General Chat

More black smoke.....so still no pope! eh that rymes! c x

Yes, Claire. from the net: Black smoke has appeared from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, indicating Roman Catholic cardinals have not yet elected a new pope. The smoke came after a morning session of voting, on the second day of the process known as a conclave. The 115 cardinals are shut off from the outside until they choose a successor to John Paul II, who died on 2 April. Up to four ballots are held each day, and the ballot papers are burned in a stove after every second vote. 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 of St Peter's Basilica. The black smoke appeared just before noon (1000 GMT) after a morning session of two votes. The BBC's Peter Gould in Rome reports there was some confusion among those gathered in St Peter's Square, as the smoke at first appeared white or light grey. Then, as the bells of the Basilica began chiming at noon, more smoke started to emerge from the chimney, leading many people to think that a Pope had been elected. After a couple of minutes of total confusion, the smoke gradually turned black. Further smoke - either black or white - is expected at 1900 (1700 GMT). But, if a new pope is elected in the first vote of the afternoon session, the white smoke could come earlier.

i heard they are chosing a new pope on tv! the new series of 'pope idol' is on saturday nights! lol! Disclaimer: i am catholic myself and no offence is intended to any religious people. please do not take offence, if you do i will gladly delete my foolish message. paul..

LOL Paul, I'm not catholic so don't take any offence... there again, not easliy offended anyway! c x

Paul - I ain't what some people think of as ''religious'', and I don't take offence. .... :-) Bob - from the net (BBC News online): After a few days, the cardinals can agree to take a break, if it is proving difficult to reach the required two-thirds majority. In 1996, John Paul II introduced changes that allow the election of a pope by a simple majority after about 30 unsuccessful ballots. What happens when a pope is chosen? When the cardinals reach their decision, each will lower a purple canopy over his chair, except for the elected pope. The final ballot papers are then burned, with the white smoke signalling a decision. Who will succeed as pope? Factfile: Catholics worldwide This time, the decision will also be signalled by the tolling of the bells of St Peter's Basilica, in case the smoke comes out grey (as it has sometimes in the past). The Senior Deacon of the College of Cardinals, Jorge Cardinal Medina Estevez from Chile, asks the pope-elect if he accepts the decision and then steps out onto the balcony of the Vatican to shout: 'Habemus Papam' ('We have a Pope!'). The new pope chooses the name by which he wishes to be called, dons his new robes and steps on to the balcony himself. Where is the next pope likely to come from? For 455 years before the election of Pope John Paul II, all popes had been Italian. One of the big questions now is whether Italy will get the papacy back. Many Vatican watchers are doubtful, if only because the number of Italian cardinals has declined in recent years. Much more likely, they believe, is that the next pope will be from the developing world - and most likely from Latin America, whose cardinals now form a powerful voting bloc. Nearly half of the world's baptised Catholics live in the Americas, and more live in Brazil than in any other country in the world. There is also a chance that an African pope could emerge from the conclave. Only 10 popes have been non-European and the last of these lived in the 8th Century. Two hundred and 11 popes have been Italian, about 86% of the total.

Thanks for keeping me updated Joy! Cheers c x

One thing puzzles me (well actually there's a lot of things about the Roman Catholic faith that puzzle me but I'll stick to the theme of this thread) - if the yet to be elected pope is pre-ordained by God how come the message doesn't get through to the cardinals on the first round of voting ?

ooooh, possible sighting of white smoke!!!! c x