Today is the day the world keeps its eyes on a chimney at the Vatican. Black smoke tells us the conclave has not chosen a pope, white smoke tells us a new pontiff has been elected. 115 Cardinals will vote as many times as it takes to find a new pope to lead the Catholic Church. Old traditions prevail in the voting process with two votes being slated for today if a majority isn’t reached in the first vote. If a pope isn’t picked in the second round today, the Cardinals will have dinner, go to bed, sleep tight, and wake up to another voting process tomorrow. This over and over again until the world has their new religious leader.

Frontrunners include an Italian, a Brazilian, a Canadian and two Americans. This selection could be one of the most important the church has seen! Someone to lead the church into the modern times, lead it out of the darkness of sex abuses scandals and restore its reputation. So, today, the world watches for the smoke to rise out of the Sistine Chapel. What color will it be? Black or white?

By: Cathi Coppinger