Remembering Pope Francis | Looking back at our trip to Rome

had the great honor of covering the conclave that led to Pope Francis's election back in 2013 we spent some two and a half weeks in Rome then sharing the stories of that sacred moment with our audience back here it was for so many reasons an incredibly powerful moving and memorable event but maybe none more so than the moment we got word that white smoke was finally billowing from the Sistine Chapel like so many that day we went running to document the history as it happened and couldn't have known then just how historic it would be here's a look back at how it all began the moment came after weeks of waiting in anticipation only compounded by the purposeful mystery of the process that day 12 years ago that white smoke signaling the new pope's election offered just the first wisps of how consequential he would be when the world saw his face for the first time as he emerged on that balcony over St peter's Square a near universal reaction rippled through the crowd who is this man very spiritual and supernatural atmosphere was present his name was Jorge Burggalio a cardinal little known outside of his native Argentina but his first act would set the stage for the humility that would define his papacy rather than pray for the thousands that gathered to hear him he instead asked those thousands to pray for him and then when he did that profound bow and just stood there and there was for over 100,000 people in that square you could hear a pin drop taking the name Francis in honor of St francis of Aisi this pope would be the first ever elected from the Americas and the first Jesuit to assume the papacy his would mark a stark turn away from some of the traditionalism within the church toward a more progressive vision of greater acceptance and inclusion his uh respectful uh if you will uh disregard for some of the formality uh is a very welcomed breath of fresh air for all of us but beyond his jovial nature and his shunning of some of the formalities that came with his title many in Philadelphia will remember Francis for this day the World Meeting of Families and that mass on the Ben Franklin Parkway it was a day of moments few more impactful than this one i fell to my knees right there right there on the street