When Will Cable News Go Crazy Again?

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As a devoted follower, I’m saddened to share that Pope Francis, the trailblazing Latin-American pope, has passed away on Easter Monday. For now, let’s refrain from lighting candles in anticipation of his successor (it’s comforting during grief, but it will be quite a while before we learn who the new pontiff will be).

After a Pope passes away, there’s an established period of mourning that lasts for approximately 15-20 days. To be precise, this mourning phase is nine days in duration, but it doesn’t start immediately after the Pope’s death. Instead, it commences four to six days later, once the body has been transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica, allowing the public to pay their respects. The burial takes place at a later time.

The process for choosing a new Pope by the College of Cardinals may begin right away, following approximately a two-to-three week period. (Note that only those cardinals who are below 80 years old, often referred to as the cardinal electors, are eligible to participate and cast their votes.)

Historically, conclaves have stretched from several days to months, but in recent times, they’ve typically wrapped up within less than four days. The longest conclave of the 20th century ran for merely five days. Once a choice is made, the new earthly embodiment of God (for Roman Catholics, at least) is unveiled. Last time, however, nothing could have prepared us for what unfolded.

Pope Benedict XVI, who preceded Francis, stepped down from his role on February 28, 2013. Although unexpected to some extent, his decision to resign was announced on February 11, 2013. He explained that he was stepping down because of a decline in both mental and physical strength as a result of his advanced age (he was 86 years old at the time). Remarkably, he was expected to live until he turned 95.

Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation was unusual, marking the first time since Gregory XII in 1415 and the first without external compulsion since Celestine V in 1294 that a pope stepped down. However, it appears there might have been some internal turmoil contributing to his decision, as later disclosed documents revealed a power struggle within the Vatican.

Benedict didn’t have a formal period of mourning following his resignation, but it took the conclave almost two weeks to commence their proceedings regardless. Unofficially though, the process might have started sooner. Within 24 hours of the March conclave, smoke began billowing from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney – a symbol widely recognized as signifying a new pope has been chosen.

Indeed, there seems to be a misunderstanding here. To begin with, dark smoke initially emerged, causing quite a perplexity for the live broadcast team consisting of producers, anchors, and correspondents. This was because they had already witnessed five separate instances of black smoke – one for each unsuccessful vote. However, this occasion stood out as unique. The black smoke eventually transformed into white; it was almost as if the Sistine Chapel’s chimney needed a bit of cleaning.

Dark smoke, produced by burning ballots with a mix of potassium perchlorate, anthracene, and sulfur, shows that the cardinals have not reached a two-thirds agreement on a new pope. Conversely, white smoke, resulting from the combination of potassium chlorate, lactose, and chloroform resin, signals it’s time to proceed.

And go, go, go did everyone have to… go. Reporters scrambled and Romans ran.

At the termination of Via della Conciliazione, a street facing the Vatican, is where we found ourselves. Here, all the reporters were inquiring: “Is that white smoke? Is that white smoke?” due to everyone’s eagerness to avoid being incorrect. As Green from Fox News Channel’s chief religion correspondent recounted during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the subsequent response was, “Oh my goodness, that was so quick!” followed by people observing Italians sprinting towards St. Peter’s Square as they were aware that within moments, the new pope would make his appearance on the loggia.

Among the competitors was Ben Wedeman, a seasoned international correspondent for CNN, stationed in Rome. You know, it seemed like everybody else was participating too.

In Rome, something unusual happened that I hadn’t witnessed before – many residents from nearby neighborhoods were running towards the square. When the announcement was made that it was Jorge Bergoglio, I turned to my cameraman, Alessandro Gentile, and our producer, Caroline Paterson, and we all exclaimed, ‘Who is that?'” (said Wedeman to THR)

Oh, right — there were two surprises that day.

Pope Francis, previously known as Bergoglio, was not a front-runner among the potential candidates for succeeding Pope Benedict XVI.

There had been a lot of discussion about who might become pope, but the names mentioned were not among those considered as possible candidates,” Wedeman stated.

or

“Many people have been discussing who will be elected as pope, but the suggested names are not on the list of likely contenders.

Even though the revealed names turned out to be incorrect, Green pointed out, it serves as a reminder that cardinals are individuals just like us, capable of using technology such as cell phones and even leaking information to the media.

Green anticipates that the upcoming conclave will only last for a few days at maximum. Although she doesn’t have an obvious favorite, Green is giving consideration to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state who has been closely working with Pope Francis. However, it’s important to remember that the next pope could potentially be anyone, as was demonstrated on March 13, 2013 when an unexpected individual took on the role.

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2025-04-21 22:24