Habemus Papam! (We have a pope!)
Here's the news article from MSNBC (because I'm lazy):
BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 12:56 p.m. ET April 19, 2005VATICAN CITY - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, a longtime guardian of doctrinal orthodoxy, was elected Tuesday by his peers to lead the church after the death of Pope John Paul II, the Vatican announced.
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Ratzinger, 78, chose the name Pope Benedict XVI.
Bells ringing from the Vatican earlier confirmed that cardinals had reached a decision and that, along with white smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney, caused crowds in St. Peter's Square to chant, “Viva il Papa!” or “Long live the pope!”
The square quickly filled up as thousands of people began streaming in as word of the decision spread.
The new pope was to appear shortly on the main balcony overlooking the square to deliver his first public address.
The conclave of 115 cardinals lasted for two days, and no conclave in the past century had lasted more than five days. The election that made John Paul II pope in October 1978 took eight ballots over three days.
'Powerful' moment
“It’s very powerful to be in the place where St. Peter was martyred and to pray to the Lord for a worthy successor,” said Brother Mateo Lethimonier, 30, a monk from Argentina in a light blue robe and sandals who was among those on the square before the decision was announced.
APTN
He said he was praying for the cardinals to find “the one who loves Jesus most, the one who represents the church best.”
On Monday evening, black smoke that initially looked light enough to throw even Vatican Radio analysts off-guard poured from the chimney, disappointing a crowd of 40,000 pilgrims anxious for a sign that the cardinals had settled on a successor. That first puff followed the conclave’s initial vote.
“We thought it was white. Then it went black. I had a feeling of exhilaration followed by disappointment,” said Harold Reeves, a 35-year-old theology student from Washington, D.C.
There was similar confusion following a first smoke signal on Tuesday. Even the second signal was confusing at first, looking black and white at times before the decision was confirmed by the bells.
The smoke is part of a church tradition for electing a pope. White means a decision after a round of balloting, black means no clear decision.
Challenges ahead
A quick decision in the first round of voting on Monday would have been a surprise. The cardinals have a staggering range of issues to juggle as they choose the first new pope of the 21st century - fallout from priest sex-abuse scandals, chronic shortages of priests and nuns, as well as calls for sharper activism against poverty and easing the ban on condoms to help combat AIDS.
The next pontiff also must maintain the global ministry of John Paul, who took 104 international trips in his more than 26-year papacy.
“Keep praying for the new pope,” said 82-year-old Cardinal Luis Aponte Martinez of Puerto Rico, who was too old to join the conclave, open only to cardinals under 80 years old.
It was the first time in more than a generation that crowds had stared at the chimney for the famous smoke and word of a new pope. In that time, the church has been pulled in two directions: a spiritual renaissance under John Paul, but battered by scandals and a flock pressing for less rigid teachings.
BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 12:56 p.m. ET April 19, 2005VATICAN CITY - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, a longtime guardian of doctrinal orthodoxy, was elected Tuesday by his peers to lead the church after the death of Pope John Paul II, the Vatican announced.
advertisement
Ratzinger, 78, chose the name Pope Benedict XVI.
Bells ringing from the Vatican earlier confirmed that cardinals had reached a decision and that, along with white smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney, caused crowds in St. Peter's Square to chant, “Viva il Papa!” or “Long live the pope!”
The square quickly filled up as thousands of people began streaming in as word of the decision spread.
The new pope was to appear shortly on the main balcony overlooking the square to deliver his first public address.
The conclave of 115 cardinals lasted for two days, and no conclave in the past century had lasted more than five days. The election that made John Paul II pope in October 1978 took eight ballots over three days.
'Powerful' moment
“It’s very powerful to be in the place where St. Peter was martyred and to pray to the Lord for a worthy successor,” said Brother Mateo Lethimonier, 30, a monk from Argentina in a light blue robe and sandals who was among those on the square before the decision was announced.
APTN
He said he was praying for the cardinals to find “the one who loves Jesus most, the one who represents the church best.”
On Monday evening, black smoke that initially looked light enough to throw even Vatican Radio analysts off-guard poured from the chimney, disappointing a crowd of 40,000 pilgrims anxious for a sign that the cardinals had settled on a successor. That first puff followed the conclave’s initial vote.
“We thought it was white. Then it went black. I had a feeling of exhilaration followed by disappointment,” said Harold Reeves, a 35-year-old theology student from Washington, D.C.
There was similar confusion following a first smoke signal on Tuesday. Even the second signal was confusing at first, looking black and white at times before the decision was confirmed by the bells.
The smoke is part of a church tradition for electing a pope. White means a decision after a round of balloting, black means no clear decision.
Challenges ahead
A quick decision in the first round of voting on Monday would have been a surprise. The cardinals have a staggering range of issues to juggle as they choose the first new pope of the 21st century - fallout from priest sex-abuse scandals, chronic shortages of priests and nuns, as well as calls for sharper activism against poverty and easing the ban on condoms to help combat AIDS.
The next pontiff also must maintain the global ministry of John Paul, who took 104 international trips in his more than 26-year papacy.
“Keep praying for the new pope,” said 82-year-old Cardinal Luis Aponte Martinez of Puerto Rico, who was too old to join the conclave, open only to cardinals under 80 years old.
It was the first time in more than a generation that crowds had stared at the chimney for the famous smoke and word of a new pope. In that time, the church has been pulled in two directions: a spiritual renaissance under John Paul, but battered by scandals and a flock pressing for less rigid teachings.