Behind the Scenes at The Conclave in Rome with my Husband

Aransas Savas: [: 00:00:00

Sharing about a really [00:00:30] extraordinary adventure He went on last week. Him? Yes, I said him. It's my dear sweet husband Andy Savas the man who lifts me up every day. Who brings my life immeasurable [00:00:45] joy. He also happens to be a 13 time Emmy-winning producer, WABC television in New York City. He is been there for over 20 years doing all sorts of exciting and interesting work with all [00:01:00] sorts of exciting and interesting people, and every once in a while.

ime they called him overseas [: 00:01:15

[00:01:30] And so we're throwing the whole format up in the air this week. And bringing Andy on to share his story. Andy, thank you so much for joining me from downstairs. It

Andy Savas: was really hard to get here.

k to when you got this call. [: 00:01:45

Is that even a phrase? I dunno.

ically knew nothing, Francis.[: 00:02:00

And that very soon after that, they were going to announce the conclave and then vote for his successor. So it's this kind of dichotomy. You've got this sad passing of this very revered [00:02:15] leader, but you also have this traditional process to find the next leader of the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. So we had sent a crew over to cover the, [00:02:30] and then soon after.

Joe has already covered two [: 00:02:45

And not only that, uh, found out that my good friend, former roommate Brian White, was gonna be our photographer editor.

y, and then you guys left on [: 00:03:15

Andy Savas: Yeah.

In fact, we even [: 00:03:30

Aransas Savas: I wanna hear about all the differences about everybody, but let's just take this step by step here. Yeah. So [00:03:45] you guys didn't know how long you were going for, right?

ne past three years. I mean, [: 00:04:00

All we knew is the date that it started, and after that it's [00:04:15] anybody's guess.

you could have been gone for [: 00:04:30

I mean, you're just gonna like, I'm gonna throw as much as I can into a suitcase. You just sort of made your best guesses and got on a plane without really much time to think about it.

Andy Savas: Yeah, it [: 00:04:45

That normally wouldn't be a big deal, except we knew that we, our time was ticking, like we knew that [00:05:00] right off the gate we had, we were gonna be running as soon as we got there. This was already cutting into our time. So we took off on Monday, May 5th, arrived in Rome on Tuesday, May 6th, and ran to the hotel, [00:05:15] dropped off our bags, put the gear into another cap, and zoomed off to what's called the, um, the College of North American Cardinals.

we were expected to talk to [: 00:05:30

This is a beautiful campus. It's on one of like the seven Hills overlooking Vatican City. So it's the high and you just up taken away[00:06:00]

out walks Cardinal Dolan and [: 00:06:15

We were [00:06:30] trying to press him if he had any, anybody in mind.

interesting. The other thing [: 00:06:45

Just like you can see in the movie Conclave, the voting takes a long time. Each cardinal writes down on a slip of paper, who do they want? And they walk up to these three guys. They're sitting [00:07:15] in front and they say a prayer and they say. This is my vote and they drop it in and then they walk back. And we're not talking like spry young guys.

so there's a lot of downtime [: 00:07:30

So he was reading that [00:07:45] in between. Also, they're each keeping a scorecard. They're writing down a tally. They're checking off, okay, this guy got this many votes, this guy got this votes, but it's all very mechanical. There's nothing ized about [00:08:00] it. So we finished the interview with him. And then it was jump into taxi, run off to Vatican City because now we've gotta find our live location.

C network. They set up three [: 00:08:15

And then went live from there, and that was the end of Tuesday. So it was just like right away, there was just no time to eat. [00:08:45] I didn't eat for three days. It was all just kind of like, just going on. It was so intense. One, keep in mind. Rome is six hours ahead [00:09:00] of New York time, so I kept my watch on Eastern time and my phone was, was glued to the, uh, to Rome time so I could keep track because we had to make deadline for the shows in New York.

It was [: 00:09:15

So there's a five hit, a 5:30 AM hit a 6:00 AM a 6:30 AM. [00:09:45] Each time we had to present something different for Joe to say. So we had all these facts coming in fast and furious. We had access to the AP wires, but also a, B, C News is like rifling off emails like left and right because they have a [00:10:00] whole team just pumping out information.

er at doing that. I mean, it [: 00:10:15

Like he had been writing this down for years [00:10:30] and really had just been doing it the few

Aransas Savas: minutes before. What were you seeing throughout the day? Yeah, that was feeding you guys inspiration about what to report on.

the, the main thing that was [: 00:10:45

Peter's Cathedral and the people were just out there and there's just so many, so our, our trick was trying to find people from the United States to [00:11:00] talk to us English speakers, kind of have to lose your inhibitions and just kind of go, who's American? You start looking for people with Yankees hats. And Mets hats because you, there's a good shot that they are, are people [00:11:15] from New York and you're just going, who can speak English, who's American, because while the conclave is going on, there's also a jubilee for the church.

he United States. So we were [: 00:11:30

It's amazing that you do mind going live, you know, or or [00:11:45] talking to us on take for New York City, usually they would say yes on Wednesday, May 7th. That's when the cardinals are gathered into the Sistine Chapel. There's an elaborate ceremony and basically one of the [00:12:00] church officials goes. Out and he says that in Latin, right?

out and then they close the [: 00:12:15

So about 4, 5 [00:12:30] 45 Roman time. So then you start waiting. So we're out in St. Peter Square waiting for like signs of, and as we're waiting, the crowd is just gathered and gathered. And the eerie thing about that was it [00:12:45] was thousands and thousands of people, right. Like it was like when thousands of people like that are at at a football game, it's thunderous.

le there because everybody's [: 00:13:00

They're, they're just getting a feel of where everybody's at. So everybody's thinking black smoke, but there was no smoke. And it's getting later and it's getting later. [00:13:30] This gets the, this comes. So when the smoke happens, it's actually two rounds of voting or possibly two rounds of voting. If they choose a pop, then it can be on the first [00:13:45] round of voting.

her round vote and after two [: 00:14:00

And then if there's, if the pope has not been elected, they put a special chemical in and [00:14:15] that emits the black smoke. Hmm. So it's really two votes already, but it was going late and late and late returning to each other we're like, this is very odd. It.[00:14:30]

g that. The smoke comes off, [: 00:14:45

And.

rdinate with the people back [: 00:15:00

Morning again. Basically, by the time we were done with everything, we got back to the hotel. It's 2:00 AM 2:30 [00:15:30] AM time I hit the bed, I woke up it, it was like instantaneous. It was already time to get up. Wolf down some breakfast and again, back to Vatican City for the, uh, for live. That [00:15:45] morning, the next round of smoke came very quickly.

unds of voting happened. So. [: 00:16:00

Aransas Savas: knows what's happening in the inside.

Yeah, no idea. So you have to just make it up basically. Like in theory it could be this.

e just going on your hunches [: 00:16:15

Is somebody's game, maybe they're, maybe they've [00:16:30] decided, turn around, do a live shot for the noon show and we're talking about the black smoke that we had just, you know, seen just minutes earlier and we're talking about how after that smoke, they had broken for lunch. So we just [00:16:45] finished our live report.

It's: 1207

You know, like when they first burn the ballots and it's usually gray and it's just when I'm like, no, no, that's white smoke. That's white. [00:17:15] It kept coming, coming and coming, and it was really.

ywhere just flooded. They're [: 00:17:30

Aransas Savas: Wow. [00:17:45] That had to have been electric and they didn't even know who it was. Right? They were just excited that somebody had been named.

, so you have no idea who it [: 00:18:00

I mean, it's like once in a generation that this happens [00:18:15] and there's a rush. Just a rush. So now the white smoke comes on. Joe and Brian immediately had to get ready for network because A, b, C network immediately went into what we call special coverage. They just went, they took over. [00:18:30] So they're broadcasting.

I just start going into the [: 00:18:45

Capturing the, like this moment and I'm going back and forth to the riser so I can get that video feed it because we had a wifi signal back at the [00:19:00] platform. So I have to run down, run back, feed my video where we had wifi, get that video and, and, and those still pictures back and then run back and get some more.

know what's an American Pope.[: 00:19:15

Andy Savas: Just so though, because. Not only are the bells ringing right and the people searching, but then all of a sudden this pomp in circumstance begins, these bands all dressed up in this regal attire. [00:19:30] They start playing with their musical instruments and they're the long horn, you know, they're marching down and the soldiers are marching down and it's just waves of like pump and circumstance comes just adding to this atmosphere, right.[00:19:45]

he words. Hey, miss Pop guy, [: 00:20:00

Right? But you still dunno who it's, so then he goes behind and you're, and you're just anticipating. [00:20:15] He's building and building and people are cheering. There's crowds of people are waving different flags of, uh, their countries, you know, will.

ey're singing, like at times [: 00:20:30

The Pope comes out like the new guy, Pope comes forward and you [00:20:45] don't know who he is for an instant, right? He comes forward. Every camera is like zoomed in on his face, right? So within nanoseconds. It is blasting and your phone, who he is because they're [00:21:00] doing facial recognition technology, right? And they're instantly saying It's Cardinal Robert Francis Privo from, from Chicago.

hing it and seeing this man. [: 00:21:15

Yeah. And then he comes out and he starts speaking. I thought it was Latin, but I.

at his face and you're just [: 00:21:45

[00:22:00] See his face, how. It's almost like he couldn't believe it, but there he is. And the people are just going wild. Just wild.

tered, oh, it's an American, [: 00:22:15

Andy Savas: So, I mean, honestly it was not overwhelming. So you could sense in the crowd that there was definitely a roar when [00:22:30] he came to the balcony.

And then it kind of came down a bit, and I think it was as people understood that this was a person from the United States, it definitely muted the reaction it was, you could tell.

avas: So you think there was [: 00:22:45

Andy Savas: Yeah, I do. I think there was disappointment and uncertainty with this and surprise, I mean, because nobody expected a person from the United States really to be elected.

know that he's from Chicago [: 00:23:00

We instantly were in overdrive at that point. I had a laptop on a riser and I had my keyboard set up, but it was like my [00:23:30] back to like the, it was like I was standing over it hunched over, just like And you

Aransas Savas: were writing the pieces? Writing a piece? Yeah. And then you had your iPad that was showing you what was on the screens at the station.

Right.

Andy Savas: Right. [: 00:23:45

It was definitely a [00:24:15] we. That the, the American Cardinals were gonna hold a news conference back at that college that we had done the first day. So Cardinal Dolan. Cardinal [00:24:30] Tobin from Newark. Amongst this group, they were gonna speak, so we had to talk to them because they were just coming from the conclave and now one of their own.

But that [: 00:24:45

So I was like, okay, we gotta turn around, sound quickly. But then right after the news conference, [00:25:15] Cardinal Dolan made himself available. So we like one-on-one with Cardinal Dolan again. So then that happened. Even I was the scramble to get on Furious.[00:25:30]

ast, which it did. It looked [: 00:25:45

You know, they [00:26:00] talked about, everybody kind of went in with a, kind of an idea who they wanted, but they knew that they had to reach a consensus. And these were people from around the world. They only had days to get to know each other. Um, they only had days to, to figure out [00:26:15] where each person was at and could they sway votes and could they advocate on someone's behalf and had language barriers, barriers.

nce. I mean, yes, they had a [: 00:26:30

I like him. Yeah, well, maybe you should consider this person. It was these little gatherings that they had [00:27:00] in between the voting that that's when they really kind of made their decisions. Fascinating it. So it sounds just like the movie. It is just like in that part it's just like the movie that they really talk [00:27:15] to each other and they really like lunch was when they broke for lunch.

hey came on stage. These are [: 00:27:30

And they came across really down to earth guys [00:27:45] and relieved. Relieved that this awesome weight was over and that they had made this decision. And you could sense this kind of like. Man, was that something? And some of them were like, I'm, I would not.[00:28:00]

raordinary how down earth it [: 00:28:15

Aransas Savas: How beautiful. So if you were producing this [00:28:30] episode, what would you say we needed to make sure we got across?

a part of it. And I, I don't [: 00:28:45

It was really amazing to behold the fact that this is a, a tradition that's been going on for [00:29:00] centuries and they still pretty much do the same thing, and that was really amazing to see history unfolding right in

o happy you got to be there. [: 00:29:15

So what was the best thing you ate?

noli and in the spirit of my [: 00:29:30

Aransas Savas: they were shocked. You limited yourself to one gelato one day since they were on a three gelato a day diet.

While we were there,

I and Joe's Fran, we have a [: 00:29:45

Amazing. I definitely wanna go back to enjoying more of

Aransas Savas: food. Yeah. I'll be with you this time.

Andy Savas: [: 00:30:00

Aransas Savas: I'm so proud of you, honey. I'm so glad that you got to have this experience and so grateful that you shared it with all of us. It's, as you said, it's just such a historic occasion and it's so [00:30:15] exciting and special to get to hear it firsthand from you, and we're.

Andy Savas: Glad to.

with you guys. I missed you [: 00:30:30

Of course. [00:30:45]

Aransas Savas: I hope you'll come back on the Uplifters podcast too, and next time we'll talk about all the other beautiful things you do in life beyond your work. I always felt like there was gonna be an Andy Saba episode of the Uplifters podcast. Yeah. I just didn't know it was gonna be this one first, right?

Andy Savas: [: 00:31:00

Aransas Savas: I love you.

Andy Savas: I love you too.

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Toss a star in her for be around best love for relish in a new prime land, a tree in [00:32:00] springtime dance. With that hindsight, bring the sun to twilight. Lift you up. Whoa.

Lift you up.[: 00:32:15

Lift you up. Whoa. Lift you up.

Lift you up.[: 00:32:30

Lift you

lift.

Um, [: 00:32:45