March 8, 2013 -- Updated 2253 GMT (0653 HKT)
The Vatican announced Friday that the secret election, or conclave, for a
new pope will begin Tuesday. This year brings a rare twist: For the
first time in 600 years, a pope has resigned. How will it all work? EXPLORE
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PROCESS STARTS TUESDAY
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WILL HE BE ONE OF THESE MEN?most are spread out worldwide running dioceses or archdioceses.
Vatican workmen scale the roof of the Sistine Chapel, as they install
the chimney which will release the black or white smoke that signifies
whether a new pope has been elected. FULL STORY
March 9, 2013 -- Updated 2323 GMT (0723 HKT)
Members of the Vatican Fire Brigade install the chimney on the top of the Sistine chapel which will emit smoke.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Vatican: The papal ring and seal belonging to Benedict XVI have now been destroyed
- A chimney is installed on the roof of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City
- Once the conclave starts, it will release smoke that signals whether a new pope is elected
- The 115 cardinal-electors will vote for the first time on Tuesday afternoon
The chimney is the first
publicly visible sign of the preparations going on inside the chapel,
which is where the Roman Catholic cardinals will gather on Tuesday for
the start of the conclave -- the secret papal election.
Footage released by the
Vatican has shown the installation of two stoves inside the chapel. One
is used to burn the cardinals' ballots after they are cast and the other
to send up the smoke signal.
If no one has won, a
chemical is added to make the smoke black. This lets people waiting in
St. Peter's Square below -- and the people watching on TV around the
world -- know what is happening.
Photos: Pope Benedict XVI's last day
Vatican's men-only policy
Church's history of saints and sinners
Inside the conclave: How it works
White smoke means a new pope has been chosen.
If the smoke is released
after dark, a spotlight will be trained on the chimney so that it can
still be seen, Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said
Saturday.
The stove will be tested
before the conclave to make sure it can produce smoke, Lombardi said,
but privately, so as not to cause too much excitement.
The cardinals met Saturday morning for the latest in a series of sessions known as General Congregations.
These are open to all the
cardinals, not just those aged under 80, and are an important part of
the preparations for the election.
As well as getting to
know their counterparts from around the world, the cardinals discuss the
major issues facing the church, including its handling of allegations
of child sex abuse by priests and a scandal over leaks from the Vatican
last year that revealed claims of corruption, as well as the church's
future direction.
The final General
Congregation will take place on Monday, the Vatican said. More than 130
cardinals have already spoken at the meetings.
Once the conclave
starts, the 115 cardinal-electors can't leave Vatican City until the
process is done and aren't allowed to speak with anyone outside of the
conclave.
They stay in a Vatican
hotel, Casa Santa Marta, for the duration and, in line with tradition,
drew lots for their rooms during Saturday's meeting.
'Praying a lot'
The cardinal-electors
will move into Santa Marta first thing on Tuesday, the Vatican said.
They will then attend a special morning Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.
The first vote will be
held that afternoon, with subsequent ballots cast over the following
days until one of the contenders gains the two-thirds majority that
means he is elected head of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.
The longest conclave held since the turn of the 20th century lasted five days.
The Sistine Chapel,
whose famous ceiling was painted by Renaissance artist Michelangelo, has
been closed to tourists while the preparations for the conclave are
made.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan
of New York, one of about a dozen leading candidates to become pope,
wrote in a blog post Friday that he misses New York after 10 days and is
sorry he won't be there on St. Patrick's Day.
"We cardinals sure are praying a lot," he said.
Contrary to media
reports, he said, the focus of the cardinals' meetings is much the same
as it was two millenia ago, namely: "How most effectively to present the
Person, message, and invitation of Jesus to a world that, while
searching for salvation and eternal truth, are also at times doubting,
skeptical, too busy, or frustrated."
This means discussions
on such subjects as preaching, teaching the faith, care of the poor and
sick, and support for the church's clergy and the families that make up
their congregations, Dolan said.
"Those are the 'big
issues.' 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!" he
wrote.
Ring destroyed
Meanwhile, the Italian
press is full of speculation about which cardinal may win enough support
from his counterparts to be elected, and what regional alliances are
being formed.
The United States has 11 of the 115 votes, making it the second largest national bloc after Italy.
Lombardi, the Vatican
spokesman, said Saturday that the symbolic Fisherman's Ring and the seal
that Benedict XVI used as pope have been scratched to render them
invalid.
Three other symbols of
Benedict XVI's papacy were destroyed in the same way, he said. The next
pope will get a new Fisherman's Ring and seal with his own name on it
after he is elected.
Benedict XVI resigned 10 days ago, becoming the first pontiff to do so in six centuries.
CNN's Dan Rivers and Richard Allen Greene
reported from Rome and Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London. Hada Messia in
Rome contributed to this report.
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