Cardinals Agree On New Pope
The Pope is the catholic bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of
the Roman Catholic Church and the eastern catholic churches. Catholics worldwide consider each pope to be the successor of Saint Peter who was, according to tradition, first bishop of Rome and thus the first pope. Early bishops of Rome were designated "vicar (representative) of Peter"; later Popes were designated "vicar of Christ", a telling change. In addition to this spiritual role, the Pope also serves as head of state of the independent, sovereign state of the Vatican City, entirely surrounded by the city of Rome. The cardinals swore a secrecy oath more than two hours after the 115 cardinals withdrew in to strict seclusion. Black smoke emerged from a chimney on the Sistine chapel signaling that the first vote had been in conclusive. There is common within the churches, and for years they have been trying to find way of showing amore united face about how does the cardinals gave a new pope.
Before voting, the cardinals began the conclave with a solemn procession into the Sistine Chapel. They walked slowly in pairs as a choir chanted the Litany of Saints, passing through a pair of Swiss guards in full regalia. The cardinals gather to vote for a new pope. Four ballots will be held each day, and the ballot papers are burned after every second vote in a stove inside the Sistine chapel. Chemicals are added to colour the smoke ”black smoke” signals failure to agree on a candidate, while white smoke means a new pope has been chosen. This time the white smoke will be accompanied by the ringing of the bells. The first wisps of smoke appeared from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel against a darkening sky. There were screams from the huge crowd and people began to applaud wildly its white, its white black. Then, the smoke started to look a little grey. The roars of delight were replaced by a buzz of confusion. In the crowd, delight turned to disappointment, and the absence of Vatican bells confirmed our suspicions. The first ballot of the 2005 conclave had been indecisive. No white smoke, no pope.
Finally, on 19 April 2005, white smokes come out of the chimney declaring announcement to the people who is the new one. The current pope is Benedict XVI, who was elected on 19 APRIL 2005. He succeeds the late john Paul II, who was elected at the age of 58 in 1978. Pope Benedict XVI is the second non-Italian to be elected to the pontificate since Adrian VI, who was briefly pope in 1522-23, and is also the first German to take the seat since the eleventh century.
by:Awni Najim.