The news was broken to Wellington's Catholics during morning mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

A messenger entered the chapel and handed a piece of paper with Cardinal Bergoglio's name to Archbishop John Dew.

Archbishop Dew, the leader of the Catholic Church in New Zealand, said he met the new pope at a synod in 2005.

"I believe he is very well liked and much respected in Argentina," he said.

"It is a good sign someone from Latin America [has been elected].'

Archbishop Dew said his chosen pontifical name, Francis, suggested he retained his commitment to social justice, following the example of St Francis of Assisi.

Mass attendee Jenny Gordon said the pope's choice of name was striking and the election of an Argentinian was a sign of change.

She immediately thought of St Francis and his fight for social justice when she heard the news, she said.

"He is someone from outside the established pattern. It's fitting that Pope Benedict changed the pattern by his resignation, to bring in new ideas and think differently." Continue reading

Image: DomPost

You know that the duty of the conclave was to provide Rome with a bishop.

It looks as if my brothers the cardinals went to fetch him from the end of the world! I'd like to thank you for your welcome.

The people of Rome: thank you!

I'd like to pray for Benedict XVI. Let's pray altogether for him so that the Madonna can look after him." [Then Pope Francis said the Lord's Prayer, followed by the Hail Mary.]

Glory to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

And now let's start working together, walking together, in the Church of Rome.

This is the path of brotherhood and trust.

Let's pray for each other because of the great brotherhood of the world.

I pray the path will be fruitful for this beautiful city.

Now I will bless you. But I'd like to ask you a favour, for your prayer to bless me as your bishop. Let's pray silently, your prayer for me.

I am going to bless you all and the entire world - all the men and women of good will. (He blesses the people.)

I'm going to leave you now. Good night, and I wish you peace.

- The first words of Jorge Mario Bergolio: Pope Francis

The last time cardinals in a conclave did not choose one of their members was in 1378 when they voted for the archbishop of Bari, Italy, who became Pope Urban VI.

The following is what should happen as soon as a candidate receives at least two-thirds — 77 — of the votes and is elected the 266th successor of St. Peter.

If he is not the one elected, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the top-ranking cardinal elector, will ask the chosen cardinal, "Do you accept your canonical election as supreme pontiff?"

The ritual handbook for the conclave and election gives no formula for the candidate's response and gives no instruction for what would happen if the person declined.

Instead, it says, "as soon as he receives the consent," the top-ranking cardinal elector asks, "With what name do you want to be called?"

The master of papal liturgical ceremonies, Msgr. Guido Marini, a notary and two aides serving as witnesses draw up an official statement of the election and the name.

If the chosen candidate is not in the room, the top-ranking cardinal calls a top official in the Vatican Secretariat of State, Archbishop Giovanni Becciu, who "with great caution" and without letting the news leak, must get the new pope to the Vatican.

If the candidate chosen is not yet a bishop, he is immediately ordained.

Only after the candidate accepts his election and is ordained, if necessary, the ballots are burned with chemicals to produce white smoke and announce to the world a successful election, said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman.

The bells of St. Peter's Basilica will begin to peal, television and radio stations will broadcast the news, Twitter feeds and other social networks will pass the word, and tens of thousands of people in Rome will run to St. Peter's Square.

The new pope goes into the so-called "Room of Tears," a small room attached to the Sistine Chapel, and dresses in a white cassock and other papal vestments.

Then there is a brief prayer ceremony in the Sistine Chapel with the cardinal electors. The ceremony includes the reading of the words of Jesus to Peter either from the Gospel of Matthew — "You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church" — or from the Gospel of John, "Feed my sheep."

Each of the cardinals present in the Sistine Chapel comes up to the new pope, paying him homage and promising him obedience, then they sing together the "Te Deum" hymn of thanksgiving to God.

If he is not the one chosen, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the top-ranking cardinal deacon, will go to the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and announce the election to the crowds in St. Peter's Square.

But before stepping out onto the balcony, Father Lombardi said, the new pope will stop in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace to pray briefly before the Blessed Sacrament.

Cardinal Tauran, or the top-ranking cardinal deacon after him, goes out onto the balcony and tells the crowd, "I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope ('Habemus papam')," saying the name of the one chosen and announcing the name by which he will be called.

The new pope then comes out onto the balcony and gives his first blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world) and usually gives a short speech.

For the crowds in St. Peter's Square and for those watching on television or listening on the radio, devoutly following the new pope's blessing carries a plenary indulgence, Father Lombardi said. He did not say if the indulgence applies to Twitter followers.

Sources

• CNS
• Image: BBC

A day before the beginning of the conclave at the Vatican March 11, Reuters photographer Dylan Martinez tested a 1200-1700mm super-telephoto zoom lens, that lets photographers take detailed 'up close' photos some 130 metres away.

Martinez, in St Peter's Square, has his camera and telephoto lens trained on the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica where a new pope will appear after his election.

Cardinals held final discussions on Tuesday, NZ and Pacific time and there still appears to be no front-runner.

@papalsmokestack reported on Twitter, that in light of their being no firm favourite, a rumour swirling around Rome is that the Cardinals may enter the Conclave but not actually take the first vote until Wednesday night, NZ and Pacific time.

In his letter to New York priests, Cardinal Timothy Dolan expressed a hope of having a pope by Friday (NZ time).

Sources

• Nikon
• Reuters
• Twitter @papalsmokestack

Several Italian newspapers have reported that the U.S. cardinals had been resisting pressure from Italian cardinals to convene the conclave right away. The Italians have more votes and more visibility, so a quick vote is thought to favor them.

Two broad factions appear to be the Romans and the reformers. On one side are mostly Italian insiders, whom some newspapers refer to here as the "feudal lords" of the Vatican. They're eager to protect their fiefdoms and have reportedly drafted a Brazilian as their front man: the Archbishop of Sao Paolo, Cardinal Odilo Scherer.

"The Roman Curia seems to like him," said John Thavis, author of "The Vatican Diaries."

"Basically, that seems to be the argument against him for the reformers."

The reformers — reportedly led by the U.S. delegation — essentially want a new sheriff in town to clean the place up, possibly even an American. The Vatican has been so fraught with scandal in recent years that the Italian media are all but cheering them on. Continue reading

Allen's models are:

• Let's get it over with
• The anti-establishment vote, or
• The 'third world' hypothesis

Let's get it over with

This model brings together those wanting to have the new pope installed by Holy Week, and not wanting to project an image of disunity.

For this person to be elected, Cardinals could simply note who seems to have the strongest support on the early ballots and then jump on the bandwagon.

This hypothesis assumes that most cardinals would be reasonably satisfied with any of the early leaders including Cardinals Scola, Ouellet, Scherer and Sandri.

The anti-establishment vote

This scenario gathers those cardinals who want to challenge the old guard in the Vatican and installing a new way of doing business.

The Roman Curia theoretically has 38 cardinals but it is unlikely they will act as a group.

The anti-establishment vote could unite moderates in the College of Cardinals and cardinals from the developing world who wonder if the powers that be in Rome understand their local situation.

But Allen says it's difficult to identify a candidate who is in a position to deliver real reform, however should such a figure emerges, there's a fairly clear path to 77 votes for that man.

The Third World hypothesis

This model presumes there's a solid pocket of voters in the College of Cardinals who would like to elect a pope from outside the West.

However while this sentiment exists, there does not appear to be a single clear canditate.

Allen suggest that if there were, he might have the position largely sown up.

However, Allen writes, should a consensus candidate from Latin America emerge before Tuesday afternoon, one can presume he'd draw most of the votes from his own cardinals (19), Africa (11), and Asia (10), which already brings him to 40, which he could get from some European moderates and the anti-establishment group.

Source

• Corriere Della Sera

"The eighth General Congregation of the College of Cardinals has decided that the Conclave will begin on Tuesday, 12 March 2013," Father Federico Lombardi said in a message to reporters.

The Vatican had told reporters the 'conclave message' would arrive at 7pm Rome time, however it arrived an hour earlier.

Lombardi also explained that the earliest the Conclave could reasonably be expected to begin would be the start of the coming work week.

The cardinals were able to choose an earlier date than was previously allowed under Church regulations because Benedict XVI issued a motu proprio to make that possible, Lombardi explained.

Cardinals will continue their General Congregations meetings on Saturday and Monday, likely taking them to a total of 12 General Congregations meetings.

In 2005 when Joseph Ratzinger was the leading papal front-runner, cardinals took 15 General Congregations before deciding to go into Conclave.

Cardinals in Conclave

On Tuesday morning, voting begins with the MassPro Eligendo Pontifice (for the Election of the Roman Pontiff). It is concelebrated by all the cardinals in St Peter's Basilica.

Later, Tuesday afternoon, the cardinal electors will gather in the Pauline Chapel and following the oath taken by each voter, the traditional "Extra omnes" - "Everybody out" - is sounded.

At this point the Sistine chapel's doors are locked, and the first ballot is taken.

Cardinals need to reach a two-thirds majority to choose a new Pope, which means 77 votes will be necessary for one candidate before white smoke will be seen coming out of the Sistine Chapel chimney.

After three days if they have been unable to make a decision the process is halted for a day of talks and reflection.

Sources

• CNA
• Vatican Radio
• Image Italy Mag

70% say Pope Benedict XVI and the Vatican have done a poor job of handling sexual abuse, a significant rise from three years ago.

US Catholics say that their church and bishops are out of touch, and that the next pope should lead the church in a more modern direction on issues like birth control and ordaining women and married men as priests, according to the Poll.

A strong majority said the issue had led them to question the Vatican's authority. The sexual abuse of children by priests is the largest problem facing the church, Catholics in the poll said.

Three-fourths of those polled said they thought it was a good idea for Benedict to resign.

Most wanted the next pope to be "someone younger, with new ideas." A majority said they wanted the next pope to make the church's teachings more liberal.

With cardinals now in Rome preparing to elect Benedict's successor, the poll indicated that the church's hierarchy had lost the confidence and allegiance of many U.S. Catholics, an intensification of a long-term trend.

They like their priests and nuns, but many feel that the bishops and cardinals do not understand their lives.

"I don't think they are in the trenches with people," said Therese Spender, 51, a homemaker in Fort Wayne, Ind., who said she attended Mass once a week and agreed to answer further questions after the poll. "They go to a lot of meetings, but they are not out in the street."

Even Catholics who frequently attend Mass said they were not following the bishops' lead on issues that the church had recently invested much energy, money and credibility in fighting — artificial birth control and same-sex marriage. Continue reading

Image: SF Gate

At Wednesday's general congregations meetings, Cardinals' focussed their attention on common themes and issues they think a new pope will need to take notice of.

Lombadi told media that speakers at Wednesday's general congregations focussed the meeting's attention on,

• the Church in the world,
• the needs of New Evangelisation,
• the Vatican and its organisation and
• the Vatican's relations with local churches and bishops.

Discussion on these topics helps to make the new pope's profile more clear, he said.

Lombardi confirmed that so far there have been at total of 51 interventions, and due to the large number of Cardinals wanting to talk, that Cardinals have been asked to limit their speeches to 5 minutes.

However, Lombardi added, a Cardinal could speak longer should he wish; the microphone would not be switched off.

Suggesting there is considerable interest in setting the agenda for electing the new pope, Lombardi also noted the Cardinals reversing their previous decision to meet only in the mornings and have now decided to meet both mornings and afternoons.

Sources

• Vatican Radio
• Image: John Harvis

The survey - conducted from February 18-28 - attracted 2,300 responses, with the majority (72 percent) from Asia. More than three quarters identified sexual abuse and how Church authorities respond to it as the most important challenge facing the Church and the new pope.

A close second was conflict in the Church in Europe and the United States, which 66 percent of respondents identified as either the highest or second highest priority for the new papal administration.

Other issues of concern included unifying the Church, a more practical ecumenical approach and a more pastoral response to divorcees.

There was no clear consensus in response to Pope Benedict XVI's resignation, with the largest group of respondents expressing "shock", while others described their response as "sad," "sorry," and "puzzled."

Several respondents expressed admiration for the courage it took for Pope Benedict to step down.

Perhaps most significant were responses on whether or not Benedict's resignation will establish a precedent.

Almost two-thirds of respondents said that future popes' tenures should be limited, either for a fixed term (23 percent) or up to a retirement age of 75 years old (42 percent). The remainder thought it should be a lifetime commitment.

More than 58 percent of respondents identified unity in the Church as the Vatican's top priority, while the offering of a more pastoral approach to divorcees and the empowerment of bishops' conferences were both named as high priorities.

There were criticisms that, in the last 30 years, the Vatican has not addressed the care of the divorced and remarried, despite many requests from bishops' conferences to do so.

It was also mentioned that, during the same period, some national and regional bishops' conferences have claimed that the Vatican has downplayed their influence and significance.

The survey also gave strong indications of Asia's growing interest in having greater influence in the Vatican in proportion to its dynamic growth in recent years.

Nearly 79 percent of respondents said the next pope should come from outside Europe, with 45 percent saying the next pope should come from an Asian country.

The prospects of an Asian pope seem unlikely, with only nine of the voting cardinals from Asia among the 114 that will attend the conclave - five from India and one each from China, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. A tenth, from Indonesia, has announced that he will not attend the conclave.

In contrast, 28 of the voting cardinals come from Italy alone.

Originally appeared in ucanews.com

As Emeritus Pope Benedict begins his retirement, the Sunday Times reported some cardinals are beginning to have doubts about Benedict's decision.

The Sunday Times says these cardinals believe Benedict's resignation has destabilised the Church and undermined the sacredness of the papal office.

The unnamed cardinal told Corriere della Sera that it is impossible to abolish the rule that a pope had the right to resign of his own free will, "But for the future we need to safeguard the freedom of the church from external influences," he said.

The cardinal said some feel concern that a pope could be pressured into stepping down.

Source

• The Sunday Times

Timing is important because Holy Week begins March 24, with Easter Sunday March 31. To have a new pope in place for the church's most solemn liturgical period, the chosen candidate would need to be installed by Sunday, March 17.

The decision itself may also be drawn out as cardinals struggle to overcome deep divisions and rivalries over who is best placed to get a grip on the Vatican and move the church forward from an era of scandal and intrigue.

"My sense is this could go on a while," said NBC News' Vatican expert, George Weigel.

"There's no clear front-runner. There is also a serious concern at the way in which the bureaucracy is operating amid all of this. It could be a very contentious conclave."

Church officials could be forgiven for being nervous: The longest papal election in history dragged on for two years and three months, lasting so long that three cardinals died and a fourth resigned before a decision was reached, in 1271.

The most recent conclave, in 2005, lasted only 24 hours - not least because the death of Pope John Paul II was not unexpected and cardinals had been positioning to take over for many years.

In contrast, Benedict's decision to abdicate appears to have taken most of the Catholic hierarchy by surprise.

Rev. Thomas Reese, author of "Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church," said, "I don't expect them to take more than three days. Last time it went over five days was in 1831."

The Rev. Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, told the Catholic News Service on Wednesday that it is possible the world's cardinals will not begin meeting at the Vatican until Monday, and a conclave start date cannot be set until they have met.

Lombardi said Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, will send out letters Friday formally informing the world's cardinals that the papacy is vacant and calling them to meet at the Vatican.

Many Vatican insiders believe the timing now points to a conclave starting Monday, March 11.

Sources:

• NBC
• Image: EuroNews

You can vote below for who you think would move on to the next round in each matchup. First-round voting closes at midnight Eastern on Friday (March 1). Vote: Click here

As part of his 'motu proprio' (at his own initiative) released on February 25, Pope Benedict outlined the penalty for such and infraction is automatic excommunication.

With his 'motu proprio' the Holy Father wanted to make things immediate clear and not leave the matter to his successor, Archbishop Celata of the Holy See press office said.

Under the prior rules, any such person who violated the pact of secrecy was subject to punishment at the discretion of the new pope.

Two lay technicians will also be at the Papal Conclave.

The lay technicians' task is to assist the officers of the College of Cardinals, assuring that no audio-visual equipment for recording or transmitting has been installed by anyone in the restricted areas, and particularly in the Sistine Chapel itself, where the acts of election are carried out.

Excommunication is a grave punishment for Catholics and represents the "principal and severest censure that deprives the guilty Christian of all participation in the Church.

It is the most serious penalty the Church can inflict.

Sources

• CNA
• IB Times

Two distinguished ecclesiastic outfitters are vying to make the ivory-white tunics that the new head of the Roman Catholic Church will wear as he preaches to his flock around the world.

The historic tailor's shop Gammarelli, near the Pantheon, which has dressed the Roman curia since 1798, is up against the upstart Euroclero, picked by Benedict himself.

The Vatican insisted that, despite claims, the pontiff was "not dressed by Prada but by Christ". But the bookish German-born theologian did take a close interest in clothes, unlike his predecessor.

Benedict, a diehard traditionalist, has been accused by Church progressives of "turning back the clock" on the papal wardrobe.

He is apt to sport an extra-tall bejewelled mitre in the 19th-century style. He revived the mozzetta, a waist-length cape, and the red velvet fur-trimmed cap known as the camauro, which had fallen out of fashion since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. But he also raised eyebrows by wearing sunglasses.

For the 800th anniversary of the conversion of St Francis in 2007, he dressed in a costume by the fashion house Gattinoni, by stylist Guillermo Mariotto. That year Esquire magazine saluted his combination of an "ornate papal habit" with red shoes by naming him the "Accessoriser of the Year".

Benedict, however, leaves a legacy of sartorial discord that sets the scene for a battle of the new Pope's wardrobe. Continue reading

"I leave the College of Cardinals the possibility to bring forward the start of the conclave once all cardinals are present, or push the beginning of the election back by a few days should there be serious reasons," the pope said.

The conclave is traditionally held between 15 and 20 days after a pope dies.

The Pope's February 25 "motu proprio," a decree written on his own initiative, means that the cardinals will no longer have to wait 15 days to elect the new pope.

"The modification also provides that the conclave must begin no more than 20 days after the beginning of the sede vacante, even if all the electors are not present," said Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata of the Holy See's press office.

The exact date when the voting will begin remains unknown until the cardinals hold their initial general meetings, according to the Holy See's press office director, Fr Federico Lombardi.

Lombardi also said that the cardinals may not announce the date of the conclave until after they meet a second time.

Source CNA

Communications Director, Fr Federico Lombardi SJ, confirmed the possibility that the Pope was considering such a move.

The current law governs the norm when a pontiff dies, however by Benedict's retirement has raised new issues.

The main item to be addressed is the conclave's timing.

John Paul II's "Universi Dominici Gregis" established that it should not be sooner than 15 days after the death of the Pope, but the case of an abdication with advanced notice was not foreseen. There are also housekeeping items such as securing the Pope's belongings and other points of procedure, reports CNA.

Most of the cardinals who do not live in Rome will only begin arriving three days before Benedict resigns on February 28.

Before the conclave begins, the cardinals will hold a series of General Congregations, at which they will take up any administrative items, discuss the needs of the Church and talk about who can best respond to those needs as the next Pope.

Source: CNA

"If in the past, the so-called powers, i.e., States, exerted pressures on the election of the Pope, today there is an attempt to do this through public opinion," read a statement from the Vatican Secretariat of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

"It is deplorable that as we draw closer to the time of the beginning of the Conclave and the Cardinal electors will be held in conscience and before God, to freely indicate their choice, that there be a widespread distribution of often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories, that cause serious damage to persons and institutions," the statement said.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi dismissed the newspaper articles as "gossip, disinformation and sometimes calumny" the reports, which are linked to an investigation by a committee of cardinals last year over a series of damaging leaks of confidential papal documents.

The stories in question have focused on individual cardinals linked to sex-abuse scandals, but the major headache comes from claims that Benedict's resignation is linked to a special dossier prepared by a trio of cardinals appointed by the pope last year to investigate the papal letter-leaking scandal known as Vatileaks.

The left-leaning daily la Repubblica asserted that the cardinals' report revealed how laymen had blackmailed Vatican officials to whom they had links of a "worldly nature."

I found the comment intriguing. It was factually counter-intuitive because Catholics I knew were prepared to bet on anything, even the chances of an echidna making it across a highway.

Certainly most Catholics would have regarded betting on the papal election as in bad taste. This was family, so betting on the Pope would be like running a book on whom your sister would marry.

But to call it blasphemy is a large claim. It implies that the Spirit alone rides the winner past the post, that all the form the runners have previously shown and all their training are irrelevant, and that the Holy Spirit inspires only those who are on the winner, not those on losing mounts.

It is true some Catholics take this approach to statements by popes and councils, arguing that the Spirit inspires their decisions and acts only through those who favour them. The minority who have reservations about their wisdom are deprived of the Spirit, except when they come to accept the majority decision. The Spirit continues to inspire Church leaders to state authoritatively the meaning of Council texts and define their historical context.

This approach does affirm the Christian belief that the Holy Spirit works within the Church, including through the bishops and Pope. But it effectively puts the Spirit at the disposal of the Church teachers, who can write their slate of winners for the Spirit to sign off on.

Reflection on the lived experience of Catholics suggests the Spirit works in the Church and in all the relationships that make up the daily life of the Church, including those between teachers and hearers. The relationships also include casual and more formal conversations between Catholics about faith, the debates between Catholics of different views, in the response to Church discipline and statements as well as in the making of statements.

So in papal elections the Spirit will be in all the prayers, conversations, cabals, persuasion, self-effacement and self-promotion that are part of any human election, and will be with each of the candidates before and after.

The fact that the Spirit works through so many broadly political human activities suggests that it would be theoretically possible to run an informed book on the papal election without insulting the Spirit. Continue reading

- Michael Mullins is editor of Eureka Street

"Why not?" Turkson said, arguing that when you agree to become a priest, you must be open to the idea of becoming a Pope. "All of that is part of the package."

Turkson added that the time was especially ripe given the election of President Barack Obama.

However his odds might have lengthened as the Mail reports that on 19 February Turkson faced a firestorm of criticism after he laid the blame for clerical sex abuse at the feet of gay priests.

Turkson told American journalist that similar sex scandals would never convulse churches in Africa because the culture was inimical to homosexuality.

'African traditional systems kind of protect or have protected its population against this tendency,' he told Christiane Amanpour of CCN.

'Because in several communities, in several cultures in Africa homosexuality or for that matter any affair between two sexes of the same kind, are not countenanced in our society,' he continued.

'So that cultural taboo, that tradition has been there,' said Cardinal Turkson, 64. 'It has served to keep it out.'

Turkson also made headlines in October 2012 for screening a YouTube video, called "Muslim Demographics in Europe, the invasion of faith snatchers," at the Synod of bishops meeting in Rome.

The seven-minute clip featured several alarmist claims, including: "In just 39 years France will be an Islamic republic."

In 2009, Turkson stood by Pope Benedict XVI's views that condoms were not a viable answer to Africa's AIDS crisis, highlighting their varying quality.

"We're talking about a product of a factory, and there are different qualities," he said at a press conference. "There are condoms that arrive in Ghana which in the heat will burst during sex. And when that is the case, then it gives a false sense of security which rather facilitates the spread of HIV/AIDS."

Turkson, however, did not rule out the use of condoms in all circumstances. He argued that they could be helpful in the case of a married couple in which one person is infected.

According to Michael Kelly, editor of the Irish Catholic newspaper, Turkson is considered an excellent communicator and someone who is comfortable in any circumstance.

Head of the Vatican's Department for Justice and Peace and to the fore of the Church's participation in global politics, he has been sharply critical of capitalism and has even called for a "world authority" to be established to regulate market capitalism.

At the same time, he is considered theologically conservative while remaining open to dialogue.

Turkson was a star turn at the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin last year where he mingled easily with ordinary pilgrims and gave presentations lauded for their insight and teaching.

Sources

• Paddy Power
• Naija.com
• Daily Mail