I arrived in Rome on Saturday, May 2, 2025, early in the morning. I am here to attend the Plenary meeting of the International Union of Superiors General, a meeting of all religious leaders of apostolic religious sisters congregations. How could any of us imagine it would coincide with the Conclave to select the next Pope.

Saturday morning, I set off with two Dominican sisters from the USA, to visit the tomb of Pope Francis. We arrived at Santa Maria Maggiore at 11 am and saw the line winding down the slope in front of the basilica. I had expected a long line and a long wait. The line was spread out and thin, it didn’t look too formidable and it was moving at a steady pace.

As we neared the front of the church, the crowd control monitors moved us together into a crowd near the entrance, and time began to stretch more. We waited an hour and 14 minutes to get into the church, which was much better than I had expected in the beginning. As soon as we entered the basilica, the line was moved forward toward Pope Francis’s tomb. Everyone was quiet and respectful.

As we neared the tomb, the line thinned to single file, and each person passed by the tomb, with the guard telling each person not to stop. Somehow   everyone managed to get a photo. The line then made an immediate u-turn for about 15 feet, then fed into the nave of the church to disperse.

Just as I made the u-turn, I faced again the tomb and prayed before going into the nave. In the nave of the church, rows of chairs were in place and people filled about 75% of the church. It was quiet and peaceful. People walked around to view the artwork and statues, or sat quietly in the chairs. Such a peaceful, holy ambience.

From Santa Maria Maggiore, we traveled to St. Peter’s square. During the five times I have been to Rome, I have never seen crowds like I saw at St. Peter’s Square, except the Pope’s audience. People coming and going, resting on the steps, looking for the smoke stack. Personally, I felt a strangeness, an odd feeling, an emptiness. There is no pope. There is only waiting. I wonder if this is a taste of Holy Saturday. We are not waiting for a messiah, or even a man to hang our hopes on. We are waiting to see what direction the Roman Catholic Church will take next.

Will the new Pope stay on a course set by Francis, encouraging us to be Pilgrims of Hope, Carers of the Earth, compassionate brothers and sisters to all? Or will the next Pope leads us through clearly defined doctrine or rules? There is anticipation, there is anxiety, there is hope, there is waiting.

For myself, I know we are the church, we who assemble together, open the gospel together, and do the good that God calls us to do, even as we stumble. We will continue to be the church, the people of God, living out the gospel’s values in the ways the Holy Spirit leads us.

I pray for the new Pope, whomever he may be, that he leads with love, compassion and the heart of Jesus.