Cardinals debate role of pope before 1st conclave vote

The 115 cardinals responsible for electing a new leader for the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics met for the last top-secret meeting in the Vatican today in a last ditch effort to lobby their ideas for the church's future.The cardinals debated what their expectations are for a new pope, CBC's Steven D'Souza said from the Vatican, as well as what awaits him during his time leading the religion.They discussed whether Benedict's successor needs to play a managerial role, cleaning up the Vatican or if he needs to be more pastoral, inspiring the faithful during the religion's turbulent times.

It was the 10th and final meeting for the papal contenders, said David Perlich, the CBC's Vatican analyst. The meeting was their last chance to talk as a group because once they enter the Sistine Chapel Tuesday morning, the focus shifts to voting.The cardinals will attend a two-hour mass early Tuesday and then segregate themselves in the chapel, holding one vote Tuesday and up to four votes in the following days until a new pope is elected by a two-thirds majority.Twenty-eight cardinals took the opportunity to speak at Monday's meeting, tweeted D'Souza.Each cardinal was given about five minutes to discuss any topic of his choosing during a so-called intervention. During the 10 meetings before the conclave, 161 of these interventions took place.But not every cardinal who wanted to speak Monday was able to, with interventions and presentations running long. When forced to vote about continuing the meeting in the afternoon, the cardinals voted against it. Instead, those who spoke shortened their comments, said Lombardi.Three cardinals, including Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, were also selected to serve on a type of executive committee over the next three days, said D'Souza. The trio will take care of the daily business at the Vatican, as most Vatican employees have effectively lost their jobs following Benedict XVI's resignation.

Culled from CBC NEWS