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Any Moment: New Pope To Emerge From Vatican Balcony. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired May 08, 2025 - 12:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:30:00]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: -- Habemus Papam, as they say, and yet -- and another person that you're speaking to with just those four simple words, I am so happy. Perhaps the simplicity of it, the joy of it, does capture the moment for so many.

David Culver also among the crowd. David, you just heard that commotion, everyone for, I think, an instant thought, perhaps the Pope is early coming to the balcony. No, not yet. But what are you seeing?

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Erin.

We had to, first of all, position ourselves towards the back end because the signal as we were in the midst of the crush was just too difficult. I want to introduce you to Paolo Valentine (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CULVER: You're Italian.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Italian, yes.

CULVER: So to be here for this moment, have you been here to see the white smoke go up?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, I never -- I had never the chance to be here in this moment. But I'm Italian. I studied in Rome. I came here in the last 30 years every year, but I never had the chance to be here in this moment.

CULVER: I don't think I have seen so many smiles in one place and tears at the same time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, yes, yes. That's -- I mean, we're going to have a spiritual father again, you know, as Catholics and also kind of for the whole world at this moment is very special. Yes, you know.

CULVER: And were you part of the crush that moved up?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, yes. I was over there and I saw the crowds running and I went to them and I'm enjoying a kind of little bit from the back, enjoying this moment, praying and enjoying.

CULVER: We have a pope. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Habemus Papam.

CULVER: Paolo, thank you so much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Thank you very much.

CULVER: Guys, it was incredible to be in that rush. I'm overwhelmed because there was such a rush of emotion that came towards us. And the first thing that indicated to me that there was white smoke was a group of about five religious sisters that nearly plowed me over and they were holding hands and running one by one to try to get as close as they can to the front there.

And now you can see St. Peter's Square is just filling up. I came across two young people, a young woman from Peru and another from Poland. They were together and they pushed in a flood of tears. And they said, we didn't expect that you would be here in this moment at this time.

They said for them, it was just divine. And then they had to go because one of their moms was calling and they said, I got to bring my mom into this moment with me. It's just incredible to see this.

BURNETT: Yes.

CULVER: And you can hear now the cheers going. All people know is that they have a pope. They know nothing beyond that. They don't know who this individual is, who he might be, but for them in this moment, the Holy See is no longer vacant.

Erin, it's incredible.

BURNETT: No, it is incredible. It is a beautiful moment to be a part of.

Christopher, what are we looking at now? This is just behind us in front of St. Peter's Basilica, right underneath the balcony where the new pope is going to walk out.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: That's right.

BURNETT: You're seeing members of the Swiss Guard, obviously.

LAMB: Yes.

BURNETT: The procession here.

LAMB: Yes, we're seeing, as you said, the Swiss Guard and their distinctive stripy colored uniforms and the band that come out for major moments in the Vatican. And we expect them to play the Vatican National Anthem in and around when the pope is announced, the new pope is announced. I think the fact that they're here suggests that it's not too long until we get the news of who has been elected as pope.

BURNETT: That's right, that's right, because they are there, they're preparing. And at least the who, of course, is the great question. In this crowd, I am so happy, is the feeling. Here's a --

LAMB: And there's applause for the band.

BURNETT: -- clapping for them, the applause for the band and the Swiss Guard. But the who is going to matter, not just for Catholics around the world, but for the whole world. You know, Pope Francis had played such a crucial role in global politics.

If you looked online, you looked at what media was saying, what experts were saying, what betting markets were saying, they were coalescing around either the Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, 70- year-old, most senior cardinal, or I believe the third most senior cardinal, Cardinal Tagle of the Philippines.

We just heard that woman from Southern California tell Ben Wedeman she was hoping he had been selected through someone called the Francis of Asia, and much more in his footsteps. It could be them, it could be somebody else. But the big question right now is who?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that's what everybody is so eager to know right now. Everyone's on pins and needles right now. And you can feel that here, the anticipation growing in the crowd --

LAMB: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- as people come and wonder who this man is and what he's going to do. You know, I think many people --

LAMB: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- had initially anticipated a longer conclave, simply because so many of these guys were unknown to one another. Again, you know, and they haven't had a lot of time to talk and to meet before this conclave took place. So the fact that it happened very quickly, you know, many people might say it does indicate that it was one of those front runners that we have, you know, been hearing so much about, whether it's Cardinal Parolin or Cardinal Tagle, you know.

But again, nobody knows what happens inside of that chapel, you know, and once the votes start being cast. So it's --

BURNETT: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- still a mystery and we're all waiting to see.

LAMB: Yes.

[12:35:08]

BURNETT: You do you think it is?

LAMB: I think it's possible that it's one of the front runners because of course, they've be -- that would suggest, you know, after -- sorry, the number of ballots would suggest that it could be a front runner because it's -- we think it's four or five ballots. However, it may be that someone else has come through. I mean, we know that the cardinals were saying in their meetings before going into the conclave, they want a pope who's a pastor who can connect with people, whose message can go beyond the confines of the Catholic Church, who continues with what Francis started. So we know that the cardinals were looking for that kind of figure, someone who has strong pastoral experience.

So they were looking for a pope who has that ability to reach as many people as possible, to continue in the vein of Francis. So look, you know, we have to just wait and see, but I don't think we can be sure of anything at this point.

BURNETT: We can't be sure of anything, Father Beck, but -- and that is the bottom line.

LAMB: Yes.

BURNETT: However, the -- they did this with alacrity, and that would, in a standard way, indicate that possibly it was one of the more front runner expected candidates, not necessarily, but possibly, which does leave people like Cardinal Parolin and Tagle at the top of the list of who is going to walk out on the balcony.

FATHER EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, that seems to be what will happen as the favorite choice. If it doesn't, the surprise, I think, might be that we've gone back to an Italian pope. Now, of course, Parolin is Italian, but he's the expected one.

If they wanted to go a little bit outside the box, they probably would choose an Italian who has a lot of international experience, who has worked in a lot of other countries, and has worked on issues that have been important to Pope Francis and want to continue in that vein. And there are a few candidates that haven't been discussed as much who may fit that bill.

And again, that could be the compromise because you're going back to an Italian, but it's not necessarily a bureaucratic Italian cardinal, but rather one who has really done ministry, who has done a lot in international relations, who maybe knows other languages, who is involved in migration, ecology.

And there are a few that fit that bill that we haven't spoken about. So I think that, but it would be hard for them to get through this quickly, I think. But it would be the possibility of the outsider, I think, that may be what could happen.

BURNETT: And that is perhaps why, you know, you went from a lump of in your throat to suddenly very fast-fluttering butterflies.

LAMB: Yes. Like, I think (INAUDIBLE). One thing about this conclave is that, you know, the cardinals were meeting for a number of days, and they weren't just having the formal meetings, they were also having the off-the-record private dinners. And, you know, of course, the cardinals were giving interviews, but there were also cardinals who didn't give interviews.

BURNETT: Yes.

LAMB: So I think those who didn't give interviews perhaps were the ones who were being very influential and were very conscious that there is huge media interest, and were very keen to keep their cards close to the chest. So that's why it is very hard to say who might be coming out onto the balcony now.

Because, of course, in 2013, I remember I was there in St. Peter's Square when the name Bergoglio was announced, and it was Pope Francis. That was a huge surprise to many people. So it could be another surprise, or it could be, as you say, one of the front runners.

BURNETT: We just don't know. As we see, obviously, the procession of the Swiss Guard, all of them gathering right in front of the balcony, where the pope will soon appear and will say, and we'll put this up, because the next thing that will happen will be when the pope is announced, right, like you said, that there will be an announcement. And it will say, I announce to you a great joy, we have a pope, the most eminent and reverend Lord.

Lord, they will say the first name, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, his last name, who takes to himself the name, and that will be the selected name.

LAMB: That's right. And that's the formula that will be read out in Latin by Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, the Proto-Deacon, the most senior Cardinal Deacon. And, you know, I expect he will emerge quite soon. It's been -- what does it mean, about --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Half an hour, yes.

LAMB: -- half an hour? So, it should be around 30 to 40 minutes, maybe a bit longer, depending on what else is going on. But, yes, it will be --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How long is it taking to pray in that room, or cry as it may be, in the room of tears, as it's called?

LAMB: Exactly. And I think it's obviously a hugely emotional moment for whoever's been elected.

BURNETT: And truly alone in that room or?

[12:40:06]

LAMB: Well, maybe with some other cardinals. But of course when you become pope, it's kind of -- someone said, it's like a sort of mini- death, because you're not going to go back home, you're not going to be able to go out to a restaurant anymore. You're going to have to give yourself fully in the service to the Church. So whoever has been chosen now has a very different life ahead of him.

BURNETT: Yes. I guess one could say a mini-death or a rebirth.

LAMB: Or rebirth, exactly.

BURNETT: Depending how you see it, but that's why the emotion, the tears.

David Culver, who are you seeing now, where you're standing?

CULVER: Hey, Erin, it's getting very crowded down here in St. Peter's Square, I'll tell you. And we're all the way in the back, just so that we can sustain a cell signal, because in the midst of that crush, everything went out, because everyone had their phones up, and they were trying, of course, to communicate to their family, their loved ones, and their friends.

Now, for some folks, they have their friends here, including Araceli (ph), you're from Texas.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm from Texas.

CULVER: Mercedes (ph), you're from Mexico?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm from Mexico.

CULVER: Mexico. And Juliana's (ph) from Spain. And you can talk towards me. We have one mic here, so we'll be able to hear you in the midst of the crowd.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Araceli, you live here, you just timed it -- you do as well, Mercedes. What is it -- how do you describe this?

There's just -- there's so much hope. It's exciting, it's exciting to see, to be here, to know that now we have a pope. At the same time, I'm a little sad, because I'm already missing Pope Francis. And so it's exciting, but it's a new chapter.

CULVER: And you think about Pope Francis, obviously, so significant to the Latino population, but now we don't know who the next pope is, we just know we have a pope. Mercedes, what's going through your mind?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm really happy that we soon will know who is the next pope. I also love Pope Francis, and Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II, and I'm really looking forward to know who will be the next. And I'm also really happy to see how in the jubilee, 2025, we are able to see this big, big party for believers and non-believers together, waiting for who will be the next Pope.

CULVER: Juliana, how do you feel?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language)

CULVER: She says very excited, very grateful for what she's seeing around us. I mean, Araceli, you live here, have you ever felt this amount of joy packed into one place?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt this joy in 2013 --

CULVER: You did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- when Pope Francis was elected. We didn't know it was going to be Pope Francis. But the weather, it was dark, it was raining. We didn't expect it was going to be Pope Francis, and he turned out to be an extraordinary father. I mean, really, on all levels, he changed the view of the church for believers and non- believers.

And so today, it's just a different energy, it's a different time, it's a different circumstance around the world. And it's exciting, it's exciting, but at the same time, it's a new chapter.

CULVER: A lot of mixed emotions --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a lot of mixed --

CULVER: -- I can sense it with you. But we'll be here together as we wait to see who comes out on the balcony just ahead of us.

Thank you all so much for being with us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, thank you.

CULVER: Erin, I'll send it back to you.

BURNETT: Well, David, we are -- the smoke was at 6:06 here in Rome time, and usually about 30 minutes later, we see the pope. So really, any moment here, Christopher, and we're hearing the music?

LAMB: Yes.

BURNETT: Because -- let's listen in here as we are watching the balcony.

LAMB: The Vatican National Anthem.

BURNETT: This is the Vatican National Anthem. Let's listen.

(MUSIC)

(APPLAUSE)

BURNETT: It would feel that means we are very close.

LAMB: Yes, that's right.

BURNETT: You have been watching right -- in front there on that.

LAMB: Yes.

BURNETT: Right in front of St. Peter's, there had been an empty area, it was cordoned off. Now that's where we're seeing the Swiss Guard, where we see the band, and you also were seeing others.

LAMB: Yes, I saw some retired cardinals who were over 80, including Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston there, obviously waiting to see the new pope. There's a cardinal who's over 80. They take part in the pre- conclave discussions and are quite important in them. And so he's obviously there with some other cardinals who have retired to see who the new pope is. I imagine they have some idea, probably a bit better than us, but, you know, they obviously happy --

BURNETT: But even they would not know.

LAMB: They won't know for sure, no.

BURNETT: Right. I mean, it's not as if the cardinals suddenly got their iPhones back the second they walked out, right?

LAMB: No, right, exactly.

BURNETT: And then -- I know I sound flip, I'm actually not being flippant, right?

LAMB: No, no.

BURNETT: They don't have communications yet.

[12:45:07]

LAMB: They haven't got those iPhones or iPads back yet. So those retired cardinals don't know. They're like everyone else, they're waiting for the news.

BURNETT: Kim Daniels is back with us here as well. And we now, if you look at the clock, they said about 30 minutes. That would mean that we are seconds, a couple of minutes away from seeing the Pope.

KIM DANIELS, DIRECTOR, INITIATIVE ON CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT & PUBLIC LIFE, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: We're seconds away. I can tell you that I was just down among the people, and people are just streaming in from every street that enters St. Peter's Square. There was a band playing, a marching band down the road. The energy is just amazing.

BURNETT: And it is packed. It is just packed. And everyone's eyes now trained in one place.

So, Christopher, as we await in these final seconds, minutes, tell us what's going to happen. The first person we see --

LAMB: Yes.

BURNETT: -- will not be the Pope.

LAMB: Will be the cardinal, Proto-Deacon, the most senior cardinal deacon, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti. Provided he hasn't been elected --

BURNETT: Yes.

LAMB: -- we will see him as the person who has the job of announcing to the world, Habemus Papam, we have a Pope. So he will do that from the balcony of St. Peter's. You can see there the windows will open and he will go out onto the balcony and make that announcement to the world. And that's when everyone will find out. BURNETT: And so then we hear the name, and then he steps aside and --

LAMB: The new pope comes out.

BURNETT: From the shadows, out comes the new pope.

LAMB: That's right. He will come out and we would expect him to address the crowd and offer his first blessing as is customary. So this is the first moment that the world will get to see the 267th successor of St. Peter, according to Catholics.

BURNETT: Kim, the moment -- Ben Wedeman has been speaking to people in the crowd, David Culver, and several of them have said just the four simple words, I am so happy.

DANIELS: It really is a feeling of happiness. I was here for the last conclave when Pope Francis was elected. And I can tell you that being down in that square, we're just so happy to have another leader of our church. You know, there's been all this talk of different personalities and leadership styles, et cetera.

We're just so happy to have a spiritual leader back as our pope, as our leader. It's really a wonderful moment for the Catholic Church.

BURNETT: Christopher, if you were on social media in recent days, which of course people are, you would have seen all sorts of theories about what was happening. Some of them celebrating that there would be a block of conservative cardinals, which would block a decision and make sure that nobody in the footsteps of St. Francis would be elected.

Others on the opposite. But it appears that what we have seen was a level of consensus, simply because of the speed with which this occurred, that there was no schism or deep divide.

LAMB: I think that's right. Obviously, plenty of theories going around. And people want to sort of suggest that they could block things. But the way the conclave works is that you do have a system or process whereby you can get a consensus quite quickly because it's a secret ballot.

You see who the frontrunners are quite quickly and then cardinals decide who they're going to give their support to. And that's how the process works. And so therefore, it is kind of set up to get a decision. No easy thing at a time of great polarization in our culture, particularly political polarization, competing ideologies, to get a consensus in quite a quick set of time.

BURNETT: Well, it is true, Kim, and I think something that -- can't be overstated, what you just said, Christopher, a time of such division and anger and resentment that you could see people come in and be able to reach a consensus. Some of them did not get what they wanted and nonetheless are backing the outcome that we will see. And that is a very rare thing in the world that we are living in.

DANIELS: You know, it really is. And it's a real model, I think, for the world. It's an example that the Catholic Church, all of us share so much more than what divides us. We have so much more in common. At the end of the day, that's why we're Catholic. That's why we're part of the church.

BURNETT: Every time I see a little something flutter, I wonder, you know -- we're literally watching to see if perhaps there'll be a little, you know, flick of the curtain --

LAMB: I know.

BURNETT: -- and out someone will come. Do you -- do we know, down to these levels, because of the specificity of the tradition here, which side the pope will come out from, which side for --

LAMB: Yes.

BURNETT: -- Cardinal Mamberti will announce?

LAMB: He will come straight out onto the balcony. You know, I expect that to happen quite soon, 45 minutes, 50 minutes, since the white smoke billowed out from the chimney. So I think it'll happen fairly soon.

[12:50:06]

And yes, I mean, he has pretty important job. I hope we can speak clearly and I hope we can hear that. I hope we can hear the name clearly as well.

BURNETT: I know. It is perhaps possible that we will be going off of the face --

LAMB: Yes.

BURNETT: -- as we will see. No doubt they'll use the loudspeakers.

But Kim, that moment, and we could be just moments away now, it's been more than 30 minutes, which is about what it should be. So we're in the range here, I think about 33 minutes or so since the first cheers went up at the white smoke. But the cheers when they see the man who is now the pope.

DANIELS: It will be something else. It really will. I think the people will just, again, be so excited to have someone in that role again. I remember when Pope Francis came out on the balcony. He, again, asked us to bless him first and this gesture of humility. He said, buona sera, which was a wonderful informal way.

When Pope John Paul II came out, he made a joke about his broken Italian. I mean, it's a moment of connection with the people here in the square.

LAMB: Yes. And there's a strong connection between the Bishop of Rome, the pope and the people gathered here in Rome. The idea is that the pope is his first title as Bishop of Rome. He's called to be a shepherd and a pastor to the people in this city and, of course, the world.

And there is a special connection that Catholics have with the pope, a special bond. And you kind of get a sense of that bond forming in that first encounter when the pope comes out onto the balcony.

BURNETT: Katie, what will you be looking for when we see the Pope in just moments on that balcony?

KATIE PREJEAN MCGRADY, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: All of these cardinals over the past couple of days, from the procession in through the funeral, and one of them is likely about to walk out in white. And we've seen them all in red. And you see the Pope in white for the first time. It's this mental awareness of that's the papa, that's my papa.

Whatever his name is, whatever his career has been, this identity shift when he's in the white cassock is huge. And he'll wear that for the rest of his life. And so there's this immediate, OK, my papa's back. Sede Vacante is over. The Pope is with us.

And there's this relief and this joy among the Catholics. I can feel it all the way over here in D.C. My phone is blowing up with people around the world so pumped to see him.

BURNETT: It is something that transcends the screen, transcends the place, and yet it is so specific and beautiful in the place where it is happening.

Father Beck, what are you going to be looking for in just moments as we see the Pope?

BECK: I'm really interested to see what name he takes. I remember with Pope Francis, the story was that the bishop next to him, Cardinal Hummes from Sao Paulo, Brazil, said to him, don't forget the poor as soon as he walked up. And supposedly that was the inspiration for Bergoglio taking the name Francis.

And I remember when I was there for the conclave, we were sitting on the platform and Bergoglio was announced and everybody said, who? And then they said he picked the name Francis. And everybody thought, OK, he's a Jesuit. So it's Francis Xavier. Because there are a few St. Francis's, but no --

BURNETT: Right.

BECK: -- it was Francis of Assisi. That's why he took the name. And so a name will say a lot about what the Pope thinks. Is it going to be a name of a former pope who was a reformist or a traditionalist? Maybe it could be a name that's never used before and it signals something totally new.

So in addition to who it is, the name, what they're wearing and the name they pick, I think will say something about what they want to do. Imagine if they said something like Pope Benedict Francis, or they could say something like Pope John Francis. So John XXIII was a real reformist Pope who began the second Vatican council and then Pope Francis. So we've never had, I don't think, a John Francis. Wouldn't that be interesting? So I think the name will tell a lot about who the man is and what they plan to do in their papacy.

BURNETT: All right. Let's go to Ben Wedeman back here in St. Peter's Square. Ben?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Erin, we are joined by Francesca (ph), who is a lawyer from Rome. And of course, Francesca, like so many other people, tourists and others have come to this square to -- why have you come?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because it's an epic moment, actually. In Italian, we have an expression to say, ogni morte di Papa. So when a pope's dead, it means that after, it's opened a very epic moment. So it's great, this feeling to be here with a lot of people, religious and not.

[12:55:02]

All the world is watching at the balcony and we feel at the center of the world, like really the center of -- the entire globe in this moment are looking for the new Pope. So in a few minutes, hopefully we will discover who will be.

WEDEMAN: So Rome at the moment is veramente (ph)caput mundi?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, exactly, caput mundi.

WEDEMAN: And who do you hope is the Pope? Do you have a favorite?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have not a favorite. Actually, most of Italian after two foreign Pope are expecting an Italian Pope, but it's in the God's hands. So no matter who will be, it will be the Pope. So he will be the leader of the church, the Catholic Roman Church. So we will be happy in any case.

WEDEMAN: And what are the qualities you're looking for in the next Pope?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think in this moment, the church, it's very divided, the interiors and the globe -- the entire globe, it's very divided. So I hope for someone who'd have the quality of reconciliation and diplomacy. And I think it will be very important. And everybody probably, I mean, from an Italian side, hope for Parolin, because it's a diplomat for -- in this career has been a diplomat. And so we also need a lot of diplomacy and someone to deal with recombative conflict in the world.

WEDEMAN: OK, thank you very much, Francesca. I think it's just a few minutes now before we find out who is the next papa.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course.

WEDEMAN: All right. Thank you, Francesca.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

WEDEMAN: So Erin, I guess everybody here is happy to have a new Pope, but nobody knows who the next Pope is. So it's moments of suspense after a moment of joy. Erin?

BURNETT: So true and such an unusual suspense to feel.

Christopher, the name, as Father Beck was saying, could mean everything. And the most common names for Popes, I believe, John, number one, Gregory, Benedict, and Pius.

LAMB: Yes.

BURNETT: And then there are some, of course, who have chosen two names, John Paul, John Paul II.

LAMB: Right.

BURNETT: Or it could be a name we've never heard before.

LAMB: That's right. And he doesn't actually have to choose a new name. It was the first Pope to choose a new name was Mercurio in 533. That's because it was a pagan God. And so he wanted to choose a Christian name, because, of course, he was the Pope.

And so he doesn't have to choose a name. But the name he chooses is likely he will. The name he chooses will signify his priorities, where he wants to take the church. It's a kind of, you know, a bit of a manifesto, that name that he chooses. And it will signal the direction that he wants to go as Pope.

BURNETT: It's his first stamp. But so many choices when you think about it. And some names that have resurfaced again and again.

DANIELS: There are. As Chris said, you know, a certain name might signal a callback to a recent Pope. And that's obviously been a practice recently. Also, they've obviously gone with different names. Pope Francis was the first Pope Francis.

Some names like Luke or Matthew. So the gospel writers have never been chosen. It could be really interesting to see who -- what comes out there.

BURNETT: We've never had a Joseph. We've never had an Andrew.

LAMB: Yes. And of course, Francis was the first Pope Francis. So there's a lot of choice. But of course, he may want to choose a Pope from recent history or even further back in history to send a signal about how his papacy is going to be, what he thinks his priorities should be.

BURNETT: So it's now been 50 minutes, getting close here. So it's 6:06 was when we first found out.

LAMB: Yes, yes, yes.

BURNETT: So not only could it be any minute, and I don't want to say that there's a delay or anything like that, but it has been longer than it could have been.

LAMB: Yes.

BURNETT: And we know there's the three sets of vestments, right, to choose what size --

LAMB: Yes.

BURNETT: -- fits best.

LAMB: Yes.

BURNETT: And certain things must happen before he comes out.

LAMB: Yes, certain practicalities. He needs to, and obviously, fit himself in the investments of the Pope. The white cassock. He has to greet all the cardinals. He may want to spend a bit of time talking to them. Also, of course, spend some time in prayer, in preparation for the task ahead.

So it can take some time. And I imagine that, you know, after you've been elected, Pope is pretty emotional, overwhelming moment.

BURNETT: Yes.

LAMB: So he want to, you know, take a bit of time to prepare himself.

BURNETT: And to take it in.

Katie, you have a story, I believe, about how Pope Francis was thinking about or speculating about the chosen name of his successor.

MCGRADY: Yes. A couple of years ago, he was invited to come to an anniversary celebration for diocese in 2025. And apparently he said to the bishop jokingly, oh, that won't be me. That'll be John the 24th. Now, it was a joke. Francis was very witty.

He was very funny. He was known for being quick. But who knows? Maybe it was kind of a prescient, you know, perhaps it might be a John --