• 
• Add a New Post
• View All Posts
• Religion
• Following the Conclave

Following the Conclave

By Michael Donohue

The Conclave to elect the new pope has begun. At 4:30 p.m. Rome time (11:30 EDT) the cardinals, two by two, chanting the Litany of the Saints, entered the Sistine Chapel in the Apostolic Palace. Now, we keenly feel the anticipation of the white smoke coming from the Vatican that will indicate that a new pontiff has been selected

This is an exciting time for the universal Church. Many of us would jump at the chance to be in Rome, joining with others in St. Peter's Square, wondering whether we'd have the opportunity to welcome the new Holy Father. While this isn't a possibility for most of us, we're fortunate to live in a digital age that enables the Vatican-philes among us to follow along with the Conclave (well, at least with the parts that aren't behind closed doors).

While every major news outlet has pieces running daily on the Conclave, I'd recommend the list below for engaging and accurate sources to hear the latest Vatican news:

Rome Reports (video)
The Vatican Today
The Vatican Information Services Blog
National Catholic Register Coverage
Here at the Chancery, both in the Communications department and the Arlington Catholic Herald, we are waiting to hear the papal news. If you are looking for a quick update of the latest Conclave news, check out our News and Resources page.

In closing, to borrow a sentiment from Bishop Loverde's latest column, "The next few weeks will be both historic and momentous for the Universal Church. Hopefully, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will be celebrating the Resurrection of Our Lord at Easter with a new pontiff in the Chair of St. Peter"

This article has been reprinted here by permission of the author after original publication at Encourage and Teach