As I came out of my house one afternoon, so did a neighbor come out of his, three houses away. When he saw me, he turned toward me and to my astonishment called out “Habemus Papam.” These words, meaning “We have a Pope,” astounded me.

 First, I could not recall hearing Latin spoken on our short street before that day.  And, more surprisingly, the neighbor who spoke them is Jewish.  He did graduate from a Jesuit university, a fact that may have stirred feelings about the new pope, a Jesuit.

 By using the unexpected phrase, my neighbor made me feel new solidarity with him.