(LIVE THREAD) The Papal Conclave, Interregnum, Cardinals, Conclave Facts, Prayer and other links

EWTN.com ^ | 04-16-05 | EWTN.com

[e5man_r_u?]

"As I said, personal experience helped bring me to this position. Having been targeted for "missionary outreach" by fundamentalists on several occasions, I came away unimpressed, to say the least.:

I have had many similar experiences.

Also unreconstructed!

[onyx]

All this talk of smoke...
makes my mind wander. I
think I'll go do some chores. :)

[Romish_Papist]

Yup, there it is, now I'm caught up. Thanks. LOL.

[BigSkyFreeper]

LOL!!! :)

[TC Rider]

Someone just emailed me this..Imagine if the new Pope comes out on the balcony, gives his blessing, and in the new era of vatican openness, a reporter asks him.."Father, you've just been elected Pope, what are your going to do now?"..and the Pope replies..."I'm going to Disneyworld"

So long as he's not going on Gay Days...

[Norman Bates]

I happen to agree with your sentiments.

It seems no matter who is elected Pope, he will be scorned by either the ultras or the liberals or possibly both. Take what Cardinal Arinze has been noted above as saying. He seems to understand that an ecumenism and inter-faith dialogue that is peaceful and non-threatening in spirit (i.e. Christian), especially with Islam, is important. Such dialogues over time could have the immensely important effect of pulling the rug out from under militant Islamism.

Lastly, the notion that salvation cannot exist outside of the tiny confines of the ultras' minds has already been addressed by John Paul II and is a valid teaching. Those of goodwill saved are in fact part of the Church without formally joining. They are Christ's bretheren without knowing such.

Cardinal Arinze is a holy and wise pastor and I am glad John Paul II handed such men the red hats.

[Remole]

The key event will be the change in numbers for Ratzinger from the first to the second ballot tomorrow a.m. If Ratzinger moves up from, say 45 to 55, I'd put his election as pretty certain (but it might create an "anyone but Ratzinger" movement). But if Ratzinger moves down from 45 to 30, then his election is certainly out of the question and he becomes, as predicted, one of the Pope makers. Of course, we will not know about any of this at all, unless some cardinal in there wishes to bring excommunication upon his head.

[Ciexyz]

No pope today. Better luck tomorrow!

[Remole]

Regarding the noon and 7 pm (local Rome time) signals: The cardinals agreed that the public should EXPECT smoke at those times AT A MINIMUM. Those are the times when the second of two ballots are done (2 ballots in morning, 2 in afternoon). But it is entirely possible that the first balloting of the morning or afternoon will result in an election, and so in that case white smoke will billow at, roughly, 10 am or 5 pm local time. So, to sum up:

10 am: white smoke only if election; noon: white smoke or black smoke, but there'll be some kind of smoke; 5 pm: white smoke if election; 7 pm: white smoke or black smoke.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

At least for people like me, who are in Mountain time, I get to wake up to the first two votes of the day already done...and maybe even a new pope...takes a lot of stress about feeling I have to watch and wait off....I think the first vote of the day is around 2 am my time.

[The Inspector]

How about Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin. He could take the name Patrick I. Imagine his first visit back to Ireland after being elected Pope.

[JohnnyZ]

10 am: white smoke only if election; noon: white smoke or black smoke, but there'll be some kind of smoke; 5 pm: white smoke if election; 7 pm: white smoke or black smoke.

Wouldn't there still be black smoke for every vote that doesn't result in a new Pope? They gotta burn the ballots each time.

[onyx]

That's what we've always heard: the first vote is sentiment. I share your exact views regarding Cardinal Ratzinger, which is why I made the 3rd ballot guess, and a guess it is, nothing more. :)

[Remole]

No--if ballots 1 and 2 in the morning result in no election, both sets are burned at the same time. Ditto for both ballots in the afternoon.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

If it's all no votes, they only burn them at noon and 7...even though there will be 4 votes during the day.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I wouldn't be surprised if whoever gets chosen gets picked between the 3rd and 8th ballot.

[JohnnyZ]

How about Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin.

True that. He's got experience inside and outside the Vatican.

I wonder, though, how difficult it would be to elect a non-Cardinal these days? who some of the Cardinal electors may have never met?

[onyx]

LOL!

[Mo1]

What the heck? Are they burning a tire down there? That's a lot of smoke.

If I recall .. didn't the Vatican mention in one of their presser that the color of the smoke would be clear enough so that the media wouldn't be confused :0)

[Mo1]

If the smoke is black you must come back.

LOL!