We Have a new pope!!
After the death of the long serving and greatly loved Pope John Paul II, the College of Cardinals assembled and went to work. Once they took their oath of secrecy, the Cardinals proceed to the Sistine Chapel. They took their seats and were handed their ballots. Nobody knows who voted for who or any statistics about the voting. However we do know the process that is followed in the sacred voting sessions. Each Cardinal will write the name of who they think is best suited to take over as head of the Catholic Church. The Cardinal then folds it up and they proceed one by one to approach the alter and place their ballots in a chalice. The votes are then counted by the Cardinal Camerlengo and his three assistants. The names are read aloud for everyone to hear. The third assistant runs a needle and thread through the center of each ballot to join them all together. The ballots are then burned, as well as all notes made. If a new Pope has been elected, the papers are burned with chemicals to give white smoke. Otherwise, they give off black smoke, so that the waiting crowds, and the world, know whether their new Holy Father will soon emerge from the Sistine Chapel. Yesterday, the anxious crowd finally saw who was elected the 265th pope. After watching the white smoke rise from the Sistine Chapel at 5:49 PM the city lit up with excitement. As the bell rang at 6:04 PM the crowd went ballistic. Finally after waiting nearly 40 minutes, Chilean Cardinal Jorge Medina Estevez, the senior cardinal in the order of deacon, appeared at the basilica balcony. He shouted loud and clear,"Dear brothers and sisters, I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope." He continued: "The most eminent and reverent leadership, Lord Joseph Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church Ratzinger." The crowd in the square burst into applause and cheers that were heard throughout the city. Some jumped for joy, some knelt to pray, and some simply stood and watched as their new pope emerged from the chapel.
(McLachlan, Paul. "Electing a Pope." How Is the Pope Elected? N.p., 1996-2007. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://www.catholic-pages.com/pope/election.asp>.)