Francis quickly emerged as perfect conclave candidate

By Alessandro SpecialeReligion News Service VATICAN CITY (RNS) As the Vatican prepares for the opening of the conclave on Tuesday (March 12) to elect a new pope, officials announced that the personal secretary ofAnderson Cooper lists some of the lesser-known facts surrounding the ancient process to select a new pope.VATICAN CITY (AP) — Black smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Tuesday, signaling that cardinals had failed on their first vote of the papal conclave to choose a new leader for the world's 1.2 billion Catholics and their troubled church.VATICAN CITY -- Three rounds of ballots had been cast with no winner, but it was becoming clear which way this conclave was headed. When the cardinals broke for lunch, Sean O'Malley of Boston sat down next to his Argentine friend, Jorge Bergoglio.One cardinal later said the conclave had been "something of a horse

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