Local church goers pray for cardinals, new pope

BROOKLINE, Mass. (WHDH) -- In Massachusetts and all across the world Catholics are praying for the new pope. Special Masses are being held as cardinals elect a new leader.

At 12 p.m. service at St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Brookline had older parishioners and fresh young faces from the school in attendance on Tuesday.

They sang and prayed for Cardinal Sean O’Malley and more than a hundred of his colleagues who are choosing the next pope.

“Our teacher Ms. Gray told us that when the new pope is elected there would be white smoke,” said Edwin Stautz, a third grader at St. Mary’s school.

“I would want him to be kind, caring, brave, intelligent,” said Ava Curran, a third grader at St. Mary’s school.

People at the church are excited by the buzz at the Vatican, which show O’Malley on a short list of men being considered to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

The pastor at St. Mary’s noted a certain holiday, named for a beloved saint, is coming up.

“The perfect holiday ending, if you will, would be on St. Patrick’s Day if they have white smoke and…Sean Patrick O’Malley,” said Father Brian Clary of St. Mary’s of the Assumption Church.