Aransas Savas: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Uplifters Podcast. I'm Aransas Savas, and every week I bring you the story of an inspiring woman and her game [00:00:15] changing journey, whether it's in life or in business, and oftentimes both. This week, I'm doing none of those things. Instead, I'm bringing you my favorite human on the entire planet.
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.
He gets an assignment to travel for work. The past few times it's been to produce the Oscars, but this time they called him overseas [00:01:15] to Rome to cover the conclave, and we got so many questions from folks about that experience and about what it was like to be in this historic moment while it was happening.
[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.
Aransas Savas: Take us back to when you got this call. [00:01:45] What did you know about the conclave? What did you know about like pap processes?
Is that even a phrase? I dunno.
Andy Savas: I basically 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.
And our station decided to send a different reporter over Joe Torres over. Joe has already covered two [00:02:45] Conclaves. This would be his third. So obviously that spans a long time. It's not like a presidential election that happens every four years. This is only gonna book dies. So they were sending him and then soon after that, I.[00:03:00]
And not only that, uh, found out that my good friend, former roommate Brian White, was gonna be our photographer editor.
Aransas Savas: And that all happened on Saturday or Sunday, and then you guys left on [00:03:15] Monday. And so it was like a really quick turnaround. So we did the most important thing, which was research and watched the movie Conclave.
Andy Savas: Yeah.
In fact, we even [00:03:30] produced a piece on the fact verse fiction of the movie and what the reality was because so many people had watched conclave.
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?
Andy Savas: Yeah. One of the interesting things is that you know when it starts, but you don't know when it ends. In the past, there's been conclaves that have gone past three years. I mean, [00:04:00] modern conclaves have traditionally been shorter, but you really don't know. I mean, it's, it's not up to us, it's up to the, the electors, uh, it's up to the cardinals that are sequestered.
All we knew is the date that it started, and after that it's [00:04:15] anybody's guess.
Aransas Savas: Wow. Yeah, we made jokes in the house about our kids are freshmen and juniors trying to make it back before they finish college. 'cause you really didn't know what would happen here. I mean, you could have been gone for [00:04:30] two days, or you could have been gone for weeks or months for that matter.
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] was very quick. We got on the plane on Monday and right off the bat we ran into issues. The flight was delayed.
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.
It's on the edge of Vatican City. And that's where we were expected to talk to [00:05:30] Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York. And by all accounts, he's kind of like a big deal. We know he's a big deal in New York, but even on the international setting, he's gained a lot of respect. So [00:05:45] we ran up to the College of North American Cardinals.
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]
at, but building instantly, you're just blown away by the history. This great city and. Then out walks Cardinal Dolan and [00:06:15] just this jovial giant of a man who knows everybody and he knows Joe. He's putting his arm around Joe. And he said, Joe, how the kids, and you know, just talking. So we got some really great insight about going into the conclave.
We were [00:06:30] trying to press him if he had any, anybody in mind.
Did tell us, had two or three people on his shortlist. Now that was interesting. The other thing [00:06:45] he talked about was, so when the cardinals go in and they're sequestered, there's not much to do. Their phones are taken away, their computers, any kind of electronic. Linked to the outside world is taken away because they [00:07:00] don't want them to be influenced by anything going on.
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.
I mean, these are like, a lot of them are up there in age, so there's a lot of downtime [00:07:30] and there's 133 Cardinals that have to vote. Wow. So that's a long time, this process. So he was telling us that he had, you know, a book that he would keep with him, like what book were you? And he brought the bi of Michelangelo.
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.
So we worked with a, b, C network. They set up three [00:08:15] spots within Vatican City, one right in St. Peter Square, one kind of back. And then they had set up inside a building that overlook Peter Square. So we checked out each location. We ran into one of the, the, [00:08:30] the buildings and started crafting a piece for the news that night based on our, our interview with, with Cardinal Dolan.
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] dizzying. Just trying to remember. Okay, it's 11 o'clock at night, but it's the six o'clock show that we're on back in New York. Went back to the hotel, grabbed a few hours of sleep. We had fairly soon because [00:09:30] we had to set up for the morning show that begins at four 30 the morning. And keep in mind that we were live several times from the show.
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.
So it's constantly checking your phone and then trying to funnel that information into something concise and clear that Joe. He's a master at doing that. I mean, it [00:10:15] was incredible to watch how he operates, but he's able to take that information and then memorize it, keep it in his head, and each hit so clearly and professionally.
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.
Andy Savas: So really the, the main thing that was [00:10:45] inspiring was the people in St. Peter Square. So there's this massive area in front of St.
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.
So there's all these pilgrims from across the world and a lot of them are coming from the United States. So we were [00:11:30] lucky in that. Able, we were able to interview them. So it was a good, steady stream of people from the United States that we could talk to, but it was just calling it out to try to, you talk to them and you just, oh my gosh.
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?
And that's the kind of sign that everybody's, that is not a cardinal or the limited amount of people that can be inside the Sistine are, have to get out and then they close the [00:12:15] doors and there's just kind of this moment where just hear and then that's it. You don't know exactly what's going on. That happened about 11:45 AM on Wednesday.
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.
It was like so quiet despite all those people there because everybody's [00:13:00] just reverend and hushed and listening and waiting and it was just so bizarre. So. We anticipated smoke on that night, and 99% of everybody's like, it's gonna be black smoke on the first night. Because you're [00:13:15] basically thinking they're gonna take like a preliminary vote, right?
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.
If they have 89 votes, I think was the, the, the amount needed to put them over the top, fine, they, they'll do the white smoke, but if they don't reach the consensus, then, then take another round vote and after two [00:14:00] votes, that's when. They tear up the votes, they put 'em into the chimney and they burn them.
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]
And then the black smoke came, and it's definitely black, like you can tell. So there's a camera that is situated, zoomed in on the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. So everybody's watching that. The smoke comes off, [00:14:45] and then once it was black, the crowd kind of just swooshes out because that's it, that's done.
And.
Coordinate with the people back [00:15:00] in New York to see if we can get video turned around and then go live again. Because that point is three eastern. We have to be ready. Our first show is, is at four o'clock Eastern time, so we don't have much time. It's big rush again. There was, um, some [00:15:15] 45,000 people in Peter Square we're going live.
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.
So we surprised because we were like, wow, you know, they took their time and the first one, I wonder if it's gonna go long. It happened very quick. So another two rounds of voting happened. So. [00:16:00] What does that mean? What does that tell you? I mean, you, you're starting to play games, right? And nobody
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.
Andy Savas: Yeah. You're just going on your hunches [00:16:15] because I think Pope Francis and Pope Benedict. We're elected on, I think the either the fourth round or the fifth round. So now we're getting up there. You're on round four already, so we're like, okay, so what does that mean?
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 and my photographer Brian goes, he goes, I see smoke. We're like, oh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I see the smoke. They've got huge jumbo trons [00:17:00] showing this closeup of the smoke. And I look at the smoke and I go, Ooh, that's white smoke. I think that's white smoke. They're like, no, no, no. Wait. It could be gray.
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.
The bells start shining, ding, ding, ding. And then I'm telling you, people from everywhere just flooded. They're [00:17:30] running down the streets and pouring into. It's just this massive of people from, and they're so excited taking pictures and snapping selfies, and they're shouting. They screaming and scream, pouring into the square.
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.
Andy Savas: Yeah, you have no idea who it was. You just know that they decided on a boat, so you have no idea who it [00:18:00] is. You talk about electric, I'm telling you like you can't help but be swept up and the emotion of the moment, because people are so joyous.
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.
They're like, okay, it's white smoke. See the new Pope, you know, soon, you know it's gonna happen. So while they're up on a fixed position on this riser, my iPhone. I just start going into the [00:18:45] crowd I used to start videotaping with, with an iPhone, just like the rush of people running through the script and I start running with them, right?
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.
Aransas Savas: And by this time we still don't 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]
So eventually about an hour after the white smoke, the dean of the Cardinals comes out from the balcony of St. Peter's. Basilica comes out this balcony and he says the words. Hey, miss Pop guy, [00:20:00] butchered the Latin. I'm sure. Hey, hey Miss Popham, we have a pope. And everybody goes nuts and cheers and they're like, it's really happening.
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.
The Philippines, and then they're singing, like at times [00:20:30] they were singing songs. It sounded like being in a football game.
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.
And they're zapping at you front. So it's coming through on your phone and you're seeing it and watching it and seeing this man. [00:21:15] And it's taking you just, your brain doesn't accept it. Like he's an American. They elected an American from the United States and it's just, you can't believe it. 'cause most people expected it to be anybody but from the United States.[00:21:30]
Yeah. And then he comes out and he starts speaking. I thought it was Latin, but I.
And you're like, this guy's really an American. I mean, because it was fluent and you're looking at his face and you're just [00:21:45] seeing this person who is in the most extraordinary moments, uh, the world has, when he has become the leader of this great religion of all these people. The words just don't do it justice.
[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.
Aransas Savas: Wow. And so then once it, you guys registered, oh, it's an American, [00:22:15] what was the sentiment like on the ground?
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.
Aransas Savas: So you think there was [00:22:45] disappointment?
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.
Then it comes out, you know that he's from Chicago [00:23:00] and so we had been working very closely with the reporter team from Chicago, Liz Na, from WLS. We instantaneously were like, okay, so we gotta ask like not only are you Americans, but like, are you from [00:23:15] Chicago? Because we wanted, because now they've got hometown pride.
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] We were able to set up a wifi signal so that I could tap into my work computer back home in New York, and able to see video and everything and hear sound. But really it was just kind of like, you're in this open air. You know, like I'm on a set [00:24:00] of risers with people going live like all around me, and I'm just trying to listen and, and type away and.
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] meant we were up, uh, at our location. That meant that we had to go live from there, do the run, run of morning shows, break down, grab all of our equipment, sling it over our shoulders, and haul it over to our car race, off [00:25:00] to the college set up again. So between 10 and 11. They came out and spoke, and I knew that just online, our noon show is coming.
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]
Yeah, story. We've never turned around and stuff, but like communicating with our producers and writers back in New York and just trying to organize everything to make it look seamless at the top of the new newscast, which it did. It looked [00:25:45] great. Very interesting news concept with these cardinals because they took us inside the.
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.
Lots of things. They just all coming in at once. I mean, yes, they had a [00:26:30] common cause, so that was great and a common theology, but all walks of life and different people and. I moment, this moment, and to reach a consensus, it's no small feat, but Cardinal [00:26:45] Tobin was telling us it was the little breaks, like when people would go to coffee, they would kind of like, Hey, so you know, what do you think of this guy?
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.
Like that was not just about eating. That was a lot about kind of schmoozing and wheeling and the other thing, Irans, that was really cool when they came on stage. These are [00:27:30] men who are elevated, right? They're the cardinal.
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]
But just, yeah, just extraordinary how down earth it [00:28:15] could be. That could be guys seriously could be having a beer with at that point. And yet they had just performed this incredible traditional ritual and elected this new leader.
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?
Andy Savas: I would say just as somebody who is not Catholic, I certainly gained a huge appreciation for the religion to be able to behold that to be a part of it. And I, I don't [00:28:45] think that that's a feeling that anybody could really take lightly. Like the fact that it, it kind of, you get caught up in it and you appreciate it.
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
Aransas Savas: front of you. Truly, truly amazing. I'm so happy you got to be there. [00:29:15] We can't really have a conversation about Italy without you talking about food for at least one minute.
So what was the best thing you ate?
Andy Savas: We did get one day where we gotta run through Rome with no, no responsibilities. So I made sure I had a great cannoli and in the spirit of my [00:29:30] daughters I had, uh, gelato,
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,
Andy Savas: we were able to have like a Joe Torres. I and Joe's Fran, we have a [00:29:45] nice Italian meal, some amazing pasta and.
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] Thank goodness
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.
Glad with you guys. I missed you [00:30:30] all so much and just really every time I was like, oh, I really wish you all could been there with me, because I think, I think you would've all gotten just as much out it as I did and to take in Rome, it would've been so much more incredible to have you all there with me.
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] Yeah, I didn't, I would be happy to come back anytime you want me as a guest. Thank you.
Aransas Savas: I love you.
Andy Savas: I love you too.
Aransas Savas: Thank you for listening to the Uplifters podcast. If you're getting a boost from these episodes, please share [00:31:15] them with the Uplifters in your life and then join us in conversation over@theuplifterspodcast.com.
Head over to Spotify, apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast and like follow and [00:31:30] rate our show. It'll really help us connect with more uplifters and it'll ensure you never miss one of these beautiful stories. Mmm.
Music: Big love painted water, sunshine [00:31:45] with rosemary. And I'm dwelling the perplexing. No, you find it flexing.
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] beautiful. I cried. It's that little thing you did with your voice, right? In the pre-course, right? Uh, Uhhuh. I was like, mommy, stop quiet. Mommy. [00:33:00] Stop crying. You're disturbing the peace.