Students at Chicago Catholic school learn valuable lessons in mock conclave
CHICAGO WBBM As cardinals in Rome get ready for the papal conclave specific kids in Chicago got an idea of their job ahead with a special activity Tuesday At Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy at W Belmont Ave in Lakeview alongside the English Tudor Gothic-style Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church youngsters were all dressed up as cardinals and Vatican Swiss Guards And a school assembly room became the Sistine Chapel as the kids held their own mock conclave Suddenly fourth grader Cameron Smith felt the weight of a cardinal in Rome as he interviewed candidates for pope with notebook in hand There s so plenty of good options he commented Cameron and the other elementary school cardinals all donned scarlet cassocks birettas and mozzettas for the occasion and they had to vote like cardinals and think like them too Teachers parents and the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish helped plan the mock conclave It was up to kid cardinals to pick their pope They need to be humble explained sixth grader Evan Broz Be a pope of the people I think you ve got to be kind respectful revealed Cameron What makes a good pope is a pope that s holy and has a good heart for everyone mentioned another kid cardinal Angie As the cardinals campaigned for each other frontrunners cropped up The young cardinals went through multiple rounds of voting with a snack break of Goldfish crackers before round three We re getting very close to a pope and everyone s freaking out Cameron commented as the voting went on It could be anyone But the palpable papal suspense conclusively lifted Cardinal Augustus Wilk also known as fourth-grader Augie Wilk was elected Pope Augustine with two-thirds of the vote I also learned it s good to have a little bit of fun but also to stay humble Auggie reported White smoke billowing from a pipe out a window signaled the news to the entire school And the new kid pope came to another window and waved to an exuberant cheering crowd of youngsters just like the real pope in St Peter s Square
