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Tag: Rome

  • Black Smoke Signals No Pope Elected in 1st Round of Vatican Conclave

    Black Smoke Signals No Pope Elected in 1st Round of Vatican Conclave

    Black smoke rose from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday, signaling that the first round of voting in the papal conclave failed to elect a new pope.

    Continuing a centuries-old tradition, 133 cardinal electors gathered at the Vatican to begin the process of selecting the 267th head of the Catholic Church, following the death of Pope Francis last month.

    The day commenced with a solemn mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, celebrated by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who also presided over the 2013 conclave that elected Francis.

    Afterward, the cardinal electors convened in the Pauline Chapel and processed into the Sistine Chapel, where the conclave is taking place.

    The Sistine Chapel, adorned with Michelangelo’s iconic frescoes, remains sealed off from the outside world until a new pope is chosen.

    Under the conclave’s rules, a two-thirds majority is required to elect the next pontiff.

    This year’s conclave continues a tradition dating back to 1492, when the Sistine Chapel hosted its first papal election—the same year Christopher Columbus reached the Americas.

    While the papal selection process once stretched on for years, as in the mid-1200s, more recent elections have moved swiftly. In 2013, Francis was elected after five ballots over two days.

    Pope Francis passed away on April 21 at the age of 88, following a series of health complications, including cardiac arrest.

    The conclave will resume voting on Thursday as the Church awaits the emergence of its next leader.

    If a new pope is elected, white smoke will billow out of the chimney and the formula “habemus papam” (Latin for “we have a pope”) will be pronounced by the cardinal protodeacon from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

  • Rome Locks Down: Drones, Snipers, and Tiber Patrols Guard Pope Francis’ Funeral as Trump and Royals Descend on Vatican

    Rome Locks Down: Drones, Snipers, and Tiber Patrols Guard Pope Francis’ Funeral as Trump and Royals Descend on Vatican

    From patrols on the River Tiber to surveillance drones and snipers deployed around St. Peter’s Square, Rome is preparing to throw a thoroughly modern security shield around the ancient rituals of a papal funeral and its attendant huge crowds.

    More than 200,000 people are expected to attend Pope Francis’ funeral, taking place on Saturday in the huge Vatican square that sits in front of the Basilica of St. Peter, Rome’s public transport company said.

    Among them will be dozens of world leaders—including heads of state such as U.S. President Donald Trump and royals from Spain, Sweden and Belgium.

    “The most complex aspect is the arrival of many dignitaries from all over the world, who will converge on Rome to go to a single point,” Rome’s police chief, Roberto Massucci, told RTL 102.5 radio on Thursday.

    Some 2,000 local police officers will be on duty, joined by thousands more officers from the national security forces. Security measures will include patrols on the Tiber, drones, an army device to neutralise hostile flying objects and snipers, a police source told Reuters.

    Streets will be closed to traffic around the Vatican on Saturday and authorities are assessing the best route for the procession that will take the coffin from the funeral to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major), where Francis chose to be buried.

    He died on Monday aged 88, and tens of thousands of people have filed past his open coffin since it was laid out in St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday. Security officers patrolled St. Peter’s Square on Thursday as people queued to get into the basilica.

    The funeral will start at 10:00 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Saturday. Fabio Ciciliano, head of the national Civil Protection Department, said people might gather not only in St. Peter’s Square but also along the 4 km (2.5 miles) separating the Vatican from Santa Maria Maggiore, on the other side of the Tiber.

    Authorities, who on Monday announced a no-fly zone over the capital for this week, will have to juggle a steady flow of VIP jets and state planes landing at Rome’s airports for the event.

    “Some delegations will want to stay in Rome for some time, others, the vast majority we are registering at this moment, will leave immediately after the funeral,” Ciciliano said, stressing the difficulty of handling so many arrivals and departures.

    He said the military airport of Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, will be a backup to the two city airports of Fiumicino and Ciampino in case of need.

    The national railway company will add some 260,000 seats to its trains to the capital, the Civil Protection Department said, while city airports operator ADR expects up to 20,000 more people to arrive in Rome compared to previous estimates made for the Easter holidays.

    Rome’s turn in the spotlight will not end with the funeral. Huge crowds generally gather to wait for the outcome of the secret conclave of cardinals that elects a new pope. That is not expected to start before May 6. — Reuters

  • Pope Francis Hospitalized

    Pope Francis Hospitalized

    VATICAN CITY, July 4 (Reuters) – Pope Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Sunday for scheduled intestinal surgery, the Vatican said, the first time he has been in hospital since his election in 2013.

    Spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope, 84, was due to undergo the surgery later on Sunday for an intestinal condition that tends to affect older people and can cause abdominal pain.

    The pope appeared to be in fine health several hours earlier when he addressed thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square for his Sunday blessing and announced a trip to Slovakia and Budapest for September read more .

    The sprawling Catholic-run Gemelli hospital and medical school in the northern part of Rome traditionally treats popes and a part of its 10th floor is permanently reserved for them.

    Francis is suffering from symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon, a condition where sac-like pouches protrude from the muscular layer of the colon, leading it to become narrow.

    In addition to causing pain, the condition can lead to bloating, inflammation, and difficulty in bowel movement.

    Francis is sometimes short of breath because a part of one of his lungs was removed following an illness when he was a young man in his native Argentina.

    He also suffers from sciatica, which causes pain that radiates from the lower back along the sciatic nerve to the legs.

    The condition, for which he receives regular physiotherapy, forced him to miss several events at the beginning of this year and has led him on occasions to walk with difficulty.

    Last year, a bad cold kept him from taking part in a week-long Lenten retreat with senior aides south of Rome.

    In 2014, a year after he was elected pope, Francis was forced to cancel several engagements because of what was believed to be a stomach ailment.