craig boswell is live in rome with the latest details. >> good morning to you. the college of cardinals for the election of a pope is underway. this event is open to the public. we have the live pictures there that we have up. it is one of the last public events for the 115 cardinals who will eventually make one of the largest decisions the biggest decisions certainly in their lives in about an hour and a half from now as you mentioned we will see the procession into the sis seen chapel. as for the visual pag gentry that is the last time we will see the cardinals until they make a decision. we take in these pictures we listen to some of this as the history begins to unfold today as the conclave gets underway. let me show you something else. a little bit earlier today we have one of the final glimpse as they were leaving the north american college they were packed and ready going to the living quarters until a decision is made. we saw video of the white robes that the new pope once selected will wear as the one person who is chosen he will have an hour to apeerp

our reporter, craig boswell, is there live in rome with a look at the many challenges facing pope francisaig? >> reporter: dave, good morning. a lot ahead for the former archbishop of buenos aires. the surprise of the former archbishop, now pope francis, up and at 'em early, 8:00 rome time, it's now after 1:30 in the afternoon. last evening coming to the balcony, breaking with tradition, instead of blessing the audience at first, he turned it around and asked them to pray for him. >> i ask you to pray to the lord to bless me. >> pope francis appearing on the balcony in front of thousands, the name taken from st. francis of assisi, the 13th century friar who lived a life of poverty. >> one of the wonderful things about the cardinal choosing the name francis, he's pointing us toward renewing. >> reporter: renewing the image of the church is a major task for the new pontiff, the electing cardinals consider him a seasoned and popular pastor who would draw followers to the faith. >> where he comes from is gravy. we got a lot of good gravy with a man coming now from latin america. you talk abou

our reporter, craig boswell, is there live in rome with a look at the many challenges facing pope francis. craig? >> reporter: dave, good morning. a lot ahead for the former archbishop of buenos aires. the surprise of the former archbishop, now pope francis, up and at 'em early, 8:00 rome time, it's now after 1:30 in the afternoon. last evening coming to the balcony, breaking with tradition, instead of blessing the audience at first, he turned it around and asked them to pray for him. >> i ask you to pray to the lord to bless me. >> pope francis appearing on the balcony in front of thousands, the name taken from st. francis of assisi, the 13th century friar who lived a life of poverty. >> one of the wonderful things about the cardinal choosing the name francis, he's pointing us toward renewing. >> reporter: renewing the image of the church is a major task for the new pontiff, the electing cardinals consider him a seasoned and popular pastor who would draw followers to the faith. >> where he comes from is gravy. we got a lot of good gravy with a man coming now from latin america. you talk

we have reporter craig boswell live in rome. e, craig, what is the latest there this morning? >> reporter: dave, good morning to you there. good afternoon to you from here. it's 2:30 in the afternoon. you can bet by the way benedict xvi is certainly being apprised. he's being kept up to date with what is going on. so it's 2:30 in the afternoon here in rome. here's what take place the remainder of this date. in two hours the cardinals will return from lunch. they will go back in for another two rounds of voting. that is around 4:30, 4:45 rome time. three hours from that we should get the next indication that next puff of white or black smoke coming up from that chimney that has been placed on top of the sistine chapel to alert us to what they are thinking. where this vote is going if they elect a pope or if they don't. we're also told if this round of voting is inconclusive today the leader the favor is arch bishop of malian he would move down in that list and other cardinal candidates would move up. that's what people close to th

we have reporter craig boswell live in rome. , what is the latest there this morning? >> reporter: dave, good morning to you there. good afternoon to you from here. it's 2:30 in the afternoon. you can bet by the way benedict xvi is certainly being apprised. he's being kept up to date with what is going on. so it's 2:30 in the afternoon here in rome. here's what take place the remainder of this date. in two hours the cardinals will return from lunch. they will go back in for another two rounds of voting. that is around 4:30, 4:45 rome time. three hours from that we should get the next indication that next puff of white or black smoke coming up from that chimney that has been placed on top of the sistine chapel to alert us to what they are thinking. where this vote is going if they elect a pope or if they don't. we're also told if this round of voting is inconclusive today the leader the favor is arch bishop of malian he would move down in that list and other cardinal candidates would move up. that's what people close to this vote

craig boswell is live in rome with the many responsibilities that lie ahead for pope francis this morning. craig? >> reporter: brian, good morning to you. that's a lot of firsts, that could be an indication people here are saying of a change, really in tone and change in path for the roman catholic church. these are some headlines from the local italian papers, the surprise of francisco, the former archbishop taking on the name pope francis, and immediately coming out and breaking with tradition right off the bat, instead of blessing the crowd, asking them to pray for him. >> i ask you to pray to the lord to bless me. >> one of the wonderful things about the cardinal choosing the name francis, he's pointing us toward this renewal. >> reporter: renewing the image of the church is a major task, the electing cardinals consider him a seasoned and popular pastor who would draw followers to the faith. >> where he comes from is gravy. we've got a lot of good gravy with a man coming now from latin america. you talk about a booster shot to the church in the americas. this is going to be a real ble

we'll be going live to rome for an update but first, craig boswell has a report on the start of the papalonclave. >> reporter: a puff of smoke will be the next news we get from the vatican as the cardinals decide on the next pope. cardinals are celebrating their first public mass before going into the sistine chapel. they are hearing a final appeal. and cardinal angelo delano said they will work tirelessly during this process. >> translator: let us pray the new pope can continue on this world level. >> i think many hope it won't be too long. >> reporter: this was the first, the resignation of pope benedict xvi, in many years. the job is not expected to be an easy one. >> it would be crazy for anyone to want to be pope. it's an office of tremendous sacrifice. i'm sure they are in fearful awe, even terror about the possibility of them coming out as the new pope. >> the cardinals are not obligated to vote on the first day but as we saw, they did. it takes a two-thirds majority to elect the next pontiff. many catholics were waiting outside the sistine chapel for the first time of a decision w

craig boswell is live in rome with the many responsibilities that lie ahead for pope francis this morning. craig? >> reporter: brian, good morning to you. that's a lot of firsts, that could be an indication people here are saying of a change, really in tone and change in path for the roman catholic church. these are some headlines from the local italian papers, the surprise of francisco, the former archbishop taking on the name pope francis, and immediately coming out and breaking with tradition right off the bat, instead of blessing the crowd, asking them to pray for him. >> i ask you to pray to the lord to bless me. >> one of the wonderful things about the cardinal choosing the name francis, he's pointing us toward this renewal. >> reporter: renewing the image of the church is a major task, the electing cardinals consider him a seasoned and popular pastor who would draw followers to the faith. >> where he comes from is gravy. we've got a lot of good gravy with a man coming now from latin america. you talk about a booster shot to the church in the americas. this is going to be a real ble

craig boswell has been reporting from rome all week. ell us about the special mass that will start in just about a half-hour from right now. it's about 4:30 rome time. we're about 30 minutes away from the first mass. it's been a busy day for the new pope. it began very early this morning as he went through rome's main basilica and went out to meet some people. kind of doing what he does. going out to meet the people and everyone is still talking about his appearance last night when he flipped the script on everyone, instead of traditionally blessing everyone there in the audience, the 100,000 or so people, he asked them to pray for him. >> translator: i ask you to pray to the lord to bless me. >> reporter: now known as pop francis, appearing for the first time on the famed balcony in front of thousands. the name taken from st. francis, the 13th century italian preacher who lived a life of poverty. >> one of the wonderful things about cardinal bergoglio choosing the name france, he's really pointing us towards this renewal. >> reporter: t

craig boswell has been reporting from rome all week. n, craig and tell us about the special mass that will start in just about a half-hour from right now. it's about 4:30 rome time. we're about 30 minutes away from the first mass. it's been a busy day for the new pope. it began very early this morning as he went through rome's main basilica and went out to meet some people. kind of doing what he does. going out to meet the people and everyone is still talking about his appearance last night when he flipped the script on everyone, instead of traditionally blessing everyone there in the audience, the 100,000 or so people, he asked them to pray for him. >> translator: i ask you to pray to the lord to bless me. >> reporter: now known as pop francis, appearing for the first time on the famed balcony in front of thousands. the name taken from st. francis, the 13th century italian preacher who lived a life of poverty. >> one of the wonderful things about cardinal bergoglio choosing the name france, he's really pointing us towards this renewal.

our reporter craig boswell is live in rome where the preparations are underway. craig?porter: dave, good afternoon from me to you. good morning to you. we're eight hours ahead of you. the 115 cardinals, more than that, today, that have gone into these pre-conclave meetings, they've wrapped up all of these meetings. that's wrapped up. they've discussed all of the things they wanted to discuss over the needs, the needs of the church, crisis facing the church. now, it's onto the conclave that begins tomorrow. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> reporter: for the second straight week there was no blessing for pilgrims to the vaticans. the number of tourists in st. peter's square was relatively small on sunday as windows of the papal apartment remains closed. >> translator: it's very different. we're living in a very exceptional time without a pope. >> reporter: cardinals took a break to fan out across rome and celebrate sunday mass. along with traditional services, the clergymen offered a special praise for their special momentous ahead. >> translator: let us pray for the

craig boswell is live in rome now with more on the historical events taking place today. od morning, craig. >> reporter: good morning to you, tori. it's afternoon here with a really horrific weather day. rain and hail. the cardinals, we are bea to see them one final time -- we are about to see them one final time before they lock themselves in. earlier we caught up with the american cardinals as they were leaving the residence headed toward the vatican before they go on lockdown. packed and ready to begin, the vatican. the entire group of cardinals will take part in mass led by angelo. they will take an oath of secrecy before the conclave, likely similar to one the members of the staff took yesterday. there's no clear front-runner to be the next pontiff. let's say the cardinals will have to choose someone who is not just start but a leader in the 21st century. >> the last two papalcies we elected the smartest man in the world. maybe it's time to elect someone who listens to the other smart people in the room and the church itself and brings these creative people together.

craig boswell is live in roam where the next round of voting should happen in the next few hours. reporter: tori, yes, in fact, it's 3:30 here rome time. it's 3:30 in the afternoon. the next round of voting is scheduled to begin in an hour from now. so figure about three and a half hours after that, about 8:00 rome time, we'll get the next indication of how the cardinals are voting, whether they elect a pope or now. we've had two rounds of voting. all we've seen so far two times has been thick, black smoke pouring from the chimney. black smoke billowed out of the chimney atop the sistine chapel, disappointing some but hoping the first -- some who were hoping the first vote would be white smoke. >> reporter: 77 votes are needed to elect a pope. after breakfast, mass and prayer today, the cardinals begin the next stage of the vote prog ses. two rounds of votes will take place this morning and another two rounds have been scheduled in the afternoon if no one is chosen. if the first vote does not produce a new pontiff, no smoke will appear. the cardinals will vote again. if the second

craig boswell is live in roam where the next round of voting should happen in the next few hours. ig? >> reporter: tori, yes, in fact, it's 3:30 here rome time. it's 3:30 in the afternoon. the next round of voting is scheduled to begin in an hour from now. so figure about three and a half hours after that, about 8:00 rome time, we'll get the next indication of how the cardinals are voting, whether they elect a pope or now. we've had two rounds of voting. all we've seen so far two times has been thick, black smoke pouring from the chimney. black smoke billowed out of the chimney atop the sistine chapel, disappointing some but hoping the first -- some who were hoping the first vote would be white smoke. >> reporter: 77 votes are needed to elect a pope. after breakfast, mass and prayer today, the cardinals begin the next stage of the vote prog ses. two rounds of votes will take place this morning and another two rounds have been scheduled in the afternoon if no one is chosen. if the first vote does not produce a new pontiff, no smoke will appear. the cardinals will vote again. if the

reporter craig boswell has reported from rome all week and joins us now with the pope's vision for the good morning, craig. >> reporter: pam, good morning to you. by the way, the pope, pope francis, was talking about visiting pope benedict xvi today, that's not going to happen today or tomorrow but they did speak by phone last night and when he was presented on the balcony, kind of changing things up right off the bat, flipping the script instead of blessing the crowd he asked them to pray for him. >> i ask you to pray to the lord to bless me. >> cardinal jorge bergoglio, his name now taken from st. francis of assisi who lived a life of poverty. >> god said rebuild my church, one of the wonderful things about cardinal bergoglio choosing the name francis, he's pointing us to renewal. >> reporter: it's a major task for the pontiff, the electing cardinals consider him a seasoned and popular pastor. >> where he comes from is gravy. we've got a lot of good gravy with a man coming now from latin america. you talk about a booster shot to the church in the americas, this is going to be a real

reporter craig boswell has reported from rome all week and joins us now with the pope's vision for therning, craig. >> reporter: pam, good morning to you. by the way, the pope, pope francis, was talking about visiting pope benedict xvi today, that's not going to happen today or tomorrow but they did speak by phone last night and when he was presented on the balcony, kind of changing things up right off the bat, flipping the script instead of blessing the crowd he asked them to pray for him. >> i ask you to pray to the lord to bless me. >> cardinal jorge bergoglio, his name now taken from st. francis of assisi who lived a life of poverty. >> god said rebuild my church, one of the wonderful things about cardinal bergoglio choosing the name francis, he's pointing us to renewal. >> reporter: it's a major task for the pontiff, the electing cardinals consider him a seasoned and popular pastor. >> where he comes from is gravy. we've got a lot of good gravy with a man coming now from latin america. you talk about a booster shot to the church in the americas, this is going to be a real blessing

craig boswell is live in italy following this break news.e. >> exactly. good morning to you. so look, we're learning something as we go along here today. the conclave, which is that secret election to choose a pope, the earliest that conclave will begin, we're being told by the vatican today, is going to be monday of the the vatican just told us today that monday is the earliest possible date for this conclave to begin. it could be even later. there is going to be a vote at 1:00 o'clock eastern time today on when to begin the conclave, that secret election of the pope. all the cardinals arrived here at the vatican. the last of the cardinals arrived yesterday from vietnam. so this general congregation is underway. a lot to discuss in this preconclave meeting. discussing the needs of the church, the crises facing the church and what characteristics the new pope that takes on all of these challenges needs to possess. >> we have no idea who the pope is going to be. it's an exciting time and a very important time for the church. we just have to w