“There is but one Church in which men find salvation, just as outside the ark of Noah it was not possible for anyone to be saved.” – St. Thomas Aquinas

I was just ten years old when Pope Francis was elected. Witnessing him take his holy place as the new successor to Peter lives as one of my most vivid memories. It was March 13, 2013. I was a young student at St. Pius X Catholic School in Urbandale, Iowa. It was a Wednesday. That meant our class attended our weekly mass in the morning. Wednesdays were always my favorite because it changed all the class times for the rest of the day. It felt like the day went by breezily. That day I got out early. But before leaving, our class was notified that white smoke had emerged from the Vatican. There was a new Pope.

My mom took me home, and we turned on the television. I sat in our living room, still wearing my school uniform. We eagerly awaited our new Pope to be announced. After a little while, Cardinal protodeacon Jean-Louis Tauran walked out onto the Vatican Balcony. “Habemus Papam!” he announced; we had a new pope. His name? Jorge Mario Bergoglio. His Papal name? Pope Francis. I distinctly recall watching the then-new head of the Catholic Church walk out onto the balcony sometime after the announcement. He emerged from within St. Peter’s Basilica and greeted the crowd. Little did he know, he was also greeting a young Catholic boy from Iowa via television. 

Before Pope Francis’s election, I’d never had the chance to experience the historic conclave process. It was a learning experience. It gave me the chance to watch another apostolic successor of Peter take on the responsibilities that come with the papacy. It helped me know that history continues to unfold. There simply is no institution in the world that parallels the depth or preeminence of the Roman Catholic Church. 

Pope Francis now rests. He fought as a lifelong champion for Christ. His courage to defend truth at a time when traditional beliefs are unfashionable ought to be applauded and remembered. Pope Francis has gifted a new world of Catholics the same experience I had as a child. A conclave of Cardinals will determine his successor, and we will have a new pope.

This comes as many Western dioceses have recently reported record youth conversions to Catholicism. Often, converts cite the traditional nature of the Catholic Church and its rich history as essential influences in their conversion. This makes the convening of a new papal conclave even more special. Pope Francis has given them the opportunity to witness the biblically-rooted succession of a new Vicar of Christ.

So now we wait for this new leader. The outcome of this election will be monumental. Whoever is elected as the next Pope will determine the direction of the Catholic Church for years to come. He will be charged with navigating global tensions and conflict. He will be faced with the trials of modernity, including hostility toward theism and tradition and the threats of progressivism and secularism. He will be responsible for the new Catholics as well as the old. He will need to prioritize converting people to Christianity. Chiefly, the next Pope must remain true to Christ.