Election for new Pope to begin on Tuesday
9 March BBC
Roman Catholic cardinals will begin electing a new pope on 12 March,
the Vatican has announced after 115 cardinals gathered for talks.Pope
Benedict XVI stepped down last month after nearly eight years in office,
becoming the first pontiff to resign in 600 years.
The 85-year-old blamed his failing health for his inability to carry
on.Under the rules of the secret ballot, or conclave, cardinals will
vote until one achieves a two-thirds majority.Correspondents say no one
candidate stands out as Benedict XVI's likely successor.The vote will be
preceded by Mass on Tuesday morning, with the first ballot due in the
afternoon, the Vatican press office said.
Vatican staff have been preparing the Sistine Chapel, where the
conclave will take place, installing the two stoves that will produce
white smoke from burnt ballot papers when a new pope is elected.
The last election in 2005 took three days, and correspondents say the
number of meetings this time is being seen as a reflection of the many
challenges facing the Church.Despite the vows of secrecy, Italian
newspapers have been publishing what they say are leaked details of
debate among cardinals on problems faced by the Church.Reform of the
Vatican's bureaucracy known as the Curia - and the Vatican bank have
both been on the agenda, the reports say.Last year, European regulators
said the bank was not doing enough to combat money laundering, while
intrigue in the Vatican was revealed by documents leaked by Pope
Benedict's butler.
US Cardinal Timothy Dolan wrote on a blog that most of the
discussions covered preaching and teaching the Catholic faith, tending
to Catholic schools and hospitals, protecting families and the unborn,
and supporting and recruiting priests.Those are the ‘big issues’,” he
wrote.“You may find that hard to believe, since the ‘word on the street’
is that all we talk about is corruption in the Vatican, sexual abuse,
money. Do these topics come up? Yes! Do they dominate? No!”During
Benedict's reign the Catholic Church was wracked by a worldwide scandal
over the sexual abuse of children by priests.There are also tensions
between traditionalists and reformers over issues including priestly
celibacy, gay rights and the role of women. |