A holidaying Canberra family have found themselves in Rome in the thick of Catholic Church history — the transition of leadership as former Pope Francis is laid to rest and a new Pope is elected.

Naomi Wicks, an arts specialist teacher at St Thomas Aquinas Primary School in Charnwood, happened to be holidaying in Rome with her family (a holiday they’d planned 12 months ago) on the afternoon of the Pope’s funeral and coincidentally, attended mass with the cardinals who will vote in the conclave this week.

Naomi said that as a practising Catholic, it had always been a dream to visit St Peter’s Basilica and to see where Catholicism began.

“I had told my students how I was visiting Rome but never in my dreams would I have imagined I would share mass with the cardinals just before conclave,” Naomi said. “We attended the fourth day of mourning mass for Pope Francis. It was a very touching experience for my family and I that we will remember forever. I don’t think I’ve totally processed it yet, it still feels like a surreal dream. We felt so incredibly blessed to be at the right place at the right time.” 

Naomi’s family (husband Paul and children Milly and Levi) were seated just five rows from 150 of the 180 cardinals (not all had made it to Rome at the time), who are to vote in the conclave. Naomi said that it wasn’t until she sat down that she realised it was a mourning mass for Pope Francis and the cardinals.

“We thought for sure it would be reserved and not open to the public, but we asked and they said anyone was welcome to attend,” Naomi said. “Earlier we had a tour of the Vatican museums, which was supposed to include the Sistine chapel but of course it is closed off for conclave. Because of this, our tour of the Basilica was later than originally planned so I couldn’t help but think that it was meant to be that we were there at the right time for this special mass.” 

Naomi said the mass was a moving experience and that as she watched the cardinals walk down the aisle in their red robes and white hats, “I had tears of joy in my eyes”.

“I felt excited but also incredibly calm and at peace,” she said. “The choir was singing and the sound in the church was euphoric. I was in shock to be honest and kept thinking ‘Is this actually happening?’. To think we shared mass with the acting Pope and potentially the new Pope was so exciting.

“The mass was calm but a lot of people were there including the media so there was a lot happening. Mass was in Italian so it was hard to follow along but we joined in where we could. We were just so happy to be there to be a part of history and to be able to show our respect for the late Pope Francis with the cardinals, in the most beautiful church I’ve ever seen.”

When Naomi’s family first arrived in Rome on the afternoon of the Pope’s funeral, they sensed a buzz in the city as many pilgrims, priests, nuns and members of the public paid their respects. 

“We saw some members of the public deep in prayer and mourning and others happy and excited for the upcoming conclave,” Naomi said. “Our tour guide said the mood of the Vatican was hyping up since the conclave was announced to start [7 May]. 

“Our tour guide works for the Vatican and she said she was a friend of the Pope and he was the most down to earth Pope she’d ever known. We also went to the Basilica of St Mary Major, where Pope Francis has been laid to rest to pay our respects and celebrate his life and achievements for the Catholic Church, it was a very special experience.”