VATICAN CITY (AP) — The heavy wooden door to the Sistine Chapel has been closed and locked, signaling the start of the conclave to elect a new pope to succeed Benedict XVI following his stunning resignation.
Monsignor Guido Marini, master of liturgical ceremonies, closed the double doors after shouting "Extra omnes," Latin for "all out," telling everyone but those taking part in the conclave to leave the frescoed hall. He then locked it.
Benedict's resignation has thrown the church into turmoil and exposed deep divisions among cardinals grappling with whether to pick a manager who can clean up the Vatican bureaucracy or a pastor who can inspire Catholics at a time of crisis.
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GRAPHICSBANK: Cardinals attend mass prior to conclave to elect new pope, St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, on texture, partial graphic (12 Mar 2013)
APPHOTO OSS105: In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, cardinals, in red, attend a Mass for the election of a new pope celebrated by Cardinal Angelo Sodano inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Tuesday, March 12, 2013. Cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday to elect the next pope amid more upheaval and uncertainty than the Catholic Church has seen in decades: There's no front-runner, no indication how long voting will last and no sense that a single man has what it takes to fix the many problems. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho) (12 Mar 2013)
<<APPHOTO OSS105 (03/12/13)>>
APPHOTO OSS104: In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, cardinals, in red, attend a Mass for the election of a new pope celebrated by Cardinal Angelo Sodano inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Tuesday, March 12, 2013. Cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday to elect the next pope amid more upheaval and uncertainty than the Catholic Church has seen in decades: There's no front-runner, no indication how long voting will last and no sense that a single man has what it takes to fix the many problems. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho) (12 Mar 2013)
<<APPHOTO OSS104 (03/12/13)>>
