. >>> and kim lawton reports on the ongoing standoff between the vatican and american nuns. >>> welcome, i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. at the vatican, the college of cardinals is making preparations for the selection of the next pope now that benedict xvi has officially stepped down, the first pope to do so in over 600 years. on thursday, his final day, benedict met with the cardinals already gathered in rome and promised "unconditional reverence and obedience" to his successor. he then took a helicopter to the papal villa, castel gandolfo, where he will stay until moving to a vatican monastery for what he's said will be a life of prayer outside of public view. during his last papal audience on wednesday, benedict spoke of the joy of leading the church, as well as the many difficulties he faced a pope. >> i will continue to accompany the church with my prayers and i ask each of you to pray for me and for the new pope. with the papal seat empty, the cardinals will soon decide when to begin the conclave to elect their next leader. earlier this week, cardinal keith o'br

that was a real problem for the vatican.he books on the past thoughts of very unsavory things emerge. >> reporter: one of the letters smuggled out was from viganeaul who wrote he was slandered and sidelined from the inside. >> did gabrieli bring you that letter? >> yes. >> viganeault became the vatican representative to washington. that outraged the butler and encouraged him to leak documents. we are told the butler taught he was helping the pope reform the vatican. >> reporter: when nuzzi published the documents and put them in a book his holiness, the secret papers of benedict xvi, the book became a best seller and the scandal became an international who-done-it. in disguise the butler told nuzzi why he broke the ancient code of silence. >> translator: there is a code of silence, not to make the real truth emerge, not due to the fight for power but fear. >> reporter: the vatican police eventually figured out the butler did it. he was charged with stealing documents and sentenced to 18 months in vatican custody. pope benedi

over the vatican bureaucracy?> in terms of what's going to happen immediately, he's going to have a mass with a cardinals in the sistine chapel, the cardinals who elected him, the same space, of course, where the election took place tomorrow. if things hold to form, pope benedict eight years ago used that, delivered a homily in latin, which incidentally within 24 hours was able to put together a four-page latin homily, sort of laying out a program in synthesis for his papacy. we would expect something similar from pope francis. he'll then the next day have a meeting with journalists and we'll get some indication there how he intends to comport himself with the global media. all of that is going to be happening. however, i think in many ways, the most important debut he's going to make, and the most important tone he's going to strike, we have already seen. i mean, in five minutes, what we got was a remarkable testimony, not only to the humility of the man, but also how he understands this choice of name in practic

george weigel from the vatican tonight. george, our thanks.his first ever latin american pope is is a nod to a huge and growing power center in the church. hispanics, after all, make up about 40% of all catholics around the globe. there was, as we said, happiness throughout the region following the announcement today. nbc's miguel almaguer is in rio for us tonight. >> reporter: brian, good evening. we have been here in rio de janeiro for the last several days where there was anticipation. tonight there is joy, excitement, pride and in some places in latin america, tears in the streets. catholocism is a way of life. four of every ten catholics lives right here in this region from mexico city here to rio to buenos aires. many of the faithful believe they will have a larger voice in the church. catholics believe the pope will pay special attention to the poor. the pope has been called by some the pope of the people because of his simple way of life. in latin america they have waited 20 centuries for a pope to come from this region. tonight they a

it goes back to the vatican bank.lists what ultimately led to the pope's resignation goes back to the vatican bank and the attempt to reform it that went wrong. >> for a minute forget that the vatican is a church. it's also a state. a very rich one. its real estate alone is worth billions. and that's just the buildings, palaces and monasteries, not the art they contain. much of it priceless. the vatican also runs a bank. >> if you follow this crisis to its basic core it's about the money, isn't it? >> i think that's right. i think money is power and power is money. >> phillip weyland is one of the experts on the vatican bank and said it was set up as an offshore bank, designed to be closed and discreet so it could send money to priests in countries where they faced persecution. but the bank's secrecy has also fueled the history of scandal, including allegations that it has laundered money for the mafia. >> today there is the suspicion that it has become an instrument for laundering money for corrupt italian politician

there are back room financial scandals at vatican inc.. in an old stone tower behind the papal apartment is the vatican bank, the church's various departments, its priests and employees keep accounts here secret accounts hidden from the prying eyes of international regulators. an italian court investigating the bank found documents showing some accounts had been used for money laundering and other illegal and, for the church, highly embarrassing activities. vatican watchers like marco politi have studied the court documents that verified the bank's transactions have not always been kosher. >> there was many of the mafia who would recycle it through the channels of the vatican bank and also bribe money to political parties in italy went through the vatican bank. >> reporter: with dark financial clouds hanging over the vatican, the european union insisted the bank open its accounts to public scrutiny. when it was too slow, tourists felt the pinch. when european bankers suspended the vatican's credit card facilities, visitors couldn't use pla

>>> from vatican city. the new pope francis. >> good evening from vatican city.irsts. 1.2 catholics rejoice as the 266th pope is chosen. what a surprising choice it really was. jorge marie over bergoglio is his name. the first pontiff from the americas, first jesuit pope, first noneuropean in almost 1,300 years. he is also the first francis. tonight we go inside this historic development for the faith. 7:06 p.m. rome time. white smoke. as that smoke rose and billowed into the night air, st. peter's square erupted. it was a moment of pure joy for them. a profound prayer of the chance to witness history. soon the square was packed with more than 100,000 rain-soaked people. their eyes turned upward in anticipation to the red draped windows of st. peter's. everyone waiting to see the new pope. the vatican band marched into cheers, followed by the swiss guard, the pope's personal troop. and then -- the french cardinal came to pronounce the famous words. habemus papam. >> but who? >> jorge mario bergoglio of argentina waited in the wings, vatican tv capturing the momen

but do anyone -- folks who have worked in the vatican, cardinals who have worked in the vatican, they don't say that they are not reformers, do they? >> well, listen, everybody says they're for reform. the question is how do you define it. i think many of the cardinals who are coming into this election from other parts of the world, who are kind of in an anti-establishment mood, to be honest with you, what they mean by reform are kind of three things. one, they want the vatican to be more transparent both internally and externally. second, they want people to be held accountable. there has been a serial problem over the last eight years of people quite honestly dropping the ball just in terms of good governance and never being held accountable for it. and the third, they want this place to be efficient. the old saying in rome about the vatican is talk to me on tuesday and i'll get back to you in 300 years. that may have worked in the past but i think there are a lot of people who are frustrated at how slowly the wheels grind here. >> there is also a saying i've heard, and i'm probably

only a very few inside the vatican will be privy to any of it. and only 115 men, 115 cardinal electors, will take part. >> reporter: it's already tuesday in vatican city, where later today, 115 cardinals from around the world will enter the sistine chapel, charged with electing the next pope. after the first vote tuesday afternoon, all eyes in st. peters will be focused on this newly installed chimney. a puff of white smoke signaling a new pope has been chosen. but what will guide the cardinals in their decision? eight years ago after the death of pope john paul ii, then cardinal joseph ratzinger was the clear front-runner to become the next pope. this time around, however, there is not one clear front-runner. there are deep divisions among the 115 cardinals who will be voting here starting tomorrow divisions between reformers and those who favor the status quo. some vatican watchers see it as a showdown between the romans and the reformers, cardinals, many from other countries, who want the next pope to more aggressively take on issues like sex

courtesy of vatican tv. votes that will take place within them. cardinals led masses at local churches around rome. for one it would be his final mass before becoming pope. might that pope be cardinal timothy dolan of new york? in the days leading to conclave he has become a darling of the italian press. or might that pope be cardinal o'malley of boston, whose humble robes and leadership in the sexual abuse scandal has endeared him to fellow cardinals. while neither claims to want the job. >> that is just way too, too out of the realm of probability. >> i have bought a round-trip ticket, so -- >> reporter: their candidacies are a sign of a race that has no clear front-runner. >> cardinal o'malley and cardinal dolan are both quite popular here in italy. there's already sort of fan clubs around the two of them. >> reporter: still the 28 italian cardinals represent by far the biggest voting bloc by nationality. and true to form, they're thought to be pushing for an italian pope. it is the multitude of languages

[cheering] [♪] >>> an historic day at the vatican.he first vote has just passed in the process to pick a new pope. >>> what was said last hour in the search for a missing east bay woman. >>> and there's news from the red planet today -- at noon. >>> watching the vatican and what just happened on the roof. the selection of the new pope is the top story. good afternoon. i'm tori campbell. >>> catholics around the world continue to wait for word out of vatican city on who will succeed pope benedict xvi. but as you saw, just about 15 minutes ago, we started seeing this -- thick, black smoke, emerging from the chimney on the sistine chapel. that means the first round of ballots cast did not result in a two-thirds majority decision which is needed to select the next pope. we'll be going live to rome for an update but first, craig boswell has a report on the start of the papal conclave. >> 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 pu

we begin tonight at the vatican.rom now, 115 cardinals will convene and begin the process of electing the next pope. while the conclave is conducted in utmost secrecy, we are now seeing some very clear signs of what's about to happen. as alan pizzey reports, those who watch the vatican most closely say an american could be considered. >> reporter: the news alertew system for the conclave was installed on the roof of the sistine chapel today. two stoves linked to a single pipe will convey the decisions of cardinals the more accustomed to twitter and e-mail. black smoke signifies an inconclusive round of voting white means a pope will be elected. for the first time italian reporters have americans on the list of papal contenders pup think it's realistic that people are saying maybe there could be an american pope?

we have the government of the church in the vatican. a huge issue we sought not intrigue and corruption in the vatican. somebody needs to clean house. above all, sex abuse has been a huge crisis for the church. not only the abuse by priests, but a cover-up. it needs to be tackled. >> this is a man who has come out of argentina. we have not heard much on the issue of sex abuse coming from argentina. he is a man focused intensely on the quality, -- equality, on helping the poor. is that an issue? >> i am sure those from europe had conversations with pope francis, and he is aware of the situation we are facing. >> you think he is going to be able to do something to clean up the stain on the catholic church? >> i do. i know he was not afraid to make tough decisions and ruffle some feathers. i think in terms of government and sex abuse, he will not be afraid to take the bull by the horns. >> what about the issue of secularization. he comes from an area that has the largest portion of catholics in the world but where the numbers are declining

not only in vatican city but on wall street. >> that's exactly right. the day began with lots of suspension in both places and it ended in both places with definitive outcomes. on wall street, that outcome was another record high close for the dow, and we begin there tonight. now, the dow's win streak continues. nine in a row. the blue chip index hasn't done that in 16 years. in fact it hasn't had a down day this month. today the dow added 5 points, ending at 14,455, it's seventh straight record closing high. the nasdaq was up nearly 3 points and the s&p 500 inched 2 points higher. that leaves it less than 11 points from its all-time closing high. now, the markets got an early boost from strong retail sales last month, which rose 1.1%, nearly double what economists had expected. that's the biggest spending gain in five months. but as courtney reagan tells us, those top line numbers can be deceiving. >> the government's headline retail sales number came in nearly double what economists expected for february. the details reveal a less than rosy picture wh

and our vatican analyst. it's good to have you with us. you were in the sistine chapel today. that must have been extraordinary. >> it was an incredible experience. i went in as one of the spokespersons with father lombardi who were allowed to be there before the conclave ritual. so, just before the cardinals begin, there were about ten of us. it was just a remarkable experience to be there. the sight, the cardinals, the music and then we were all thrown out at the end. >> as everyone was. what happens now? we all saw the black smoke, obviously. there's no real debating or discussion during the votes inside that sistine chapel. that happens tonight. >> yeah, what happens is more like going to church than a political convention. it's a highly ceremonial experience, which, most of the time, is eaten up by the choreography of casting ballots. each cardinal steps up individually and deposits his ballot. that happens 115 times. there's 115 electors. soup to nuts, each ballot takes about an hour, hour and a half. i

director for vatican museums.e now seeing the ramp-up to the official swearing in ceremony. explain what we will see in the next couple of minutes. >> the cardinals will take an oath to preserve the confidentiality of the process, to vote for him who they believe in conscience is the man best suited to lead the church. and then they will hear a homily, a sermon, from an elderly cardinal, from the czech republic, i believe. who is a great scholar of st. a augu augustine, who will speak to them about their responsibilities. and then the doors will be shut and they will be on their own. and that's when, as chris mentioned a moment ago, the first vote will take place. >> and i think it's worth pointing out, because these pictures are so spectacular, you're looking at the last judgment, and cardinals have talked about this. cardinals who were in the last conclave have discussed being in that room, and anyone who's ever gone to the sistine chapel, or frankly just looking at this on television, fufrirst of all, it one of

and i had been invited by vatican radio to be in rome.alking down the street in rome and there he was, the archbishop of aboutbuenos airesi said hello archbishop, i'm from argentina. i remember because he was cold he had his hand in the pocket of a coat he was wearing. and when he took out the hand from the pocket to shake hands with me, he had a rosery. so i realized he was praying the rowsry. he asked me what i was doing in rome. i told him about my duties and the radio station and he said well, you know, i have some spare time. i thought i was going to go for a walk and pray the rosary. and so i asked him to pray for me and he asked me to pray for him and then we went our ways. so it was not that i had a meeting with him. it was a chance encounter on the walking on the street if rome as i was there during the last few days of the pontiffication. >> interesting though when you describe how he had the rosary and then touched him. that he was, is such a holy man. i want to ask you about where he stands on other issues. when we talk about

we offer a pope-inspired "pulse" starting at the vatican.rched on the chimney of the sistine chapel was a real star before that white smoke started billowing. >> and quickly had a couple of twitter fans. plenty pointed out in the church lilt ra tur the holy spirit is represented by a bird but not a seagull. >> and, of course, st. francis concerned about the environment, some people ran into that. >> the holy spirit was with them. >>> also something of a side show, oh, in rome. the presence of dennis rodman there with his glorious fluorescent flowers on his coat. >> digs someone who needs jesus. take a look at that. fresh off his trip to north korea. >> of course. >> of course, ambassador to the word. rodman said he was there to lobby for a black pope. well done. in reality his visit was all part of the publicity for an irish bookmaker which was taking bets on who the next pope would be. glad dennis was there for a noble cause promoting gambling on the pontiff. that's noble. >> are we done with that story yet? can i show my face of journalism

most importantly the vatican bank which has had its shares of problems. you might recall a couple of years ago they fired the president of the bank, accused him of gross negligence. pope benedict started reforms a number of people hope will continue under pope francis. he brought in a new president and also you need to get the vatican bank up to european union banking standards and that's a goal that they want the vatican to stay on track of. >> very quickly, do we know much of anything about him as a manager and administrator? >> not that i know so far about pope francis i, but he did run ian archdiocese and not a small one in buenos aires. >> yes. mary thompson, thank you very much. >>> moving from the vatican to washington, security is always an issue. today president obama sat down with some top ceos to talk about cyber attacks. we'll have the latest on that meeting and also explore the biggest threat to our cyber safety. >>> but first, let's look at how stocks fared around the globe. >>> a federal judge is ordering apple's ceo, tim cook, to testify i

ben wedeman is in vatican city.shows us why people are calling this pope a man of the people. >> fred, benedict was the intellectual pope. francis is quickly shaping up to be the people's pope. it could be any pope, greeting wishpers one by one after sunday's mass, but it wasn't any church and it wasn't any priest. it was pope francis at the santa anna parish church in the vatican. his charm offensive moving full steam ahead, he stepped outside the vatican and into italian territory to greet well wishers. >> i was watching some of the video when he came out of the church. obviously, he's very personable, really connecting with the people. >> in his first sunday as pope, francis appeared at the window of his papal apartment, overlooking a packed st. peter's square, speaking of forgiveness and compassion. he wasn't providing free advertising for a cardinal whose writing he praised. he ended his message with a simple wish. have a good sunday, and have a good lunch. just four days on the job, and pope francis is already

peter's square in a steady rain at vatican city.imney, we hope we'll get news moments away. stay tuned. in the meantime, an early edition of kelly's court to fulfill our promise of the story yesterday. on the docket today, a disturbing story out of washington state, shocking video surfacing after little boy, 22 months old, with a marijuana bong. the cell phone video shows the toddler just 22 months old briefly placing his face over the pipe and who is that person? who would be holding a bong up to -- oh, it's his mother. it's his mother. the 24-year-old mother was arrested. the child's father wasn't at home this time, but the cops arrested him, too, when they found at least 40 pot plants growing in the house not to mention several guns. the boy and five-year-old sibling placed in protective custody for now. should they get the children back? . joining me is arthur aidala and jonna spilbor. who, what kind of an insane party goer -- oh, wait, it's his own mother who thinks it's hilarious, if you listen to the video you can hear her ca

the swiss guard, the vatican police, even the cooks and cleaning staff. once the pope is elected, he will go here to the room of tears. the vatican released rare footage of this chamber where the pontiff dons his papal robe for the first time because no one can predict who will be chosen, three robe sizes have been prepared to ensure that when the next pope addresses his flock for the first time, he has something appropriate to wear. it all begins just a few hours from now at the morning mass. joining us are two cnn contributors who we will no doubt be leaning on a lot in the coming days. senior vatican analyst john allen, also author, commentator and roman catholic priest, father edward beck. appreciate both of you being with us. much is being made about the divisions among these 115 cardinals. explain, if you can, the camps. >> well, whenever you've got a group of 115 guys who reached the pinnacle of their profession and they all have strong ideas about which way the church ought to go, divisions are inevitable. historically we handicapped these divisio

joining me is vatican spokesperson, father tom, our vatican analyst, john allen. good to have you with us. you were in the sistine chapel today. >> it was an incredible experience. i went in and was allowed to be there for the beginning of the concave ritual. there were ten of us. it was a remarkable experience to be there, the sight, the people coming in, the cardinals, the music, watching the swearing of the oath. then we were all thrown out at the end. >> as everyone was. what happens now, john allen? we saw the black smoke. there's no debating or discussion during the votes inside the chapel. it's happening tonight. >> right. what happens in the sistine chapel is more like going to church than a political convention. it's highly ceremonial. most of the time, it's eaten up by the choreography of casting ballots. each cardinal goes up individually, deposits his ballot. it happens 115 times. there are 115 electors. each ballot takes wan hour to hour and a half. if you do two in the morning and two in the afternoon, that's the day. the politics don't unfold in the

just in case the vatican is ready. in the room of tears where the new pope goes after being elected there are hanging papal clothes small, mead and large and box efs shoes. we assume they are the red leather red shoes that the pope wears in various sizes. we will look from the wheurs whiff of smoke from the sistine chapel chimney at 8:00 tonight. if it's black smoke it means the vote is inconclusive, if there is white smoke we have a pope and we will be looking at the chimney for the next couple of hours to see what happens. rick, back to you. >> lauren green, live for us in rome. lauren, thanks. right now brand-new stories and breaking news. jenna: the battle overt budget and deficit reduction. is the president serious about striking a bargain? what is really keeping the two sides apart? carl rope rove is here and will tell us all about it in a moment. also a judge canned the ban on super size soda in new york city. what mayor bloomberg says he's going to do now. our legal panel will weigh in on this. new fears about

let's bring in john allen now, senior vatican analyst.jor influence, politically, to use the words loosely. the last time we had a conclave, 2005, this mass, the homily is given by the dean of cardinals. that was joseph ratzinger. so, it was a major moment for him. what is the context this time with angelo sodano? >> well, slightly different, chris. i think a lot of people will tell you that the homily ratzinger gave in 2005 sort of solidified his status as the front-runner going into that conclave. now, this time, the dynamic is not the same. cardinal angelo sodano is already over 80. he's 85, so he's not going to be in the sistine chapel. for that reason alone, probably, he would be a radical long-shot to be elected pope. but in addition, he's sort of identified with the old guard in the vatican, and as we were talking earlier, there is kind of a strong antiestablishment mood among these cardinal electors that indicates many of them would like to see a change. and so, i don't think anyone believes that sodano is in a position to propel

we have the latest from vatican city. >> reporter: vatican city was quiet for a sunday. no pope's prayer after benedict's resignation on thursday. at a church a few miles from vatican city, mass went on as usual. cardinals from around the world gathered the archbishop from scotland who resigned this week, admitted wrongdoing 30 years ago. he said quote my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest. most of the voting cardinals are already here in rome. on monday they meet to talk about the challenges facing the church. once they all arrived they can set a start date for the election process known as the conclave. >> reporter: speculation is intense about who is chosen. the cardinal from guana. a conservative who speaks seven languages born to a carpenter and a fruit vendor. he says his election would be unprecedented. >> it will be interesting to have a black pope come. where everybody comes from. whoever he is, it is our pope. >> reporter: bookmakers are giving their odds. so far the pot is worth half a million with predictions it will top

i think time will tell. >> and what about his relationship with the vatican bureaucracy?any people think the curia, the bureaucracy, needs a lot of change and a lot of reform. is he tough enough to bring that about? >> i can say as a jesuit and having heard from my jesuit brothers what he was like as the provincial or regional superior of argentina, he is certainly a man who can make tough decisions. he is definitely not afraid to ruffle feathers. and so, for those people who are asking does he have a backbone, the answer is yes. so he may be the very guy to come in and reform a lot of the problems that are going on in the vatican curia right now. and that may be one thing that the cardinals saw that led to his election. >> and, very quickly, the sex abuse scandal and cover-ups seem to continue indefinitely. do you think there's something that a new pope, this pope, can do to kind of get over that? >> well, i think that's the number one problem facing the church, frankly. we can't preach the gospel if people see us as not addressing those problems. so one of the things he

the whole world will be watching when a new pope is elected in the vatican soon.oughly one-quarter of europeans are catholic. they will follow the election not just out of interest and big ceremonies. it also gives believers hope that the catholic church could open up a little. many catholics feel the vatican has lost touch with the reality of their daily lives. if it is a question of gay marriage, fast-tracked divorce, or liberal abortion rights, the answer in rome has been no. at the same time, parliament's across europe, for example in spain, are voting in favor of such laws -- parliaments across europe. >> among the many faithful attending this catholic procession is jose antonio fernandez. he was a priest, but he sacrificed the status in order to marry. the church allowed him to continue working as a schoolteacher but later refused to renew his contract after a photo of him and his family appeared in the media. >> they exploited the situation to justify my dismissal. they said parents would be offended if they found out i was a married priest. that was a lie.

he says the world needs him at the vatican.ink you're going to see me in the popemobile doing my thing." he also remarked his favorite pope is pope john paul ii who he called a pimp. he's not forgetting about his bond with kim jong-un telling a north dakota news station he plans to return in august to vacation with the leader. and if you have rodman on speed dial, sign up for the text message pope alarm.com. they will send you a text message if smoke comes out of the chimney. and when the smoke goes up, they'll let you know what's coming down. >> you wouldn't hear about it normally. >> you need that service even if you're in rome i would have that. mitt romney will be addressing fellow republicans in the next few days at the cpac conference. how is he prepping? by celebrating. there he is, romney and his birthday hat. his 66th birthday. his son tag instagrammed him enjoying a fluffernutter cupcake and diet coke. excellent. that sounds like a delicious combination. >> that sounds really difficult. romney has other brothers too,

or than 100 the cardinals are locked inside the vatican, selecting a new pope. when the process is over, one of them will emerge as the successor to vote -- to pope benedict. new pontiff has not been chosen yet. >> they gathered as night fell and anticipation rose. in the age of the internet, the church still makes this its most important announcement by smoke signal. black, unmistakably, so, no pope yet. the conclaves have been held in the sistine chapel since 1492. this is how it begins. devotion, the holy spirit is implored to guide the choice they make. they heard a sermon. they are deeply divided and seek unity. looks down on them and reminds them that the pope is surmountable to god, not man. one by one, they took the oath to uphold the secrecy and rules of the conclave. -- of brazil,al now the world's largest catholic country. many believe he could be the first non-european pope since gregory ii in syria in the eighth century. they took their seats in strict order of seniority. each man knows is -- knows his place. there will be no open campaigning. no lo

the 85-year-old benedict walked slowly with a cane as he left the vatican.atican staffers cheered as bishops and monsignors kissed his ring for the last time. there were more goodbyes before he boarded a helicopter that took him to the retreat south of rome. he will spend several months there before returning to the vatican grounds. he plans to stay hidden from the world dedicating his life to prayer. before the sendoff a crowd gathered outside st. peter's square. some of them had camped out for hours to see him in his helicopter. >> sad to see him go. i love him. excited to see what happens next. >> reporter: thursday morning benedict gave a final blessing to the cardinals, who will elect a new pope. one of them will replace him. benedict promised to revere and obey his successor. the cardinals are now talking about the qualities they are looking for in their new leader. >> someone who teaches well and communicates well. >> he must be a man of deep faith as benedict has been. >> reporter: as night descended on the retreat, swiss guards closed the pass doors

the whole world will be watching when a new pope is elected in the vatican soon.oughly one-quarter of europeans are catholic. they will follow the election not just out of interest and big ceremonies. it also gives believers hope that the catholic church could open up a little. many catholics feel the vatican has lost touch with the reality of their daily lives. if it is a question of gay marriage, fast-tracked divorce, or liberal abortion rights, the answer in rome has been no. at the same time, parliament's across europe, for example in spain, are voting in favor of such laws -- parliaments across europe. >> among the many faithful attending this catholic procession is jose antonio fernandez. he was a priest, but he sacrificed the status in order to marry. the church allowed him to continue working as a schoolteacher but later refused to renew his contract after a photo of him and his family appeared in the media. >> they exploited the situation to justify my dismissal. they said parents would be offended if they found out i was a married priest. that was a lie.

randall pinkston, kpix 5, vatican city. >> vatican city is locked down for the conclave. and the church isn't taking any chances with modern technology. jamming devices were installed today to halt cell phone communication with the outside world. it also ensures that cardinals can't use social media. >>> a new tool in the fight against skin cancer. the common pain reliever that may help women reduce their chances of developing melanoma. >>> a brand-new multi-million dollar teen center is struggling to fit in. the desperate measures one east bay community is forced to take when promises of food and videogames aren't enough -- when promises of foosball and videogames aren't enough. multi-million dollar facility. k-p-i-x 5's ann notarangelo with how the center hopes *charging admissio >>> a teenless teen center has one group looking to fill its multi-million dollar facility. kpix 5 reporter ann notarangelo with how the center hopes charging admission won't draw a bigger crowd. >> reporter: it's on every community's wish list a safe place for teens to hang out after school. >

lester holt heading up our team over there at the vatican. lester, we rely on experts like george weigel to guide us on this. it was thought to be impossible all of our lifetimes to even discuss an american pope. you mentioned this a few minutes ago. we should go through at least the possibilities, the men who are on the the list. >> reporter: think about it. even the men who have been talked about as the potential american popes discounted it. timothy dolan of new york told savannah guthrie when asked about thoughts of becoming the next pope, he said i have the same chance as taking a-rod's place on third base for the yankees. we'll certainly find out in the next several minutes. but i think it took all of us by surprise that over the last week, suddenly his name cardinal o'malley of boston, names suddenly put out there from folks who have some knowledge of all this, that they could be serious contenders. but we have seen north american pope, i think you would see a reaction beyond what you're witnessing right now if that were to occur. we w

to vatican city where crowds have been surging into st.are in the just the last hour to witness history in the making, right now inside the sistene chapel in a tradition dating back to the 13th century, the election of a new pope and the results could come at any moment. brand new hour here of "america live," i'm megyn kelly. it's a special day and this does not happen every day and the official process is now underway in rome, italy. as the conclave of cardinals has sealed itself inside the chapel, having just a little over an hour ago, after each cardinal took an oath of secrecy before us all and told folks they needed to leave. 115 princes of the church will remain there in seclusion until a choice is made. the faithful are gathering in st. peter's square and watching the vatican chimney intently, as you see it here, waiting for a sign. any sign. white smoke means they've elected a new pope. black smoke signifies, not yet. and we may see the first puff of smoke before the end of this hour. our own shepard smith, anchor of studio b and j

>> shepard: amy kellogg in vatican city tonight. in the streets of buenas air was.eople have been crying and laughing and screaming for joy after one of their own became leader of the catholics. the people of argentina have a strong connection with italy. direct of migration center shows perhaps a million italians flooded to are a yen tina about a fifth of the population was of italian dissent. among them jorge his father was italian immigration. cardinal insiders say that during the last papal conclave in 2005 that's what we're told. he lost to then cardinal joseph ratzinger who became benedict the xvith. this time around, well, did he a little better. pope francis is the first non-you're mean leader of the church in more than 1200 years according to vatican records. back in are argentina the then cardinal was a man who lived simply. i mentioned he cooked his own meals and read the bus to work. he didn't live in a fancy church mansion that was available. he slept downtown where a small stove kept him warm. he didn't own a car. difficult to imagine how much this wor

stay with abc7 news for the latest developments from vatican city. we will break in to programming the second a pope is elected and tweet the news at abc7 news bay area. >> we have breaking news. the san francisco symphony musicians are on strike holding a media briefing to discuss the labor dispute. the musicians say the wages are $7,500 less than other major orchestras and said they notified the union a revised proposal will be offered tomorrow. the musicians decided to strike rather than continue with negotiations. a concert scheduled for 2:00 p.m. tomorrow has been canceled. >> it has been a foggy morning but it is trying to clear up. our meteorologist, mike nicco, what do you have? >> we will look at our cameras, you can see the floating bay bridge but during the last 15 minutes we have -- okay, we will bring you the breaking news. >> there is white smoke coming from the sistine chapel. >> now reporting from rome, italy, diane sawyer. >> good evening, and we join you with breaking news. we are looking at the smoke billowing out of the chimney ab

came from many years as the ultimate vatican insider. do you think that's the hopeful or troubling buildup to a job that is going to be in large measure about wrestling control of what we've learned is a sprawling and dysfunctional bureaucracy? >> well, as obviously not having any firsthand knowledge of it, my sense of -- to go to everything we've been saying is -- and given his life experience in buenos aires where he did not avail himself of the perks of office suggest to me that this is a potentially quite revolutionary reformer. at least the clinical signs. the clinical clues would suggest that entrenchment privilege inertia, sclerosis would all be thingss that would be anathema to him given the way he lives and the way he's appeared in this very brief moment. so if i were a corrupt vatican bureaucrat i wouldn't be sleeping particularly easily tonight. just because -- i think being an outsider here and by underscoring such a -- as we were saying an evangelical mission driven ethos suggests to me that there could be a significant amou

koursy of vatican tv. the history of those halls overshadowed by the votes that will take place within them tomorrow. yesterday, the cardinals led masses at the local churches around rome. for one, it would be his final mass before becoming pope. might that pope be cardinal timothy dolan of new york? in the days leading to conclave, he has become a darling of the italian press. or might that pope be cardinal o'malley of boston, whose humble capuchin robes and leadership in the wake of the nationwide sexual abuse scandals have endeared him to his fellow electors? while neither claims to want the job -- >> that's just way too out of the realm of probability. >> i have bought a round-trip ticket. so -- >> reporter: their candidacies are a sign of a race that has no clear front-runner. >> cardinal o'malley and cardinal dolan are already quite popular here in italy. there's already a sort of fan clubs around the two of them. >> reporter: still the 28 italian cardinals represent by far, the biggest voting bloc b

they mean a vatican that is more accountable and a vatican that is more centralized versus greater powerards the bishop. >> i think fundamentally what they want is to inject a dose of 21st century business practices into this centuries old institution. >> the point last night, they're still implementing changes from vatican ii. that shows you how much time it takes. yet there's so much anticipation of who's going to be the next pope. the weather here not so great. rain starting to come down a little bit more. people still gathering at st. peter's square. miguel marquez is there in the crowd. miguel, how is it now? >> -- christopher, but so far things are going great. the crowds are gathering. people believe that we're all obsessed with watching the chimney. i've never been so obsessed with smoke in my life. i'm with two americans also here watching this. michelle and joey from new york and from new jersey. you were here last night. >> yeah, we were. >> what was it like to see it? >> to see the smoke? >> yeah. >> it's exciting. the energy is really high. there's like very positive vibes a

vatican city.ere, even though the brand new pope, 76 years old from argentina has certainly left the balcony. i am joined now by david asman has been watching all the majesty. >> this is an extraordinarily significant choice for several reasons. first of all, there has never been above from latin america. let america is a huge place which has been sort of underrepresented in the vatican. when you consider that 600 million people live and let america, 70 percent of home are roman catholic. that is one reason why this is a significant. the extent to which and the fervor with which led americans adhere to their catholicism, many people in the vatican thought it was underrepresented. not so now. now that they have a couple of their own in the vatican in rome, this is going to be extraordinarily significant. also, latin america was at war, one can say, and i think it is fair to say. i talk to people and the vatican to tell me this. there was a war going on for the soul of the church in latin america. th