From the moment he took the oath of secrecy nearly one week ago until his landing back in the Windy City, it's been quite the whirlwind for Chicago's archbishop.
"It dawned on me that, here we're 133 people in this room, the Sistine Chapel, and we know something the whole world doesn't know and is waiting to find out. There is quite the high there," Cupich said.
It was a high like no other, except maybe that moment on the balcony of the Vatican, when he, along with many of his peers, stood alongside the newly elected Pope Leo XIV.
"One of the cardinals pushed me up to the front, said, 'you need to go up to the front.' And here, you saw this enormous crowd in the piazza, and it was spectacular. I knew I would never have this experience again in my lifetime," Cupich said.
It was the experience of not only electing a new pope, but a fellow American: a fellow Chicagoan.
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"The man I know is a Chicagoan, even though he's been away for so long. He's been shaped by this," Cupich said.
Cupich said that while Pope Leo, is, as everyone now knows, also a naturalized Peruvian, Chicago should be proud of the man who is now at the head of the Holy See.
"He represents all the good qualities of people in Chicago. He's a hard worker. His faith and his family mean a great deal to him. He's a person of real authenticity. There is no sham there at all. What you see is what you get. And that's much like the people in Chicago," Cupich said.
It is those qualities Cupich believes will make Pope Leo XIV a good pope for all Catholics, but also one who now has the opportunity to strengthen the American Catholic Church. A local celebration is now being planned, as soon as the logistics can be figured out.
"He's going to be a new fresh voice for us as Americans to hear the gospel. We really want to make it an opportunity for the city to come together to celebrate, not only the election of the pope, but who we are," Cupich said.
Pope Leo will likely remain in Rome for now, as he gets a handle on his new job, but it is certainly Cupich's hope that any future visit to the United States will include a stop in Chicago, as well.