Pope Live Stream: Live Coverage Of the Papal Conclave

Culture

The 115 voting members of the College of Cardinals are gathering in the Sistine Chapel to cast their first ballots to determine who will replace Benedict XVI as pope. It is the first time since 1415 that a pope has resigned the papacy. This could actually be the most contentious papal conclave since 1268, when the cardinals took 33 months to select a new pope in Gregory X (no relation to Malcolm X). During that election, a mob actually tore the roof off the building the conclave was held in to get the cardinals to hurry up and pick a successor. Hopefully it doesn't come to that on this occasion.