NSU Student Just Misses Selection Of New Pope

A Northern State University student just missed the selection of the new pope.

Cardinals selected Pope Francis Wednesday. Conner Mattern was in Rome last week for spring break.

The second year accounting major just missed a couple historic moments. The former pope stepped down a few days before he got there. Cardinals picked a new one right after he left.

"Well I guess the whole trip was kind of history in the making," Mattern said.

Mattern had hoped the Cardinals would pick a new pope while he was in Rome. He knew it would be a long shot but was still praying for it.

"There were rumors spreading around that they'd make it. But when we got there, it just wasn't in the cards," Mattern said.

Mattern says the city wasn't very crowded when he was there, but conversations with those in his group and others they met often had a common topic.

"We talked about the current thing we were at, current church we were at, then, ‘ok what about the conclave,’" Mattern said.

Mattern was very happy with the trip and things he did get to witness. He saw some of the Cardinals as they made their way to the Vatican City. In fact, a lot of things the world is seeing on TV or in the papers now, he saw in person, even if it wasn't at the exact time cardinals picked a pope.

"It just kind of all hit me at once that not everyone can see all this kind of stuff. It was definitely very eye opening," Mattern said.

Even though Mattern saw some Cardinals, the new pope wasn't one of them. Since not everyone can say they were in Rome when there wasn't a pope, that's the history Mattern is claiming.