Breaking: The Pope has Died. Saw on CNN

[hholli1]

How long before the next Pope is selected?

[China_cat]

1. About 20 days

before the conclave can begin. Who knows how long until a decision is made?

[mcscajun]

2. First comes the nine days of mourning.

Then 15-20 days of general conclave before voting begins. More details here:

http://www.catholic-pages.com/pope/election.asp

[hholli1]

13. Thank you for the link...

but isn't there some right wing lunatic who is in the running? I believe he is from Germany. If he gets selected, I am leaving the Church. And I don't say that lightly.

[mcscajun]

15. Some of the "front-runners"

Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, Italy —close to Opus Dei (Newsday.com, “The Men Who'll Pick Next Pope”).

Cardinal Francis Arinze, Nigeria—the sensationalism of a black Pope will probably be too rich for the cardinal's conservative palate (CNN Biography, “Pope John Paul II—Succession Overview”).

Cardinal Godfried Danneels, Belgium—a unifying figure acceptable to both conservatives and progressives.

Cardinal Claudio Hummes, Brazil —theologically conservative, considered one of the strongest Latin American candidates.

Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, Colombia—favorite of arch-conservatives.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, Germany —favorite of progressives, currently head of ecumenical affairs for the Vatican.

But it's truly anyone's guess -- Papal selections can be quite surprising.

[Terre]

3. The Lights are still on in the Vatican Apt

Don't they go out when he passes? MSNBC hasn't said he passed yet, but who knows.

[KittyWampus]

4. RIP. The Pope Did A Lot Of Good & Stood Up To Bush In The Dark Hour

and further down the road, that may have helped us stem in a very subtle way, the rising tide of Fascism.

[yurbud]

9. good point

I have a devout Catholic friend who is a hardcore freeper, and asked him whose word had more weight, Rush and Bush, or pope. He said Pope and if the pope said war is immoral, it's immoral--but he wouldn't admit this conflict with Bush and went right back to defending him.

[Deep13]

5. Yahoo says he's still alive.

Are we sure about this report? There's nothing on NPR either.

[LadyRaivan]

14. Conflicting reports

I believe his condition has been upgraded from 'dead' to 'serious'.

[Warpy]

6. At least 20 days

Cardinals from all over the world have to travel to Rome for the convocation. Then they have to politick and vote.

[Guckert]

7. Fox say he died in honor of Terri...

[tammywammy]

8. CNN's removed the breaking banner from their website

It had said they were trying to verify the news they got from Reuters, but it's no longer up.

[monobrau]

10. He has risen!

That was quick

[Deep13]

11. Everyone's in a hurry these days.

[jackstraw45]

12. Are White House talking points instructing CNN to blame CIA

for mistake?

[Moderator]

16. Locking.

The pope is still alive as of 2:29pm EST. This thread is no longer needed at this time.