Conclave’s rituals, oaths and secrecy explained

By: Associated Press - Texarkana Gazette

Associated Press • The Vatican’s master of liturgical celebrations, Archbishop Piero Marini, gestures Tuesday as he talks during an interview with the Associated Press. Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation, the first papal abdication in 600 years, has caused utter chaos in the Vatican, ...

Associated Press • In this 2005 file photo, Cardinals walk in procession to the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican at the beginning of the conclave. Next month’s conclave to elect the 266th leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics will have all the trappings of papal elections past, ...

VATICAN CITY—It’s a ritual as rich in tradition and symbolism as the Catholic Church can muster: secret oaths, hypnotic Gregorian chants, scarlet-decked cardinals filing through the Sistine Chapel—all while the public outside in St. Peter’s Square watches for ...

Published: 02/17/2013