Vatican Conclave

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  Pope Francis To Nominate Fourteen New Cardinals On June 29

  Pope Francis said on Sunday he would elevate 14 Roman Catholic prelates to the high rank of cardinal, the elite group of churchmen who are his closest advisers and can enter a conclave to choose his successor if they are under 80.

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  Nun Rape Case: 'Must Ensure Justice is Done, is Visible,' Says Top Cardinal

  The National Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the West Bengal government regarding the rape of a 72-year-old nun in Ranaghat. The Vatican conclave's youngest cardinal and India's top bishop is already in Kolkata to visit the survivor, who is recuperating at a local hospital.

• US eavesdropped on Vatican in run-up to conclave: reports

  US secret services allegedly eavesdropped on cardinals before the conclave in March to elect a new pope, Italian weekly magazine Panorama claimed on Wednesday.

• New York cardinal offers glimpse of new pope's style

  Shortly after his election on Wednesday night, Pope Francis shunned the papal limousine and rode on the last shuttle bus with other cardinals to go back to a residence inside the Vatican for a meal.

• With no pope, a sea gull is stealing the show at the papal conclave

  Smoke watching has become bird watching in St. Peter's Square after a sea gull perched atop the chimney that belches out smoke from the Sistine Chapel to signal whether or not a pope has been elected.

• New pope's choice of name will carry his first message

  Even before he utters his first words in public, the new pope who emerges from the conclave this week will send Roman Catholics around the world a message encoded in the name he chooses.

• In Vatican, smoke-spotters at the ready for a new pope

  They came from Australia, Japan or Brazil to do one thing - train their eyes on a chimney pipe attached to the roof of the Sistine Chapel to see if white smoke would appear.

• For cardinals at conclave, cigarette and a tipple to relieve papal tension

  The cardinals locked inside the Sistine Chapel for deep meditation and reflection until they choose a new pope can break off for a smoke or enjoy a glass of wine, the Vatican spokesman said on Wednesday.

• Black smoke signals inconclusive papal vote

  Black smoke rose from above the Sistine Chapel for a second day on Wednesday after a secret conclave of cardinals held two more inconclusive votes for a new pope to lead the troubled Church.

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  All eyes on Vatican chimney as world awaits new pope

  Cardinals on Wednesday spent a second day behind Vatican walls to elect a pope, with all eyes on a chimney that will signal when there is a new leader for the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

• Indian cardinal is youngest in Vatican conclave

  Indian cardinal Cleemis Thottunkal is the youngest cardinal taking part in the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI.

• Timetable for papal conclave on Wednesday

  Roman Catholic cardinals meet for a second day in a conclave on Wednesday to elect a successor to Pope Benedict, who abdicated last month.

• Cardinals begin first full day of papal conclave

  After a first inconclusive vote, Cardinals began the process of choosing a new pope in earnest on Wednesday, praying for inspiration at the start of the first full day in a conclave to choose a leader to face a major crisis in the Catholic Church.

• Living ex-pope an invisible presence at conclave

  Retired pope Benedict XVI is gone but far from forgotten as cardinals begin voting for candidates to replace him, with his personal secretary Georg Gaenswein one of the last to leave the Sistine Chapel before the start of the conclave.

• Papal names: A symbolic choice for new pope

  From Pius to Clement, Hilarius to Simplicius, papal names from down the centuries are inextricably linked to the brilliant or wretched legacies of the men who have ruled the Vatican.