what? [ male announcer ] it's not complicated. faster is better. and at&t is the nation's fastest 4g lte network for your iphone 5. ♪ [ male announcer ] a car has a rather small rear-view mirror, so we can occasionally glance back at where we've been. it has an enormous windshield so we can look ahead to where we are going. now is always the time to go forward. and reimagine all the possibilities that lie before us. an ally for real possibilities. aarp. find tools and guidance at aarp.org/possibilities.

aarp. do you guys ride? well... no. sometimes, yeah. yes. well, if you know anybody else who also rides, send them here -- we got great coverage. it's not like bikers love their bikes more than life itself. i doubt anyone will even notice. leading the pack in motorcycle insurance. now, that's progressive. call or click today. aarrggh! i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining us today. "cnn newsroom" continues right now with ashleigh banfield. >> thanks very much, carol. hello, everyone.

nice to have you with us today. let the conclave begin. ♪ it is official. a few final prayers, and then it is off to sistine chapel for the 115 princes of the church. one of whom will emerge from the conclave as the brand-new pope. and if they are deeare keeping schedule and they very much are keeping to their schedule, the cardinal electors of the catholic church are in the palmene chapel right now, prepe for a short walk to the sistine chapel in what could be the biggest decision of their lives. they and a enthusiasm fellow clergy begun this day with this, a mass in st. peter's basilica.

while it was designated, quote, mass of the pontiff elective, they did thought forget the pope that just stepped down. >> translator: such an interior attitude is ours today as we wish to offer ourselves to the father in heaven to thank him for the holy existence that he reserves in the holy church and in particular the holy pontificate that he has for us. the venerable pope benedict xvi to whom we renew in this minute all of our gratitude. >> the very next big event comes 30 minutes from now, give or take. the cardinals will line up least senior to most senior. they will all process into the chapel to take their vows of secrecy. at that point, everyone else is

kicked out. the doors are officially locked and the conclave begins. my colleague chris cuomo is as close to that process as anyone can get. he joins us live. chris, it's likely, but technically, we could have a pope today. so officially, when does chimney watch begin? >> it begins as soon as the door closes and votes begin. no question about that. there's a very heavy expectation that tonight's vote is more a familiarity. an introduction to it. and it will become much more in earnest tomorrow when they'll start doing two vote it's in morning session. two votes in the afternoon session. that basically gives you two opportunities for certain chimney smoke watch. because they burn ballots after every second vote. there are two times a day, assuming they don't elect a pope that we'll be looking for smoke. obviously that anticipation is when that white smoke comes. it's interesting the italian newspapers they said it in one line "it is time to choose."

that is what the conclave is all about. we'll be waiting for the live pictures to start, as the cardinals go from the pauline chapel, obviously, the two patron saints of rome, st. peter and st. paul, they go into the sistine chapel. and that's where the work of this conclave will begin. this has been a very energetic follow-up to this. what we saw in these ten general congregations, and what we heard from the cardinals was that the foreign cardinals, those who don't work in the curia, they're not part of the vatican specifically, wanted time to talk. big issues on the table. fiduciary responsibility, money issues, how to deal with the sex scandals of the church. big issues. now we're told the cardinals are all ready. so the voting will begin. the difficult question is, of course, how do you pick a pope when you're sworn to not be ambitious. when you're not supposed to seek

to be the leader. how do you do that? let's go to miguel marquez, he's been moderating this, as they say in italian, the cells of storm. dealing with the moderate weather and now how to pick a pope. miguel? >> reporter: yes, there's one more thing on the plate today. rain, hail, sleet, we're getting through all of it today, it seems. look, this is the biggest decision that any of these cardinals will probably make. anybody that we talked to across the board say the catholic church is in crisis. it needs a strong leader to reunify the church. the next pope, it is expected, will be the most vetted ever. >> reporter: in the politics of becoming pope, there's never been a race quite like this. the church's problems, enormous. the need for a powerful, unifying pope, never greater. >> we have to finish this, we have to get on with this. if we don't do this, it's over. blow the candles out. >> reporter: the new pope will have to einvigorate the church

and bring the enormous bureaucracy, the curia into the fold. we're talking nuts and bolts? >> the church does not run on hail marys. we've got to make it work in terms of personnel and money and being effective. i think the question is how effective is the curia in an internet 24/7 world. >> reporter: from the time a card nam become ace cardinal the race for pope son. they're judged on their intellectual, religious and spiritual heft and even their ability to communicate in italian. politicking done, support secured in formal settings and often in out of the way and unlikely venues. this has been the restaurant that's just around the corner from the vatican. cardinals come here in the ones, twos. they have lunch, dinner. sometimes a little wine. it's in places like this that a lot of the heavy lifting is done. this restaurant has served meals to connected and powerful

vatican insiders for 21 years. dozens of cardinals have been here the last couple of weeks she says. when you're at the table, you decide things. deciding important for many reasons, as one cardinal jokingly told her during his last meal here, when the conclave is under way, he eat s bread and water until a new pope is named. >> so, miguel, let me ask you, when we think about the conclave, and we say it's secretive, they're not allowed to talk. but as you pointed out in your piece, during meal time, talking are some serious power lunches, is that how it works? >> well, this is exactly it. there's the voting which takes place which is very formal and very strict. during meal times, it does sound like they're in lockdown there, this woman at venerina joked and

said he felt like he was in prison in the conclave. that's when they'll decide which way the vote will go. that will then inform the in addition round of voting, chris. >> all right, miguel. thank you very much. i'll be back to you in a little bit. let me bring in father edward beck, cnn contributor. it's very interesting. back in the day, the conclave locked because there was a little bit of suffering involved to speed these guys up, right? bread and water. you told me they put them in a building and tore a roof up pushing them. >> in south of rome, the conclave actually lasted three years. and they were being influenced by outside sources. political influences and they couldn't decide because they were getting paid off, some of them, et cetera. so the towns folk actually locked them into the palace at

verturbo, they took the roof off. by the way three cardinals died from the exposure during that conclave because of that. when that can clave was over in 1271. the pope elected, gregory x. called and said we'll reduce it to one meal a day and then bread and water. >> there's an urgency. and while it has changed over the years. you're saying not too long they still had to sleep in the pauline chapel and share a cot, is that right? >> they used to sleep on cots. used to use common bathrooms, the old cardinals had to wait in line in the middle of the night. this pauline chapel that we're going to see where the procession is going to lead from. michelangelo was commissioned to do the frescos in this chapel, too. if we get to see them, st. paul and the other is the crucifixion of st. peter.

if you look behind us, you're looking at st. peter's dome. st. peter was crucified upside down to the left of where we're looking. the first pope was crucified here. we'll see the fresco in this chapel of this crucifixion. they will walk singing "come "." that's what they will pray for the procession that will lead them to the sistine chapel. >> what we wade to is see, ashleigh, who will be the 266th pope of the catholic church. >> really like that process, chris. locking them in until they make that decision. i think the members of congress could learn from that sort of thing. chris cuomo, thank you. i know you're going to stick with us throughout the hour. we do have other top stories. take a break, chris, if you will. five american service members died in afghanistan when their helicopter crashed during a rainstorm. it happened in southern kandahar

province. u.s. officials say there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash. a proposed law to require gun ownership has misfired in the tiny time of byron, maine. even the person who proposed the measure voted against measure. she said she wants to rewrite the proposed ordinance and then reintroduce that measure. stay tuned. dennis rodman has an apparent infatuation with north korean leader kim jong-un and it's getting stranger. cnn affiliate said he plans to return to north korea this time for a vacation with president kim in august. james holmes, the accused gunman in the aurora colorado theater shooting must enter a plea in that case today. and it's a plea that could have

an impact on prosecutors, whether they choose the death penalty or not. we are also just minutes away from the start of the conclave, as catholic cardinals prepare to select a new pope. e ] from more efficient payments. ♪ to more efficient pick-ups. ♪ wireless is limitless. [ female announcer ] from tracking the bus. ♪ to tracking field conditions. ♪ wireless is limitless.

[ female announcer ] almost nothing can dampen a baby's mood, when he wakes up dry in pampers. unlike other diapers, pampers has 3 absorbent layers, for up to 12 hours of protection overnight, and more beautiful mornings.

♪ pampers. peaceful nights. playful days. ...and we inspected his brakes for free. -free is good. -free is very good. [ male announcer ] now get 50% off brake pads and shoes at meineke.

♪ it is a damp day at the vatican, where the cardinals of the rome catholic church are just minutes away now from beginning the papal conclave. we're going to bring you their official procession into the sistine chapel. it's coming up live at the bottom of the hour. in the meantime, the man charged in the massacre of 12 people in a colorado movie theater is in court this hour. james holmes is also charged with wounding 58 other people. it all happened in aurora, last july. his attorneys have suggested, in some of the court documents that they've been filing, that they may be entering a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. jim spellman has been in the courtroom. >> reporter: ashleigh, nearly eight months after the tragic

aurora theater shooting james holse is expected to plea to 166 counts, murder, attempted murder and a few other charges. he's expected to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. if he does that, the judge will immediately order him to be examined by state medical examiners. they can also do what's calls a narco analytic examination. give him essentially a truth serum in a barbiturate state to do a polygraph. we do expect to see james holmes from video from court. his orange hair long gone. he shaved that. has brown hair now. but that dazed look has remained in all the hearings over the last eight months. ashleigh. >> jim spellman, thanks very much for that. in about an hour, president obama has plans to head to a rainy capitol hill. and he's hoping to jump-start some budget talks and

face-to-face meetings as well. in the meantime, we're also keeping our eyes on another rainy place. it's st. peter's square. where any minute now, the cardinals of the catholic church will begin their meeting in the sistine chapel to elect a brand-new pope. great first gig! let's go! party! awwwww... arigato! we are outta here!

party...... finding you the perfect place, every step of the way. hotels.com constipated? yeah. mm. some laxatives like dulcolax can cause cramps. but phillips' caplets don't. they have magnesium. for effective relief of occasional constipation. thanks. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. [ chainsaw buzzing ] humans. sometimes, life trips us up. sometimes, we trip ourselves up. and although the mistakes may seem to just keep coming at you, so do the solutions.

like multi-policy discounts from liberty mutual insurance. save up to 10% just for combining your auto and home insurance. call liberty mutual insurance at... to speak with an insurance expert and ask about all the personalized savings available for when you get married, move into a new house, or add a car to your policy. personized coverage and savings -- all the things humans need to make our world a little less imperfect. call... and ask about all the ways you could save. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? the conclave to choose a new pope starts just moments from now. only god knows when it will end. stay with cnn for live coverage

of the cardinals procession. to the famed sistine chapel. that's where they make the decision. it all starts at the bottom of the hour. and we now have a verdict in a case we've been covering, the so-called cannibal cop trial in new york city. a police officer named gilberto ville, was accused of planning to kidnap and kill and cannibalize even his own wife. we're live there. give me the verdict that you know so far? >> reporter: sure, we have the verdict. he has been found guilty of both counts, ashleigh. i've got to say, shock in the courtroom. guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, of women, also of guilty of wrongfully accessing a federal database. i can tell you that the entire defense team was clearly shocked. they all slumped forward at the same time. the defendant completely grief-stricken, his mother in

the courtroom, kept on shaking her head no. his father almost folded on to himself in a state of disbelief. the courtroom was absolutely packed. but i will say that most courtroom observers that have been following this days day in and day out with me were very, very surprised at this verdict. >> so, sunny, when you break those charges down, the conspiracy itself was about rape and kidnap and murder. and so, a guilt verdict, with all of that, notwithstanding the accessing of the police database, that guilty verdict, this is a potential life sentence, isn't it? >> reporter: that's right. he is facing life in prison on the first count on that conspiracy count. the second count exposes him up to five years in prison. now, this say former new york city police officer with no criminal history. and, so, in federal court, i suspect that he won't get life in prison. but you just don't know. these are very serious champs.

and he was convicted on not one but both counts, just this morning. >> and we all know those federal sentences are pretty true to the number, too. you don't get a whole bunch of time off for good behavior. and there are co-conspirators as well. sunny hostin, thank you for that. that breaking news, gilberto ville found guilty of that cannibal cop. i want to take you to washington and the president's road trip just down the road, actually, just the down-the-road kind of trip to capitol hill. this may not be a big journey but it's a big political journey. on the agenda nothing less than the budget, gun control and immigration. cnn's chief congressional correspondent dana bash joining me now. who is on the list to get covered because that's a huge agenda? >> absolutely, it's huge. on the list today, a group of people with whom he's most

familiar with because he used to be a part of it, senate democrats, he's going to attend their lunch today. ashleigh, a lot of the focus has to do with the fact that he's coming to capitol hill tomorrow to meet with republicans but he's got mending of fences to do within his own party. primarily because it's not just republicans who have not reached out, it's people in his own party, again, former members of his own senate democratic caucus who think he would benefit more from having more of a dialogue with his own democrats. his agenda would do better here so that, i'm guessing, i'm not sure if it will be out in the open that discussion. but it will be a subtext in the discussion he will have with senate democrats at the lunch today. >> i mentioned budget, gun control and immigration. i just want to focus on the budget for a moment. you know when your e-mail piles in so fast that you can't read some of the oldest with the newest. that happened with paul ryan's budget. i noticed the reaction to paul ryan's budget plan before i even noticed that he had come out with the budget plan.

what are the high-lights and low-lights? >> right, he just within the last half hour was standing up here within members of the committee, the republicans, introducing his budget. the idea is he says he's going to balance the budget within ten years. what is controversial is the fact -- how he does it. several reasons. number one is, he uses about $600 billion in tax increases, ashleigh, that he and his fellow republicans mostly oppose. but they had to agree to deal with the fiscal cliff at the end of the year. he incorporates that into the balancing of the budget. i asked him he thought that was disingenuous, he argued no, because it's the law of the land. the other quick thing, it's very controversial, is that he has a basis in here, obama care, the president's health care law will be repealed. and he uses money from that to balance the budget. well, the president is going to be president for the next four years. and there's virtually no way that obama care is going to be repealed in the next four years. so that also something that is

questionable. but, look, these budgets, rather, are political documents. they state their priorities. and he even said, look, am i supposed to give up on my priorities and give up on our principles just because perhaps the last election didn't go our way. we're going to see something similar from senate democrats later this week when they unveil their budget which will be the first time in four years. >> i don't know if you heard our friend chris cuomo reporting they used to pick a pope by locking him in the sistine chapel with bread and water. this would be a great idea for congress to come up with a budget, what do you think, i'm crazy? >> no. >> dana bash, thank you for that. also on the president eight agenda say meeting with the new defense secretary chuck hagel who is just back fray visit from afghanistan. a lot went on. speaking of talk, i want to let you know on monday. there he is. our new buddy jake tapper. weekday afternoons, a new

program, 4:00 eastern. highly recommend you take a look. also going to rome as well. back there live for one more visit because it's just -- no, we're just down to almost the five-minute countdown for that conclave to begin. meet the 5-passenger ford c-max hybrid. c-max come. c-max go. c-max give a ride to everyone it knows. c max has more passenger volume than competitor prius v and we haven't even mentioned... c-max also gets better mpg. say hi to the super fuel efficient ford c-max hybrid. and you see the woman you fell in love with. she's everything to you. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about

all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial.

live from rome, chris cuomo and anderson cooper leads cnn's special coverage as catholic cardinals elect a new pope. stay with cnn, on tv, online and your mobile app for the latest updates from the conclave. be there when the white smoke rises from the vatican and the new pope is introduced to the world. chris cuomo, anderson cooper, live from rome. a new pope. a cnn special report. ♪ welcome back, everyone, i'm chris cuomo. i want to welcome our viewers in america and all around the world. we are in rome. over my shoulder, the famous st. peter's square inside, we are waiting for the 115 cardinals who will pick the

266th pope to begin their procession from the pauline chapel into the sistine chapel. of course, that's where the conclave will take place. very expectant here. waiting for the live pictures to take you through it. a lot of detail in the rituals of cot clave. conclave. i'm joins business cnn's jim bittermann. very few people understand it as well as you do. when they make the procession, what do we know? >> the fact that the procession is organized in a strict line. basically, the youngest cardinal goes first. the youngest james harvey, an american, 63, and the oldest giovanni ri, 69. basically, i's a formal way of sending the message out, going into something. progressing towards something, a very serious duty. that's why the procession is so

organized. almost regal in nature as they walk very slowly between the two chapels. >> they go down the hall of blessings. they're chanting certain things and they sing. interestingly, when they get in the sistine chapel, and they have to take the oath, they flip the order, right? youngest to oldest, and then the oldest goes first, is that how it works? >> yeah. and that's important, too. basically, they're showing they're not going to disclose any of the things that take place within the sistine chapel during the debates and voting. just to -- just to put the right spring on that, the fact that over the years, basically, it's all leaked out afterwards, anyway. we do find out how they vote. it just takes a while. they won't immediately come out after the pope is elected to immediately say here's the way it went. but we do find out later on. >> do you think that the new rule that came down during pope benedict that the penalty is an uncertain, if you leak about the

secrecy, there's excommunicate indicati, do you think that will tighten it up? >> no, i think as reporters, i think there's a need for some cardinals to express themselves afterwards because they either didn't get what they wanted or they did get what they wanted. and they'll want to show themselves to have been on side or whatever. but inside, letting people know that they were inside. and how it went. and it will be important, i think, too, for the catholic church. because, you know, you want to know how the different issues were debated. and how the different issues were reflected in the votes that were taken. and i think that will be important for parishioners for the average guy on the street to know there's some consideration being taken to some of the problems that the church has. and wait that that consideration was taken seriously within the voting. >> we're watching pictures now. we're getting a feed from vatican tv. we are watching what will lead to this procession.

right now you the cardinals were obviously in prayer. this is the first part of the procession into the conclave. where eventually, they will start to walk down the hall of blessings. and interestingly, i'm here with jim bittermann. you pointed to something that will be an important distinction. you were at the last conclave. now, we enter into another today. what do you think the differences are between the two? >> well, i think there's quite a few, actually. for one thing, we have a living pope in pope benedict xvi. that will have an influence in the way the voting goes. basically, he's not in the vatican. he's a long way from the vatican. here's the procession beginning. >> right. let's cut in here for a second just to listen as the cardinals leave the pauline chapel. on the way to the sistine chapel with the swiss guards protecting. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ >> what we're watching now, this is the last step before the conclave begins. this is the procession through the hall of blessings. a lot of famous frescoes there from michelangelo, the crucifixion of st. peter. and what we're hearing is basically a chant. the cardinals are saying out the name of a particular saint. and then they are all saying in unison "pray for us." and when they're done, with the chanting, jim, they go into a hymn for the holy spirit, right? >> exactly. you know, i think one of the things to me that's interesting about this, as this day has gone on for the mass this morning, the mass to elect the pope this morning, right on through to the procession now. and through when the doors are closed, you see an increasing

gravity on the faces of the cardinals. they understand they're about to take steps to finding the next pope. the enormity is coming home to them that perhaps wasn't before this. the one of the things that wasn't, in camera, you saw the cardinals one one by one, outside the basilica where they would pray on their own. it was touching. clearly moved by this moment, because it's the most important thing they're going to do. >> in terms of saying the gravity of it, solemnity of it, in terms of the last conclave, because you were there covering it, do you denote a distinction? >> as i said before, we've got a loving pope. even know pope benedict xvi is not in the vatican, he's certainly in the vatican in spirit because a lot of these cardinals were named by pope benedict xvi so they carry on

his ideas. something else, basically, it's more secular than the previous conclaves. you hear the cardinals say, yes week going to wait for the holy spirit to help us decide how to vote. even before this began, there was a lot of talk about issues, have been voting blocs and who was going vote for whom. almost in a political way. a much more worldly approach, i think, in this conclave than in previous conclaves. >> you're watching it again, you're seeing 115 cardinals going to elect a new pope, going through the hall of blessings. the beautiful frescoes done by michelangelo. they're saying in unison. take a listen. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ all right, now you as we see. the cardinals have all just about entered the sistine chapel. this is a rare glimpse at the room where the voting will actually take place. we can't know what goes on. once the voting begins. but this is where it will

happen. i want to bring in john allen, our senior vatican analyst. and we have father edward beck, passionate priest, cnn contributor. john, give me an idea of what we're seeing in this room. what's on those tables? what's going to go on in nair? >> well, what each of the cardinals will have on his table is a small book, you'll see the small book with the binding that has the prayers. this is one part political convention and one part going to church. so there will be prayers said for once this procession is finishthere's invocation of the holy spirit. the cardinals as a group in unison will say an oath, vowing to protect the secrecy of the conclave. then each cardinal, one by one, will process up and put his book hand on the book and swear to that secrecy. that is the first order of

business when that extra omnes moment comes. we say technically, they don't have to take a vote. >> they could vote or not vote? >> they could. but the universal expectation, chris, they will decide to take a vote. in the wide open field, i think they're all anxious to see where the leading candidates stand. >> right now, after they finish what they're doing right now, chanting the saints' names and all saying "pray for us" together, they're going to sing a hymn, right? >> it's calls veni creator, which means come holy spirit. the spirit moves among them to elect who god wants them to elect. they're praying that prayer to the holy spirit to come and be among them. >> as we watch, the cardinals are each going up as they get into the sistine chapel. they're each putting their hand up on the altar in respect and deference in obviously to god.

but then going and taking places on either side of the room. is this order, john, done specifically to their seeding as well? >> yes, this is a very carefully choreographed process. >> there are three sort of groups within the college of cardinals. there are the cardinal bishops and by law, there are only six of them. that would be the highest order of cardinals. they will be seated in terms of order of seniority. cardinal priests and then cardinal deacons. so seating arrangements are determined by your order. >> do the swiss guards stay? do they kind of keep everybody out? >> the night that benedict's papacy ended, formally at 8:00, one of the things that happened, the swiss guards left.because of the job of the swiss guards is to protect the governing authorities of the catholic

church, ent during the interreg they hold the authority of the catholic church in their hands. >> and the next pope is in that room? >> their new boss is in that room. >> in all likelihood. doesn't have to be, but most certainly will be. >> that's correct. >> as they continue with what they're chanting before they begin with the hymn, i referred to the frescoes done by michelangelo. father beck, these men know the sistine chapel. they know the paintings and artwork that's in there. what do you think adds to the significance of what they said what's around them? >> i heard cardinals previously said when they go up there, they raise their ballot above their head and say i promise i'm voting for the person most worthy. the last judgment scene of michelangelo is right above them. so they're not telling the truth or they are saying something they shouldn't, they have god's judgment right in front of them. >> later on in this life, he was

a poet as a young man. he wrote a poem about the conclave. he reflected on that image of the last judgment. he asked the cardinals to stand there for a moment and drink it in. think about the awesomeness of what you're doing. what that fresco ought to remind you what's at stake is not just political process it's your ear certainly salvation. >> will we get to hear the hymn? so we'll get to hear them. so that will be the last thing that we're exposed before they close the doors? >> the last things you'll hear is the fateful latin words which is "extra omnes" which is everybody get out. >> and the oath takes place after the doors are shut? >> one more speech in meditation. >> that's right, a cardinal from malta, who was one of the church's great biblical scholars by law, they have to listen to two meditations one came over from a priest that is the

preacher of the papal household. tonight, they will hear from cardinal breck. and tonight, they'll get down to business. >> you know, it's funny, the extra omnes, everybody get out, it's almost fitting that the masters of ceremony, his name is guido marini. you almost want someone name ed guido marini who says "everybody get out." >> the irony, he's not a cardinal himself so he has to get out. >> you have to talk about the old marini and the new marini. >> with the names. so it just adds to my point that is the kind of name. >> we should listen to, the last, when he said, said it quietly as if it didn't matter. some just shout like "get out!" you have to see how this one says it. >> there's still chanting in there. obviously, there's a reason. they go through the long

chanting of the saints. outside the sistine chapel we have miguel marquez and the mood inside is masked by outside. miguel, what are you sensing? >> it's certainly excitement out here, chris. the sense of history and what is happening. what you're seeing is being broadcast on giant monitors at the basilica here. and i'm joined by three americans here. emma. emma, elizabeth and andy. you guys are from texas. >> yes. >> you happen to be here during a very historic time. what are your thoughts as you're watching this? >> i think, you know, we just can't believe that we're here like actually when it started happening. i mean, we've grown up hearing about this because we're all catholics. so to be here in the vatican especially at a time like this is awesome. >> all catholic, you go to church often? >> yes. >> how important is this decision? >> extremely. >> why? why so important? >> we've been in catholic school

for 14 years now. and we've been through two popes now. >> two. >> and so it's just an opportunity of a lifetime and experience, especially after this last papacy. >> there are the cardinals going into the sistine chapel to select the new pope. what do you hope comes out of the decision? >> i hope it's a pope that can be around for a while and someone who can relate to the catholics to all over the world. because there's so many catholics from so many different countries. and i think it's so cool to be like part of that religion. >> and being in rome, lovely italy, while this is going on, how -- what is your sense of excitement? obviously, you're excited to come to italy. but to have this happen while you're here? >> i just keep hoping to see smoke. i keep looking around, you know. i keep thinking i see it. >> waiting for the bells. >> yeah, bells go off. >> it's that big bell right up there. that's the one. that big bell on the left side

of the basilica that will chime in the new pope. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> have a great time on the rest of your italian trip. >> thank you. chris, it's just beginning. certainly, everybody. i can see hundreds, thousands of umbrellas out there watching the monitors. the smoke watch son, chris. >> all right, thank you, miguel. let's get back to what's going on inside now. john, they're taking off their hats. what's about to happen? >> they'll be getting ready. they're basically reaching the end of the litany of saints. they'll be getting ready for the veni creator. the hats, they're ecclesiastical. >> what does that mean? >> it's basically an italian word for skull cap. it's color-coded so the cardinals wear red. only one guy in the church gets to wear the white one. that's the man who walks out as pope. >> are they singing now? let's listen.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ as this hymn is being sung, a tight shot on what's in front of the cardinals. light green green is what? dark green is what? >> one copy of the prayers in the meditations that they'll be using throughout the conclave. they'll be doing morning and evening prayer every day as lon as this goes on. so they need that. they have a copy of the constitution, the rules of the game for the conclave a 199 document from john paul ii. edited twice by benedict xvi once to restore the absolute requirement for 2/3 majority to elect pope and a week and a half ago to allow the cardinals to move the date up to begin the conclave. >> laws of man next to laws of god. father beck, hearing this song

what does it make you think of? >> of course the sistine chapel is a new place to have the conclave. 20-something popes were elected in the sistine chapel. 236 a farmer named fabbian came after the death of the pope and a bystander and a dove landed on him and they named him pope because they said that must be the holy spirit. and that's how fabbian became pope in 236. you take the holy spirit stuff seriously. >> maybe that's why pope benedict said let it be a guide as opposed to a complete explanation. let the holy spirit not mess it up, ensure we don't mess up the whole thing. as the singing ends, this is the last part of the conclave that we are allowed to witness. after this, guido marini will

speak, and people have to get out, including volunteers who swear an oath of secrecy. >> 90 people assistants during the conclave, the plain clothe guys in the black suits making logistical arrangements. those 90 had to take oath for seek cressty. the penalty is excommunication. the only who don't get excommunicated is the cardinals themselves. >> this is the formal prayer to open the conclave, the holy spirit will illuminate the minds, hearts of the cardinals. reading it is the cardinal, veteran veteran, senior cardinal bishop in the conclave. this would ordinarily be done by the dean, but he's over 80 and not eligible to participate. cardinal ray who led the prayer will be the cardinal who asks

the pope if he accepts the office assuming it's not cardinal ray himself. >> right. it's in latin or italian? >> the prayer in the conclave are all in latin. [ speaking latin ] >> cardinals taking the oath which is printed in the books that hear holing in their hands. which is the oath to uphold the absolute secrecy of the conclave. and also to vote for man in conscience and before god. >> but then they take a short individual one? >> each cardinal will profess up, put his hand on the book of the gospels promising to uphold the oath they have just sworn. >> alone as 115 inside, there are literally over a billion

outside watching them and waiting. it is no small burden, not quantitatively or subjectively, is it? >> no. i mean first of all talk about the supernatural level. the catholic belief is the pope is the vicar of christ on earth. christ's representative on earth and successor of st. peter. it doesn't get more awesome than that. the purely human level the influence of the papacy doesn't stop at borders of the catholic church. i've interviewed former socievi in europe, their lives are different because 0 pope john paul ii. these cardinals have to be profoundly aware of how awesome the choice awaits them. >> very interesting point. you can almost see it on their faces. serious men to begin with. certainly as jim bittermann was saying earlier you can see through the course of the mass this morning what had been jock cuelarty had turned to

solemnitity. the last moments of the prayer of the conclave being spoken in latin. this is the last thing we'll get to witness. [ speaking in latin ] [ speaking in latin ]

[ speaking in latin ] >> again, if you're just joining us, watching the last thing the public is allowed to see before the conclave begins. men right now are reading a prayer together in latin. preparing for the conclave and the voting. this is the last part before the doors are shut and guido marini will speak. everybody who doesn't have to be here, leave. >> what we should say is each cardinal will be processing up to the book of the gospels, laying his hand as cardinal ray is swearing to uphold the oath they have collectively take. 115 cardinals. to underlined the some lem knle this. they wan