---
description: Christopher Morris' photos capture the emotions and sentiments of the crowd as they congregate and wait and watch and, in the end, marvel at the renewal of a 2,000-year old religious institution.
title: Waiting for the New Pope by Christopher Morris
image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb774e6494f5dc50d/6987a439cd6848567e09c3ca/cm_vatican_pope_03_12_13_065.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9
---
* [World](/section/world/)
## World
Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/)
Close
* [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/)
## LightBox
Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/)
Close
# Waiting for the New Pope by Christopher Morris
by
[Howard Chua-Eoan](/author/howard-chua-eoan/)
## Howard Chua-Eoan
Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/)
Close
Mar 14, 2013 9:01 PM CUT
The following photographs were taken in St. Peter's Square, Rome, on March 12th and 13th, 2013\. Nuns wait in the rain at the start of the Conclave in Vatican City.
The following photographs were taken in St. Peter's Square, Rome, on March 12th and 13th, 2013\. Nuns wait in the rain at the start of the Conclave in Vatican City.Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
by
[Howard Chua-Eoan](/author/howard-chua-eoan/)
## Howard Chua-Eoan
Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/)
Close
Mar 14, 2013 9:01 PM CUT
The pilgrims in the Vatican always embody curiosity and expectation — but when the Sistine Chapel is in conclave for the election of a Pope, those feelings are magnified, becoming something almost indescribable in words. Photojournalist Christopher Morris arrived in Rome on March 11 and began documenting their visible expressions as the Cardinals gathered to cast their ballots for a new Pontiff. The result of the election was historic: the first Pope from the New World and the first of his name, Francis. Morris’ photos capture the emotions and sentiments of the crowd as they congregate and wait and watch and, in the end, marvel at the renewal of a 2,000-year old religious institution.
**See also**: [**_Conclave_** **, Christopher Morris’ short film**](http://lightbox.time.com/2013/03/14/conclave-a-short-film-by-christopher-morris/ "undefined")
---
[**_Christopher Morris_**](http://www.christophermorrisphotography.com/ "undefined")_is a contract photographer for TIME represented by_ [_VII_](http://www.viiphoto.com/ "undefined")_._
**_Howard Chua-Eoan_** _is the News Director of TIME._
---
The following photographs were taken in St. Peter's Square, Rome, on March 12th and 13th, 2013\. Nuns wait in the rain at the start of the Conclave in Vatican City. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
A wide variety of onlookers gathered in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
A woman waits in St. Peter's Square before the Papal announcement. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
Priests from around the world visited St. Peter's Square. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
A scene from St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
A barefoot Pilgrim prays on his knees as the Conclave convenes. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
Crucifixes in a shop near Vatican City. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
Worshippers watch the Conclave on a screen in St. Peter's Square. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
A woman waits on the steps in St. Peter's Square. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
Italian Carabinieri stand guard at a gate in Vatican City. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
Onlookers visiting St. Peter's Square. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
Crowds wait in the rain at Vatican City. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
A nun watches the white smoke rising above St. Peter's Square. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
White smoke, seen on a screen, in St. Peter's Square, rises from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
The newly-elected Pope Francis I appears on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. The Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the 266th Pontiff. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
The crowd cheers for the newly elected Pope Francis I at the Vatican. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
Pope Francis I appears on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
```json
[{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3797839/waiting-for-the-new-pope-by-christopher-morris/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3797839/waiting-for-the-new-pope-by-christopher-morris/"},"headline":"Waiting for the New Pope by Christopher Morris","datePublished":"2013-03-14T21:01:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:40:50.785Z","description":"Christopher Morris' photos capture the emotions and sentiments of the crowd as they congregate and wait and watch and, in the end, marvel at the renewal of a 2,000-year old religious institution.","url":"https://time.com/3797839/waiting-for-the-new-pope-by-christopher-morris/","keywords":["LightBox","Religion","Catholic Church","Church","Vatican","pope","Rome","Christopher Morris","VII","photo essay"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb774e6494f5dc50d/6987a439cd6848567e09c3ca/cm_vatican_pope_03_12_13_065.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Howard Chua-Eoan","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/howard-chua-eoan/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb774e6494f5dc50d/6987a439cd6848567e09c3ca/cm_vatican_pope_03_12_13_065.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"cm_Vatican_Pope_03_12_13_065","caption":"The following photographs were taken in St. Peter's Square, Rome, on March 12th and 13th, 2013. Nuns wait in the rain at the start of the Conclave in Vatican City.","creditText":"Christopher Morris—VII for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-lightbox/","name":"LightBox"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3797839/waiting-for-the-new-pope-by-christopher-morris/","name":"Waiting for the New Pope by Christopher Morris"}}]}]
```