St. Peter's Square has become quiet since the funeral of Pope John Paul II Friday, which drew an overwhelming media presence, according to an AU student studying abroad in Rome.
Megan Linehan, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, is finishing a semester in Rome.
"The media craziness has definitely abated since the funeral, and most of the press has left until the conclave starts, mostly because all they can really do is speculate until then, and there is very little to actually cover," Linehan said.
Every cardinal who participates in the conclave locks himself in the Sistine Chapel to choose a pope, said Father Jim Farnan, a Pittsburgh diocesan priest studying at the Gregorian University near the Vatican.
The secretive process can take anywhere from two weeks to a month. The new pope is selected by a three-fourths majority vote.
"The reason for the secrecy of the conclave is that the Vatican doesn't want the politics of the world involved," Farnan said. "They don't want the world, they want the Holy Spirit involved instead."
According to Linehan, this holds true, even for the media.
"The Vatican essentially shuts down until the new pope is elected, and while the cardinals are all giving interviews, they can say nothing about conclave," she said.
"[It] gets pretty boring pretty fast," Linehan said. "The Italian press are of course all still here, but I have seen a lot less of a worldly presence than I did not only the night the pope died, but [also] the days leading up to the funeral."
Farnan said he experienced the presence of the large number of people who all came together to pay their respects to one man.
"It's amazing to see all of the people of the world who love the pope," Farnan said. "To share the love of the Holy Father and see this manifested in millions of people is pretty awe-inspiring."
Farnan had the opportunity to see John Paul II laid out in his private residence and also attended his funeral.
"I woke up at 3 a.m. the morning of the funeral and arrived at 7 a.m.," Farnan said. "We sat in our seats for three hours until the funeral began."
Farnan sat with 5,000 priests, fulfilling the pope's wishes to have priests sit near his casket at his funeral Mass.
"It was a beautiful Mass, and it was amazing to think that if you're an old lady or the pope, you are buried the exact same way," he said.
Linehan and her friends watched the funeral on television in their apartment and afterward walked around her neighborhood.
"Tons of people were streaming around, but most were relatively calm," Linehan said. "There were still a lot of people hanging about with signs that read 'santo subito' ['saint immediately'] ... as well as Polish flags everywhere."
After the casket was carried away, there was a five- to 10-minute ovation, which Farnan described as "electrifying."
"People were yelling 'saint right away!' " Farnan said.
Not being religious, Linehan said she felt uncomfortable being in the Vatican after the announcement of the pope's death.
"But on the other hand, it felt like we were becoming part of something larger than ourselves, whether it was a Catholic entity or just some sort of force had swept the people waiting as if to say, 'You are here while history is happening,' " she said.
Linehan said she expects crowds to return during the conclave, which begins Monday.
"I don't think it's going to be quite as hectic as the funeral, as there won't be a flood of about 2 million Polish people returning," she said. "I think there will be a big surge of clergy again, but this time it will be more curiosity than anything else."
She said she is looking forward to the conclave.
"It would be pretty amazing to be in St Peter's Square again for the pope to be elected, after I was there when John Paul's death was announced," she said.
