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Carole Mikita ReportingUtah's Catholic community celebrated the selection of a new pope. People here caught the excitement with the white smoke and bells at The Vatican, even before they knew who had been selected, the bells here began to ring.
The bells always ring on the hour and every quarter hour but this was a different sound. The Salt Lake Diocese signaling to the community that there is cause for celebration. We sat with employees there this morning watching network coverage of the event and captured their reaction as the new Pope Benedict XVI stepped out onto the balcony. There was applause and tears of joy.
Bishop George Niederauer said every Utah Catholic will not forget where he or she was during these big events of April 2005. The bishop met with then Cardinal Ratzinger last June at The Vatican.
The Most Rev. George Niederauer, Ph.D., Bishop of Salt Lake Diocese: "He struck me as having a very insightful mind, very well-spoken, fluent in any number of languages and very much concerned with the problems that we wrestle with."
Daniel John, Diocesan Dir. of Religious Education: "The motto of the Benedictine order is 'to work and to pray' and it's funny because I think you heard both of those in his opening just few lines, and I think it's indicative of the kind of pope we're going to have."
Mary Fasig, Dir. Youth & Young Adult Ministry: "There is such joy to have someone there who's gonna lead our church and be an example for our young people and to take us through these turbulent times."
Bishop Niederauer will celebrate mass this evening and offer a prayer for the new Pope, which he says is a very important way of uniting Catholics.
