Holy smoke! Denver man to rally faithful when white appears

By Nissa LaPoint

A Denver man is rallying fellow Catholics at home and abroad to celebrate together once a new pope is elected.

When white smoke emerges from the Sistine Chapel in Rome, signaling to the world that a pope has been elected, OneBillionStories.com president Seth DeMoor is urging people to take to the streets with banners, song and joyful words to show their support for the pontiff.

“We want the world to see the joy Catholics have for supporting the new pope,” said DeMoor, a professional video producer and founder of the nonprofit, in an interview with the Denver Catholic Register.

The day the pope is elected, the Denver rally will be held 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. outside the state Capitol along the sidewalk of Lincoln Street and East Colfax Avenue. If a large crowd gathers, the rally will move at 5 p.m. to the Marian Garden at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, 1530 Logan St. in Denver, only blocks from the Capitol. Mass will then be celebrated at 5:30 p.m.

In the event that white smoke appears at or after 4:30 p.m., the rally will be held the following day.

The appearance of white smoke from the chimney of the conclave room is a tradition of papal elections. Cardinals will conduct a secret ballot until someone receives a two-thirds majority. The ballots are burned creating black smoke. Once there is a consensus, white smoke appears from the chimney, telling the outside world a pope has been selected.

DeMoor hopes rallies will take place in cities across the Untied States and into the public square to show support for the pope and the Church’s teachings.

At the Denver rally, faithful are invited to bring signs, pictures of the new pope, musical instruments, Vatican flags and face paint.

Follow news about the rally by following the Twitter hash tag #rallyforthe pope. Visit www.rallyforthepope.com for more information and participating cities.