peter's square is normally the signal for the election of a new pope. ch bells ring when. this full chorus of bells is usually reserved for only that kind of moment. again, they're making this up as they go along. a pope departing the vatican a full peel of bells serenading the crowd that has gathered here to see him off. it is an extraordinary moment the first time in over about 600 years since that has happened. and a crowd probably pretty happy that it came out to see it. >> we now have a fuller translation, mark of the pope's last tweet which came as he was on board the helicopter. he tweeted in latin but the english translation is thank you for your love and support. may you always experience the joy that comes from putting christ at the center of your lives. yesterday the pope talked about the joys of his office but also suggested there had been dark times, saying that there were times when it appeared the lord was asleep, apparently a reference to the book of luke when jesus is sleeping on the boat in the sea of galilee with the apostles and the s

until a new pope is elected, the college of cardinals governs the church but with limited powers. >> en the cardinals meet to elect a pope, first of all, they're locked up so that they cannot be influenced by anything from the outside, and also so they can maintain secrecy. there will be no cell phones, no radios, no newspapers, no telephones, no communication with the outside world. >> every day the cardinals one of the first orders of business is swearing an oath of absolute secrecy. under modern church rules, the conclave area is swept for bugs and other surveillance devices. >> the cardinals are not supposed to be casting votes based on their image or based on political considerations but based on who they really think is best for the church. and the notion is that doing that behind closed doors makes that somehow easier, makes that more possible. >> sequestered inside the sistine chapel, the cardinals vote by paper ballot, guided, the church says, by the holy spirit. >> they have a small piece of paper, and on it they write the name of the person that they are voting for. then th

it was within a new testament framework. this pope treats the new testament not as if it were an ancient artifact as it was a template to live one's life. sometimes in difficult circumstances, he's asking all of us in the church and in particularly these cardinals, who now have an extremely, heavy burden, laid on them. to understand, like the gospel story of peter, walking on the water, across to the boat of jesus, peter walking from the boat to jesus, excuse me that you can do impossible things if you keep your eyes on the lord. once you start looking around, once you start looking at all of those waves, you start to sink. so, there was a message in here, a challenge, that we're all in the boat together. the boat may be rocking at some times. but to bury the metaphor, we're all on the way of the cross together. i think it was quite striking that the pope said there are different ways to bear the cross. he has clearly understood his decision as not an abandonment of that way of the cross but a new way to walk it. that, too, is a chall

so the speculation is now that a new pope could possibly come from one of those regions. >>> reporter: at the vatican tonight preparations are being made to convene a meeting of the college of cardinals to elected a new pipe like the sudden and unusual retirement of pope benedict xvi, the selection of a new spiritual leader for the world's 1.2 billion catholics could offer some breaks with tradition. >> you have a number of cardinals now who are from africa, south america and asia. i think it would not be a shock if we had somebody from one of those places. >> reporter: santa clara university's father michael mccarthy says the cardinals have always at least in the last several centuries picked a european priest. but this time, those considered top contenders are from around the world and third world including: >> it's always a mystery what the college of cardinals thinks when they gather. but i do think that they are aware that catholicism is increasingly becoming a global reality. >> reporter: many parishioners coming to saint joseph's cathedral in san jose are praying for the cardin

. >> but up next as the college of cardinals prepares to pick a new pope the vatican is out with new information about a health scare for the guy who still has the job. >>> as rome prepares for the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope there are new details about pope benedict's day to day living when he retires at the end of the month. danielle nottingham brings us the latest from the vatican. >> reporter: the vatican revealed pope benedict's closest aide will remain his private secretary and will also run the new pope's household. the duel role for the monsignor is raising questions about how much influence benedict will have over his successor. >> no one has said exactly what he's going to do and it's going to be benedict who decides what does and doesn't do. even the pope's brother has suggested the new pope would be wise to consult the former pope from time to time. >> reporter: the pope told the priest in rome thursday morning he'll be hidden from view after stepping down. the holy father says he'll live a life of prayer at a former monastery inside the vatican walls. even thou

a new pope is white smoke. i assume slacker spoap bong smoke. -- slacker pope is bong smoke. [ laughter ] [cheers and applause] why is the holy see saying holy see you later? >> it's strength of mind and body is necessary. strength has tee deteriorating in me to the extend that i could accurately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. >> stephen: really? i'm calling p.m. it on this one. [cheers and applause] first of all, you dent get to leave for that? you think i'm mentally and physically up to doing my job? absolutely not. i'm duct taped to this chair every night and the only reason my lips are still moving is because they rub the top of my mouth with peanut butter. [ laughter ] pope benedict is clearly being pushed out. i know this may shock you but it's possible that the catholic church is involved if a coverup. [ laughter ] i just -- i just cannot get over this. what is benedict going to do with himself in retirement? become a wal-mart greeter, or i don't know take up a new hobby? i have no interest in seei

>>> washington's archbishop now on his way to rome to help select a new pope. first, breaking news right now where police are investigating two suspicious deaths. they found a man and a woman dead in the home of the 7200 block of bunker hill road. we have a news crew on the way with the latest information tonight on wusa9 at 11:00. at this hour washington's archbishop was on their way to rome to begin the process of electing a new pope to replace pope benedict xvi. we caught up with the cardinal at dulles international airport before boarding his flight. he is among some 11 u.s. cardinals in the coming week to do a new vote on the pope. as surae chinn reports, he held sunday mass in northeast before leaving. >> you're going to need all the things we can get because this is a very important responsibility. >> parishioners and others sent prayers for the cardinal as he embarks on a world to elect a new pope. >> what has become the theme. >> reporter: he spent his last sunday mass before heading to rome honoring pope benedict xvi. >> and home to get the job done. a

they want to install the new pope before the holy week begins. that gives them to march 17th to complete the process and the process is complex. especially with the scandals surrounding the catholic church. today, one of the cardinals that will help select the new pope spoke in the bay area. >> a man of prayer, a man of faith. retired archbishop preparing to go to rome to choose the next pope. as he focuses on the need to the church, there are those that feel he should have a stronger stand against pedophile priests and those that protect them. >> the church needs to act in a responsible way. like any institution. just because of religion, just because they are a church, does not make them immune from reporting child abuse. >> tim lennon of snap survivors network said he was abused and raped by a priest when he was 13. he does not want father mahoney to be in the process to choose the new pope. >> for them, a sitting cardinal or a cardinal who is recently been asked to step out of any kind of public ministry, to participate in perhaps one of the

historic breaking news. pope benedict xvi announcing to his cardinals in latin, he's resigning due to age and declining strength. he is 85. will turn 86 in april. the last pope to resign is pope gregory in 1415. >> we didn't cover that one to be honest. all jokes aside, this is so unprecedented for all of us here. raises so many questions. what happens now? can a pope resign? a pope can resign. for a long time, the pope felt they should not resign, a father could not leave his flock. but pope benedict xvi, from the time he was cardinal ratzinger, he said a pope could resign if he felt he was not physically up to his the job. >> talked about it in his book. there are questions about the why. you have alluded to his declining health and people said he felt very frail. and he gets god's strength through his mission, and he would they were cleaning up this at the vatican and church scandals that led back to the vatican as well. a lot of questions about what it would be. john paul ii, thinking about resigning, prepare

i have no idea who will be the new pope. no one knows that. but it is possible that he will make inquiries with the council. that is possible. but no onenows that. >> they have already canceled their next pope benedict order. he has not been the most charismatic leaders, but his shocking resignation has marked him in history. >> the entry you're on the new hope is already bursting. what do they have to deal with? joining me now is the monsignor here in rome. first of all, who should it be? a reformer or a conservative? sex abuse scandals, the role of women -- who should it be? >> first of all it needs to be someone who is a man of prayer and a man of god. someone who can listen to people and decide what is best for the world or the church. someone who is his own man. a reformer or a conservative, it does not really matter. >> you say his own man. pope benedict shows many of the cardinals set to make that decision. the feeling is that he has already put pointers in. >> that will be up to the cardinals to decide when they discuss this. it is neve

will the new pope seek counsel from the next pope?hat's what everybody wants to know. when we talk about being in unchartereder the terror, that's exa exactly. what will happen when you have two popes in vatican city, where do loyalties lie? pope benedict has made it very clear that he's not looking to hang on to the reins of power. this has been a great burden on him, he himself, he himself referred to the papacy as a great weight yesterday. and that he does want to retire and do what he enjoys most and that is reading and writing. and spending more time in prayer and meditation. he said, this is not just a personal desire of his, he said that he has done this, he has heard god's calling. that is what has led to this decision to essentially cloister himself off as he retires. and so, while he'll be just across the garden from the new pope, if the new pope wanted to walk across the garden to the pope benedict's residence, he could do that, but no one expects that benedict will walk across the garden and start offering free advice to t

rome time, and at that point a conclave will be called for the election of new popes. l that time, the holy see really continues, as has always continued, in the present circumstances, which are certainly not normal. the last pope to resign, as you know was pope greg torrie ory t. and the report will provide a successor. >>> a conclave besides a very emotional time and consequence quenchally time in the church is also a logistical nightmare of sorts, because you have to bring in the cardinals from literally all around the world with really no advance warning. in this case, you have advance warning, though the indication from the pope is he would like a new pope in place by the end of march, in other words, there would not be -- someone not on the throne of peter for the period of a month or less. is that an indication that plans will be made and the conclave could happen very quickly? >> oh, my understanding is that the conclave will really be set in motion right away. i can be very sure that already plans are being made for the various meetings which take place before

cardinal edwin o'brien will help elect the new pope. he calls the decision to step aside is an act in humility. the current archbishop agrees. he weighed in on the task ahead of the new pope. >> can he embrace every language and culture on the face of this earth? imagine the job description that is. >> the archbishop says he does recall the pope saying if he reached the time he didn't have the stamina for the job, he would step aside. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. urningts and staff are mornin a popular teacher at that was killed on monday, devin spence. his car collided with a school bus before 7:00 a.m. on monday. his car slid across the center line, hit the bus, and burst into flames. >> he was always kind and helping us to make ourselves better. he will definitely be missed. >> icy road conditions may have been a factor in the crash. 6:06. which modern conveniences do americans find it hardest to par with? >> the biggest blowout of the year in the big easy. we will take a look at how the party is going in new orleans. >>

stunning news from the vatican. pope benedict xvi is resigning at the end of the month. >>> a massive tornado tears through mississippi, causing major damage to the university. >>> mumford was the word at last night's grammys. and mike piazza is here since the baseball hall of fame snubbed him. >>> but we begin this morning's today "eye opener," your world in 90 seconds. >> this is major news coming out of the vatican. >> breaking news, pope benedict xvi set to step down. >> he'll step down february 28, the last pope to freely resign within the 13th century. >>> what a tornado. it's going to cross the interstate. it crossed the interstate. >> at least 15 tornadoes were reported in alabama and mississippi. >>> a huge twister. >> several buildings on the southern university of mississippi campus hit. >> this is surreal. >>> meanwhile thousands are still without power after the massive snowstorm hit the northeast. >> there are reports another big storm is coming. are you ready for that. >> i don't even want to think about i

outside of selecting a new pope. are controversies and scandals surrounding this. >> in fact, the last pope to resign was pope gregory xii that was a nearly 40-year split since the church played a central part in politics and this was slowly transitioning in the renaissance. so there was some scandals when the last pope resigned about 600 years ago. the pope will be leaving, he says, for health reasons. he's had a long his tris of health problems. he actually tried to step down before he became pope but his pred -- had you his predecessor warranted him to stay and he was elected by the conclave eight years ago. just around easter around the hope is the new pope will be put in by easter which is march 31st in a few weeks. >> we heard some of the final public comments of pope benedict xvi. he said that sometimes he water were agitated and the winds were blowing against the church. there's a lot going on. >> yeah, and we will continue to follow the pope as he leaves the vatican as he -- as he now arrives south of rome an

pope to resign in six centuries. this is incredibly unusual. were you shocked when you heard the news? >> i was shocked at the timing. but i was not shocked he had resigned. he had already written from time to time it was appropriate for a pope to resign. >> he had written that in his 2010 book "light of the world," where if a pope realizes they are no longer physically able it would be their obligation to resign. what does this mean for his legacy? >> the papacy which is relatively short, the combination of that and the sex abuse scandal, probably means we'll see him in 50 years or something like that as the consolidation of the conservative movement of the papacy. he will be seen as the second part of the john paul ii papacy rather than as somebody who made a huge mark of his own, at least not in terms of the wider world. >> beyond those efforts, was he trying to change the church in any way? >> he came in saying he was willing to make the church smaller if it would make it holier, which to some extent he may have achieved. he believed in internal evangelization. >> what do you think

new territory. can the church cope with having an ex-pope alive while a new pope tripes to create his own legacy? >> this is the tremendous question that lies before us. there is no job description for a retired pope. >> reporter: so, benedict remains pope until the end of the month. the cardinal s have to assemble here for a conclave to elect his successor. that takes us to mid-march. that means a billion catholics around the world should have a new pope by easter. diane? >> all right, jeffrey, thank you. and, of course, that new pope will have to face the call for change, from many people in the american catholic church. there are 77.7 million catholics here in the united states. nearly 1 in 4 of us is catholic. and rhode island, new jersey and massachusetts still have the highest concentration of catholics but in sheer numbers, the biggest growth is among hispanics. and abc's cecilia vega spent the day gathering american reaction from all over. cecilia? >> reporter: good evening, diane. we're here at st. mary's cathedral in san francisco and we've been speaking with catholics all day long, and

we could have a canadian. >> 119 cardinals will vote in the upcoming conclave to select a new pope, mostf whom were appointed by pope john paul. both religious conservatives, so expect a conservative voice to be chosen. something young catholics accept. >> i feel like moderate is fine. i'm a card carrying liberal. but -- >> you don't think the church needs to go that direction? >> i don't know if people are ready. >> i would like to see them go toward pope john paul, ii, he was a very endearing pope. >> obviously those students at st. mary's don't speak for everyone, but i did talk to a number of others, nobody expects a liberal hope to be chosen. all they hope is that someone keeps the catholic church out of the news. david jackson, kpix5. >>> tomorrow evening, president obama will deliver his fourth state of the union address. the white house says the president eats speech 's speech will serve as a bookend to the inaugural address. however, when the president stands before congress, his main focus will be on the economy. >> the core emphasis that he has always placed in these big speec

pope. in a few days, a conclave of cardinals will elect a new pontiff. some are worried at the prospect of having both a reigning pope and the retired one. an addict tried to dispel -- benedict ride to dispel any fears of conflict. >> among you cardinals is the future pope. to him i promise my unconditional reverence and obedience. >> this is likely to be the pope's most important message before he sets off for the papal retreat, castel gandolfo, south of rome. the small town is already getting ready to receive its most important visitor. >> yes. we are getting ready for his arrival. as we have always done. but this time, we hope it will be much bigger, to show our love and our affection. >> benedict will spend two months here, beginning a quiet life of prayer and academic study. castel gandolfo elong stu vatican city, much like a foreign -- castel gandolfo belongs to vatican city, much like a foreign embassy. benedict will return to vatican city. in the future, he will reside just a few meters away. it is being refurbished in preparation for his arrival.

news, paris. but let's return to the main story, " but added xvi is to resign his post as the head of the catholic church -- pope benedict xvi. for people joining, just remind us where we are with this momentum moved this morning. >> out of the blue announcement came from the italian news agency the pope has resigned. none of us could quite believe that the moment it could be true. there have not been any rumors. nobody was talking about it. he did not seem to be ill or anything. but it happened and it is true and he made an announcement in latin himself saying he felt -- in the last few months his strength of mind and body, which are necessary for the job, has deteriorated to the extent i have to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. in other words, it looks like a health this an enormous job. after all, he is 85. >> we heard from the gentleman papers are referencing an interview that he has given which really alluded perhaps to not being in the best of health. >> it looks as if he has been paving the way. that he would step down if he did not feel he was capable of doing t

the way we have all received the news was the pope made the announcement himself in latin. then it was picked up by the italian wire service first -- and then such a big news both pope will design grid -- will resign. of the first pope to resign in modern times. it was picked up immediately across the globe. it seems he will step down on february 28. it remains to be seen exactly what is going to happen after that. >> this po was elected, in fact, at the age of 78 -- pope was elected at the age of 78. >> he has been pope for now in number of years. it was always thought that he was not going to be pope for a very long time. but, you know, he is not a young man. he is 85 years old. he may have decided to take this step because of health reasons, or there may be other motives. the motives that have led to the decision that he announced today, that he will in fact step down, are still unclear at this time. >> we are still waiting to hear, in fact, on the reason behind this announcement and the public's resignation. just once again, a reminder to all of our viewers just joining

third world country to better reflect the catholic population. >> a lot of people think that the new pope should come from those -- one of those developing countries so that the church can really emphasize those issues. >> reporter: parishioners say they would like to see a change from trends of popes in the past. >> a lot of catholics who attend mass are old enough so we need attract young families, more abundantly. >> there's a lot of, uhm, i would say candidates for the papacy that need to be taken into consideration not being italian and there's a lot of countries in the world that need to be looked at. >> reporter: san francisco archdiocese tells us former san francisco archbishop now cardinal william levada will be part of the conclave that will select the new pope. the cardinals expect to hold a conclave to select the new pope before the end of march. in san francisco, cate caugiran, kpix 5. >>> a manhunt continues in southern california for the ex- lapd officer accused of killing three people. a reported sighting at a lowe's home improvement store in northridge was a false alarm.

. >> i continue with my prayers and ask each of you to pray for me and for the new pope. >> after the speech, the pope greeted crowds at his popemobile. of course, they are going to take a chopper to the papal summer residence outside the city of rome. >> christiane amanpour is joining us. details about how the pope will live his life out. pretty fascinating. we' we're. >> reporter: you're absolutely right. we are on unchartered waters. the last time this happened was 600 years ago. pope benedict xvi after tomorrow, a new pope elected sometime we can expect before it begins on palm sunday, march 24th. so this is what is going to happen. he is going to leave the vatican tomorrow at 5:00 p. mrk local time. and there we are told he will stay for at least a couple of months, the logistics completed and the renovation and also, of course, to try to put some distance between him and pope emeritus for the new pope. those are the basic details of what we know. we do know that his private secretary will continue to minister to him and live with him in that convent that he will end up in. he wi

>> gretchen: we're following a fox news alert. pope mornings he will resign at the ends of the month. fox news religion correspondent lauren green will have all the breaking details coming up next. >> brian: are you guilty of this? exposing way too much on your facebook page. well, our next guest has some tips on how you can clean up your profile. first, lauren green, then we'll clean up everybody's profile when someone in my family gets the flu. fact: advil not only relieves body aches and pains that can come with the flu, it also reduces fever fast. relief doesn't get any better than this. advil. but that doesn't mean i don't want to make money.stor. i love making money. i try to be smart with my investments. i also try to keep my costs down. what's your plan? ishares. low cost and tax efficient. find out why nine out of ten large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefu

-- statesman, due to fly to rome to help choose the new pope. >> the holy father excepted on february 18, the resignation .rom the cardinal >> the first minister said he had heard the news of cardinal o'brien's resignation with great sadness. >> allegations have to be properly investigated. i don't think they have the right circumstances. it overshadows almost 50 years as a priest. all the substantial work he has done for his church and country. >> the claims against cardinal o'brien were clearly intended to coincide with his imminent retirement. his accusers evidently decided to publicize them after the pope's resignation to stop the cardinal taking part in the election. >> once it becomes public knowledge, it puts immense pressure on the church. obviously, there are already discussions going on about the pope's resignation and what is going to happen next. more than a distraction, i think it could cast a shadow over his participation in the conclave. >> although cardinal o'brien took the decision to step down himself, it was pressure from , evidently concerned about the nature of th

the college of cardinals will select the new pope. it has to happen around marshall attend. traditionally, by precedent, normally a is 15 days after the pope dies or retires before cardinals come in to make that decision. >> his departure could be considered controversial, but the sheer numbers, we see these banners and the numbers out there to show that he is still well respected and well loved. been a mixture of emotions this past week. there has been a lot of sadness, a lot of shocked. abouts some consternation what this all means, what the implications are of a former pontiff and a new pope living in the same place where the high walls have secrecy. he has said that he will contemplate and be in prayer for his remaining days on this earth. that are many who believe he can argue anything but influence simply by his mere presence putting psychological pressure on the new pope and there are issues also in relation to its private secretary a loyal promoted to archbishop just before christmas. he will be in both households. he will be in the formal popple household-- papal and

how soon, ben, are we expecting the cardinals to meet and choose a new pope to take over? >> well, those, that sort of process won't really begin until the first of march after the pope steps down officially. and then there's discussion of holding the conclave, that meeting of 116 cardinals to elect a new pope as early as the 15th of march, possibly earlier if all the cardinals are in place for that conclave to take place. suzen? >> ben wedemen, thanks so much for that live report. appreciate it. >>> meanwhile, one u.s. cardinal who will take part in electing the new pope was interviewed by police before flying to italy. we are talking about cardinal mahony. it was all about a priest accused of molesting dozens of boys in the l.a. area while mahony was in charge at the time. he has been deposed before, but this was the first time he was asked about new reports that he shielded priests who were accused of abuse. >>> the latest now on oscar pistorius. he isn't the only one in his family accused of killing someone, you heard right. overnight we learned his brother is charged i

you can't elect a new pope until the present pope departed the scene. >> george weigel on the phone forhis breaking news out of rome and the vatican that pope benedict xvi will abdicate as george said on february 28th. george, thank you very much. claudio, thank you as well. we're going to have much more on this announcement coming up this morning on "today." i'm matt lauer in new york. this has been an nbc news special report. >>> back here at "news4 today" at 6:24. again, the breaking news this morning. the surprising breaking news out of the vatican that pope benedict xvi will resign at the end of this month citing health concerns. >> that's right. he's 85 years old. he said he will resign at the end of this month on february 28th. keep it right here on nbc4 all day for updates on this breaking this is my friend diane. she's played by the rules her whole life. but then the rules flew right out the window. having just lost her husband, she stepped up and adopted her three grandkids, while working full time and caring for her brother, eddie, with cerebral palsy. i get the three childre

the news came as the pope accepted a report into what is likely to be his successor's greatest burden. an internal investigation into power struggles and corruption within the vatican hierarchy. the pope ordered the investigation after his butler was found to have stolen papers off his desk. john thavis is author of "the vatican diaries: an inside look at the church." >> it all forms part of the burden, i think, that was placed on pope benedict so i think it went into his decision to resign. >> reporter: and now goes into the decisions of choosing a successor. >> absolutely. i think the cardinals are going to want someone who is strong enough so that he won't be victimized by all the around him inside the vatican walls. >> reporter: benedict ordered that the report be kept secret and shown only to his successor. cardinal bishop robert morlino of madison, wisconsin, says the church needs an effective manager. >> we need someone with very strong gifts for spirituality and holiness and very strong gifts for governance and administration right now. i don't think there would be any disagre

again, this will be the first time in history a new pope will reside at the vatican with an ex pope,ch some say could lead to interesting challenges in the leadership of the catholic church. >>> more details now and a time line of pope benedict xvi, nearly eight years as the leader of the catholic church. he was speaking out about child sex abuse by members of the clergy describing it as something that affects every level of society. he announced his resignation citing his age and deteriorating health, making him the first for 600 years to step down. now that he has stepped down, he will have to follow rules set by the vatican. he will keep the name benedict xvi and still be addressed at your holiness. he will also still dress in the white gown, but will give up the red shoes that are traditionally worn by the pope symbolizing the blood of the martyrs. instead he's chosen to wear brown shoes that were given to him on a recent trip to mexico. area catholic churches joined together honoring the pope. saint mary's cathedral held a mass in thanks. >> we pray this morning for benedict, ou

to elect a new pope. one can imagine there will be an emphasis on electing a new pope by easter. icated to prayer. an historic morning, josh. one we will remember. >> dan harris, thank you. >>> breaking news in wilmington, delaware a man opened fire inside a courthouse you see here. at least one other person was also wounded. >>> as sam has been telling us, all weekend long, parts of the south, littered with twisted debris after a powerful batch of tornadoes, as many as 15 through last night. one ripped through hattiesburg, mississippi. damaging hundreds of homes and more than 50 people injured. >>> a cruise ship nightmare in the gulf of mexico. the carnival "triumph" is stranded after a fire in the engine room knocked out power. it will take until wednesday to return port. >>> an army veteran will receive the medal of honor today. from president obama today. former staff sergeant clint romesha led the effort to retake a remote u.s. outpost in a firefight in 2009 that left eight american soldiers dead. the father of three will be the first lady's guest at the state of the union to

we understand that the conclave, the coming together and voting for a new pope will begin in a week. obviously the pope is a major world figure, leading 1.2 billion catholics worldwide. we can see the media behind you. what is the kind of atmosphere there. >> i really think it is fair to say that there is a mood of excitement. there is a great sense that we are into something extraordinary in the history of the catholic church. the throng growing all the time, it can only get bigger, surely. >> we are all waiting to find out what the retired pope will be called what he steps down. we will have to see. a state of the union address by the president of the united states is an opportunity to expand his policy priorities. no surprise that his focus is growth and jobs. in his address the president said he wanted to restore a driving middle-class that he described as the engine of the economy. >> there was perhaps a new presidential swagger. this is a man emboldened by victory and liberated from having to run for office again. >> together we have cleared away the rubble of crisis. we can sa

. >>> catholics could have a new pope sooner than first expected. the vatican said today that the meeting of senior church officials to select the new pope, a process known as the conclave, may begin sooner than expected. by church rules say a conclave must begin 15 to 20 days after the seat becomes vacant after a period of mourning. but this time there's no need to mourn because pope benedict xvi decided to resign, speeding up the process could potentially give the church a new pope the week before easter. >> russia says there is cleanup after a meteor caused significant dang. [screaming] >> that sonic boom and resulting pressure wave blew out windows, more than a thousand people were hurt. skype differences believe the meteor weighed 10 tons before hitting the atmosphere. authorities are looking for rem nantz but have found no trace. >> experts say there's that connection between the meteor explosion in russia and a fireball sighted streaking croat the southern california sky. someone claimed to have recorded the meteor while driving down 280. exp

>> well, the whole church at this point is invited to be praying for the new pope. beginning in -- at 2:00 p.m. eastern time we'll no longer mention pope benedict's name during mass other than to pray for him in his retirement. but in the place we normally pray for the pope at mass, we'll now skip that part and we won't be praying for the pope until a new pope is elected. but the church is -- church throughout the world is encouraged to pray now for the cardinals as they prepare to elect a new pope. >> so you're going to put that into the service, into mass? >> yeah, you're going to have to. >> wow. >> you're going to want to. >> of course. >> as grand as this is looking at this, the cnn belief blog person that we have, good old eric who we rely on, he wrote a wonderful article on our cnn blog about the residence being prepared. we've heard about it as a monastery, a convent. it's the old gardener's house. you think of something so grand that he's moving into that they're getting ready. >> where he goes after this. while he's staying here, it's getting readied. i tho

so i don't think you'll get a new pope who will repeal church teaching on abortion or gay marriage. but you could get a pope who uses the post modern world a little more and put a more positive face to the message. >> i want to go to ben we'der man. are the crowds saying anything now? >> people are very much waiting to see and to hear from pope benedict. now, the the italian authorities said they were expecting up to 200,000 people to come today and we know that even in some italian schools, the children have been told if they're an september today, they will not be penalized. in order to accommodate the large crowd that's expected, he's doing it outside. people from all over the world here. we're joined actually by one guest, kevin, from washington, d.c., who is visiting rome. your thoughts on this historic day, the next to the last day of pope benedict in office. >> what a for fa nominal week to be here in rome. being a catholic myself, i was so fortunate to be in the area and be able to make it out here today. you know you're watching history. >> and are you going to be here throu

. >>> the vatican praerz to select a new pope. sglshgs prepares to select a new pope. >>> what police are telling us so far tonight. >>> if you watched the oscars last night, you are not alone. but the s the strategy to attract younger viewers work. >>> a warmer trend is coming to the bay area. just how warm you're going to get. coming up. . you're on timeout leo! ♪ ♪ some things won't last 25 years. ah! woof. some things will. save up to 20% on an ikea kitchen. you're o♪ ♪meout leo! some things won't last 25 years. ah! woof. some things will. save up to 20% on an ikea kitchen. . >>> following developing news out of oakland. that's where authorities right now are searching for a suspect. this is happening in the area of 87th and birch. we're bringing you pictures from news chopper two taken an hour ago. oakland police, alameda k-nine-unit and bomb squad are on the scene. they also have a chopper over he did. it is a largely residential area no word on who authorities are looking for but the crews at the scene tells us that the pol

would the new pope consider married priests or women priests or gay marriage or sexual reproduction -- reproductive freedom? you have to remember the cardinals that are going to elect the next pope are just as conservative as pope benedict xvi and pope john paul ii. george can certainly speak to this. nobody is expecting sort of a great turn in the theological direction of the catholic church. what is -- what will be interesting and cardinal spoke to that this morning. the archbishop of wash washington. he said what is important in today's age, given 24 hour news cycles and our constant communication, is the men industry of presence and that means traveling the world. especially to asia, latin america, and africa where the church is growing, and that was something that clearly this pope felt he could no longer do, and it's a really, really important part of the job. >> and i saw that in havana when he was last march. it was a very limited communication or contact with the people. it wasn't like in the early days when we saw john paul iind first in alaska and then in denver with the yo

catholics may have a new pope sooner than they think. >> today the pope made history by changing church law. >> pope benedict xvi revised the rule on how his successor will be chosen. cardinals no longer have to wait 15 days. after benedict steps down thursday, cardinals can decide to move up the secret ceremony to elect a pope, known as the conclave. >> they should decide as quickly as possible. i thought it would be something that would take a lot longer. >> the vatican would like it in place in place before march 24. the new pope must be installed a week earlier. when voting starts, keith o'brian will be absent. the vatican confirms o'brian resigned amid allegations -- he denied the accusations and said he does not want the allegations to be a distraction. >> fact that his resignation has been accepted by pope benedict, i think is significant. not of guilt, but certainty that we want an investigation to begin. >> some tourists at the vatican say the new allegations are another blemish for the church. >> sad. very sad. >> it's really a shame that they have to experience that. >> pope