also served as a translator for Lombardi during press conferences and briefings. Rosica, who was a French and Italian major at Fisher, did interviews in English, French, Italian, Spanish, and German. He joked, saying it was a long way from his Fisher days and language labs in St. Basil Hall!
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ather Thomas Rosica, C.S.B., ’80 calls February 11 the Monday that changed his life.
By Kate Torok While the rest of the world was waking up to hear the news of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation, Fr. Thomas Rosica, CEO of the Salt and Light TV Network in Canada, and a member of St. John Fisher College’s Board of Trustees, was answering a 5:30 a.m. phone call from the Canadian media asking him to confirm the news. While Rosica is used to being called upon by the media, nothing could have prepared him for what was coming next. That day, he did about 25 different interviews with media outlets from around the world. Two days later, Father Federico Lombardi, Director of the Vatican Press Office, called and asked Rosica when he would be coming to Rome. Rosica told Lombardi he would be there sometime in March, and Lombardi asked him to come immediately. And so began the papal transition…and four weeks of adrenaline and
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excitement for Rosica and Sebastian Gomes, a young producer from Salt and Light who accompanied Fr. Rosica and worked closely with the Holy See Press Office. “From the moment we landed in Rome, it was an extraordinary experience,” said Rosica. He was asked to serve as the English language spokesperson for the duration of the papal transition. From day one, he and a team from the Vatican worked quickly to develop a media strategy. He joked that Lombardi said there would be a deluge of media, and Rosica would later correct him and talk about the media tsunami they faced. They worked hard and fast to forge relationships with media outlets from around the world, outlets that never had this kind of access to the Vatican. “The sheer volume of media attention surprised everyone. But then, it was history in the making. It was the first time a Pope had resigned in 600 years, so there wasn’t a funeral that colored things over,” he said.
His office was right in St. Peter’s Square, so he was able to see the first few moments of excitement and chaos. He called it “an incredible experience,” with thousands of people running and pushing and screaming – all to see their new Pope. That first night of Francis’ papacy, Fr. Rosica did interviews with major networks into the wee hours of the following morning. He helped to tell the world an amazing story of how a humble, Jesuit Archbishop from Buenos Aires came from the ends of the earth to be shepherd of the universal Church. Fr. Rosica had known Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio since 2001. In fact, in the days leading up to the conclave, the two met several times on the streets of Rome and shared conversations. When asked if he thought the Conclave made the right decision, Rosica didn’t hesitate in answering. “Pope Francis was more than the right choice. It was an inspired decision, and this is only the beginning. We have witnessed his incredible gestures, his clear, simple language and expressions, his youthfulness, kindness, warmth and fatherly care. What we are witnessing are
“I viewed it all as an opportunity to evangelize and teach. Fisher was very much in my mind the whole time. I kept thinking about my professors, especially my Basilian confrère, Fr. William Marceau, C.S.B., who are no longer with us and thought they would be happy with how things unfolded,” he said. If Rosica had been asked to predict who the new Pope would be, he said the only strong feeling he had was that it should be somebody outside of Italy and Europe. “There had to be a new direction – there was a longing for something new,” he said.
Left: Fr. Rosica at the Vatican. Above: Rosica leaving the Sistine Chapel before the first voting session of the Conclave began (March 12). He was the last to leave before the doors were shut. Photos courtesy of Vatican Photographic Service,Vatican City.
And, while the media kept reporting that the process would most likely take a while, Rosica kept saying it would be two days at the most. “The big work of the Conclave takes place the week before. They deal with any issues at those meetings, and develop a profile for the new Pope,” he said. When the white smoke finally appeared on that cold, rainy night of March 13, the moment the world had been waiting for is a moment that Rosica says he will never forget.
not media moments or photo opportunities; it’s a timereleased capsule of what is to come. Those who know him from Argentina say, ’This is who he is, this is ’Padre Jorge’, ’el Cardenal’, ’nuestro obispo’” he said. “The only thing that changed was the color of his robes. He is no longer Bishop of Buenos Aires, but now the Bishop of Rome.”
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