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The 'Super Tuesday' of papal election: Father Beck and John Allen on conclave day two
Today marks the second day of the secret papal election known as conclave. The cardinals are voting right now as millions around the world watch the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel for the white smoke signal indicating that a new Holy Father has been chosen.
CNN Senior Vatican Analyst John Allen and CNN Contributor Father Edward Beck are following the latest live in Rome with Chris Cuomo. Allen describes the importance of the vote today now that the cardinals have a better grasp of the candidates. “Today becomes what we Americans would think of as Super Tuesday, because it's the make-or-break day for the front-runners,” he says.
Father Beck describes the two things people have told him they desire in a candidate. “One is they want a reformer. Not only if you think of reforming as sexual abuse and cleaning house, but people have seen there's been mismanagement at the top,” Beck says. “So, they want a reformation of that organization. Secondly, they say we want someone who can communicate to the masses. They long for John Paul II again, who can stand up on a world stage and elicit excitement about the church, about the vision of the church, and someone who can inspire youth once again as well.”
Americans make the pilgrimage to Vatican for glimpse of white smoke and new pope – Miguel Marquez reports
History is in the making in Rome, Italy today. Today marks the second day of the papal election. We may see white smoke emerge from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, indicating a new pontiff has been chosen.
Many Americans are making the pilgrimage to Rome to witness the moment live at the Vatican. Miguel Marquez speaks to two American Catholic students on watch for the smoke signal.
Both active in the Catholic church, Nora and Victoria share their feelings about the significance of being present for this conclave.
"It's such an exciting experience and it's part of history, and just to say that I was here for a new election of a new pope is amazing," Nora says.
“It's very important," Victoria says. "The pope is the leader of our church, and he's such a model, so we really need someone who is strong an and who can lead us.”
CNN Trends: Lady Gaga's golden ride
Trending on the web this morning is Lady Gaga's hip new ride. The singer is wheeling around in a designer 24-karat gold wheelchair as she recovers from hip surgery. Designer Ken Borochov specifically made it for her, and it comes complete with a leather seat and a removable leather canopy.
Conclave: The vetting process in electing the new Holy Father – Miguel Marquez reports
In Rome today, 115 cardinals from every corner of the earth are preparing to take an oath of secrecy to begin the election process for the next leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. The eyes of the world will soon be on the copper chimney above the Sistine Chapel to see when white smoke signals the selection of a new pope. Inside brews the politics of a monumental race. Miguel Marquez explains the vetting process.
“In the politics of becoming pope there's never been a race quite like this,” Marquez says. The church's problems are enormous. The need for a powerful, unifying pope, have never been greater. “The new pope will have to reinvigorate the church and bring its enormous bureaucracy—the Curia—into the modern world.”
Cardinals in the running “are judged on their intellectual, religious and spiritual heft” as well on their ability to socialize with fellow cardinals and “even their ability to communicate in Italian,” Marquez reports.
Why the first vote in the papal conclave is so important – Msgr. Richard Hilgartner explains
As the Cardinals wrap up a special mass at the Vatican for the election of a new pope, “Early Start” is joined by Monsignor Richard Hilgartner, the Head of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat on Divine Worship.
Cardinals from every corner of the earth will take an oath of secrecy to begin the election process for the next leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. Then, the eyes of the world will be on the copper chimney above the Sistine Chapel. While a vote is expected to take place today, it’s all but guaranteed that black smoke will billow instead of white, indicating an inconclusive vote. Monsignor Hilgartner explains the significance of the first ballot and how the voting process works.
Msgr. Hilgartner says the first vote helps to officially establish the names of potential candidates. Prior to today, the cardinals “only talked about broad concepts of issues and concerns. They really don't know who they're voting for until that first ballot is cast and they start to read off the ballots, and they see,” Hilgartner says. “Then they really see the consensus, the sense of the group, and really see what the trends are looking like.”
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Tensions reach breaking point between North and South Korea – Anna Coren reports
Saber rattling rose to new levels Monday on the Korean Peninsula as Pyongyang officials "scrapped" the armistice credited for nearly 60 years of uneasy peace and then failed to answer a hotline phone.
"The Korean Armistice Agreement is to be scrapped completely just from today," said a spokesman for the North Korean military - the Korean People's Army Supreme Command - according to Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party.
North Korea cited the U.N. Security Council's unanimous passage Thursday of tougher sanctions against Pyongyang for carrying out missile and nuclear tests.
This morning on "Early Start," CNN's Anna Coren reports from outside the Korean demilitarized zone on the escalating tensions.
READ MORE: As rhetoric heats up, North Koreans ready to 'rain bullets on the enemy'
MYB: VantageScore overhauling credit scoring model
Zain Asher is minding your business with a report on a new credit scoring system from VantageScore that could help millions of people. "Essentially, it’s gonna be more forgiving to anybody who is seriously in debt or has no credit history in this country.”
Currently, seven out of ten financial institutions use VantageScore, Asher reports. “But the bottom line is, you can't really control which scoring system your financial institution's going to be using,” she says. "So, you still have to make your payments on time.”
Buzz, excitement as papal conclave to select new pope begins – John Allen & Father Beck weigh in
Today, 115 cardinals from around the world will take an oath of secrecy and begin voting for the next spiritual leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. This morning, cardinals are holding a special mass for the election of the Holy Father. It is the final event open to the public featuring those cardinals.
At 10:45aET, they are scheduled to leave their residence at Casa Santa Marta and head to the Pauline Chapel. They will then enter the Sistine Chapel to officially begin the process of conclave as the world awaits their decision.
Chris Cuomo reports live from Rome for CNN's special coverage of the selection of the next pope. Senior CNN Vatican Analyst John Allen and CNN Contributor Father Edward Beck join him with their analysis of today’s proceedings.
Father Beck explains what makes the mass so special. “With all we've been hearing about the politicking of how a pope gets elected, this is the most important part, in that you are coming to the highest form of worship that we have as a Catholic Christian community,” he says.
The Cardinals are expected to take one vote today, though the rules technically do not require them to do so. Allen offers a reason for that expectation.
“The consensus is there is no clear front-runner. The Cardinals don't know where one another stand,” Allen says. “It's the first chance to get a sense of where things actually stand and which candidacy might have legs.”
Actress Valerie Harper diagnosed with rare form of brain cancer – Elizabeth Cohen breaks it down
Actress Valerie Harper, best known for her days on the hit shows "Rhoda" and The Mary Tyler Moore Show has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called that's affecting her brain. CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen explains exactly what her rare condition is and what Harper is facing.
“This is not a tumor,” Cohen says. Loose cells in Harper’s spinal fluid are affecting her meninges, or the covering over the brain. "There are not a lot of great treatments for this," Cohen says.
CNN is told Harper is receiving chemotherapy. Doctors say "chemotherapy in this case, isn't really done to prolong life," but will help control pain and seizures for the time being, Cohen says. It may prolong life by a few weeks, but not by a lot. “She was told by her doctors [she has] about three months,” Cohen says. “It’s really a terrible, terrible form of cancer.”
Meanwhile, Harper is staying strong, appearing on talk shows to raise awareness about her illness with some inspiring words.
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