Vatican Says Conclave to Elect New Pope Will Begin Tuesday

[onehandle]

Last edited Fri Mar 8, 2013, 01:55 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: New York Times

VATICAN CITY — The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church have settled on Tuesday for the start of the papal election.

For days, speculation has been feverish about when they would begin their conclave, the secret balloting to choose a new pope. They made their decision shortly after beginning the latest of their regular meetings, at 5 p.m. local time, with the news transmitted by an e-mail from the Vatican press office.

So on Tuesday afternoon, the princes of the church will file into the Sistine Chapel and begin secret, anonymous balloting for a successor to Benedict XVI, who set the transition in motion by resigning the papacy on Feb. 28, the first pope to do so in nearly 600 years.

Since Monday, the cardinals have been gathering daily in a Vatican auditorium for meetings prescribed by the rules governing papal transitions. A few more than 100 of the 150 or so cardinals present have given short speeches about the state of the church and what is needed in the next pope, a subtle form of politicking and auditioning. Another session was scheduled for Saturday.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/09/world/europe/cardinals-conclave-pope.html

[Swede Atlanta]

1. Tuesday?

Are they so worn out from Sunday's pomp and circumstance they need Monday to recover? Or do they need to have their gowns pressed and their testes shaved?

Or do they need Monday to be sure they send their concubines and male escorts away?

These guys are less than believable. No wonder rational people consider the Roman Catholic Church a joke.

[jsr]

2. Well, they do have to take long naps