Valeria Villabelle and her mother, Alicia Garcia, were eating at a corner restaurant when the white smoke began pouring out. The two, from Monterrey, Mexico, arrived in Rome after a two-week cruise. They had hoped to see Pope Francis but felt blessed to witness the election of Pope Leo XIV.
“I’m so happy. This was just so fortunate that I’m here,” Ms. Garza told America in Spanish. They were both delighted that Pope Leo briefly spoke from the balcony in Spanish during his first address.
“It was a message, I think,” Ms. Villabelle said, noting he did not speak in English. “Because the language, as well as the people who speak it, have been attacked in his own country. So I think it was a beautiful humanitarian message.”
Luis Adrian Luna Barrios, an immigrant to Italy from Mexico, also noted that the pope spoke in Spanish.
“It was emotional. I am grateful that he kept us in mind—but all Catholics in the world really, of course. It was a beautiful gesture,” he said in Spanish. “The first time we have a North American pope. I feel overwhelmed to have experienced this moment.”
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With thanks to the America and J.D. Long García, where this article originally appeared.
