美国有线新闻 CNN 2013-03-15

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The first day of the conclave to elect the next Pope, we're going to have complete coverage² of all the day's remarkable³ events. There is, however, breaking news at this hour, involving one of the cardinals⁵ right down the street behind me. Cardinal⁴ Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles. We're learning tonight that the church has settle four lawsuits⁷ against the archdiocese that he ran and at least one lawsuit⁶ name him as defendant⁸. Four men allegedly abuse boys collecting near 10 million dollars total. They said they were abused by apriest during the 70s, 6 years ago, that priest pleaded guilty of molesting⁹ boys. He did time, he is no longer a priest, he is not alone.

Nor is cardinal Maloney, of course, the only high-ranking church official accused of protecting predators¹⁰, there are many around the world, and several, Maloney included, are here in Rome about to spend another day trying to elect a Pope. They secluded¹¹ right now, sworn to secrecy¹², their only mean to communication, the color of the smoke from the ballots¹³ they burn, the chemicals they add to let the world know whether we have a Pope or not, a black or white answer, so today the first ballots burned and the answer went up in smoke, black smoke, no decision. Chances are though, the field has been narrowed somewhat, chances are a handful of man went to bed last night thinking it could be me or it might actually be me. A mind-blowing way to end a day that was historic and fascinating, right from the start.

Into St Peter's they came, the man, almost certainly one of these of cardinals who would be Pope and the man who will choose him. Side by side, step by step, some vital, some feeble toward a massnot seen in eight years. Since last Pope was elected, at a moment not seen in 598 years, the succession of one living Pope by another.

A mass for cardinals, but also the masses.People waiting hours to get in for a ceremony that last time was given by the  man who arrived as cardinal then emerged as a Pope.

"The beloved and venerable PontiffBenedict the 16th, to whom we renew in this moment all of our gratitude¹⁴."

"Applause and praise that Benedict did not hear, at least not in person. He is in seclusion¹⁵ at the people's Papel's summer residence."

As for the man praising him and presiding this time, cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican's Dean of cardinals, he is over 80, too old to help choose a Pope or in likelihood to be chosen himself. As for whom among them might be, those who say publicly don't really know. And those who might know, the cardinals, they left St.Peter's and in one last moment, in plain view, retreated inside the Sistine Chapel¹⁶ when they took an oath.

Then uttering extra on this, outside all the Vatican officials closed the doors and the cardinals got to work. All day, people waited in the rain, for the mass, forthe cardinals, for a chance to see, perhaps a new Pope.

"I think it's wonderful, I think Benedict was a great Pope, and I think everyone is very excited to see who the next Pope will be, so, it's great anticipation¹⁷, wondering it's going to be how different and how much the same he will be."

As the evening deepen, the crowds grew, all eyes on the chimney from the stove, where the papal ballots are burn, they would signal white smoke for a Pope, and black, for not yet.

"If we got white smoke tonight, I would be stunned¹⁸ at one level, but on the heels of what we've already witness edin the last month and then another, that would be a certain poetic¹⁹ art to do it."

Poetic, perhaps, but not to be, even against a dim night sky, the answer, this time, was plain as day.

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