and by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from jon and jo ann hagler. (taking oath in latin) >> narrator: a year ago, when the cardinals converged on rome to elect a new pope, they all understood what was at stake. >> the atmosphere was the most serious, the most intense that i've ever, ever known because of the issues which the church was facing. at the top level in rome, things were not going well. and then the shame of child abuse has had a most serious effect, i think, on the church-- not just in the west, but i think all over the world. the catholic church, and in particular the pope, has the highest moral voice in the world. if that voice is diminished by scandals, that's a serious matter. >> narrator: this was one of the shortest conclaves ever. (crowd cheering) (bells ringing) by the evening of the next day, white smoke from the chimney of the sistine chapel confirmed that 1.2 billion catholics had a new pope. (crowd cheering) (cameras snapping) (cheering continues) (speaking italian) >> he said, "i'll give you my blessing," but before the bisho