Though sad to see their Bavarian Pope leave office, the Catholics in Munich are all very excited about the new Papst Franziskus. I went back to Alter Peter to see if they have move the crown back to its proper place and was surprised to see that they had not yet done it! Since the church is dedicated to St. Peter and he was the first Pope, it is custom to remove this triple crown (the work of the Munich goldsmith Johann Michael Ernst, from the 1720's) when no Pope is in office and to put it back once a new Pope is elected.
Today all the main churches flew the Papal flag from up high - a very unusual site in Munich! It seems like Bavarians are also excited about a Pope from the "New World" and all the firsts he brings. Most everyone, it seems, is excited about a new chapter in church history and are looking for some bold modernization.
The news coverage ran for hours and the newspapers all had to be reprinted last night. Tomorrow's paper comes out the night before - around 6:00 PM and that point there was still no Pope.