Pope-Watching on Twitter

AFTER black smoke poured from the Vatican chimney last evening, and again this morning, the sun reached its apex above clouded skies amidst continuing uncertainty far beneath it over the identity of the new Pope.

Father Federico Lombardi passed the time describing to journalists the cartridges which are used to create the smoke. When "asked if the smoke harmed the Michelangelo frescoes on the walls of the Sistine Chapel, or the cardinals' lungs," he could reassure them with a negative.

Even outside of the press briefing, journalists were still assembled, thronging around St. Peter's Basilica like worker bees around their queen:

Source: @DianeSawyer

THE Guardian's liveblog helpfully noted that Barça (Barcelona FC) has played three games during papal conclaves, and that they've won each of them 4-0. Yesterday it was AC Milan which bit the dust. Other Catholics and non-Catholics were also celebrating the conclave and preparing for the final decision in their own particular, if untraditional ways: e.g. displays of irreverent wit on Twitter, and this:

Source: @thepioneerwoman

Then came the grand moment in which the tide of smoke turned:

White smoke!

proclaimed the Huffington Post at 6:06 p.m. UTC. The cry amplified through different newspaper websites, television broadcasts, and blogs, in Italian and Portuguese and Greek and Spanish and all sorts of other languages.


THEN came the seemingly interminable wait until the name of the pope would be given.


After a while the American press corps fought its tedium by revisiting CNN's coverage of the white smoke, which had involved a great deal of aimless, circuitous verbal flapping. It presented a contrast to the more determined movements of the seagull which lit on the papal chimney earlier (in imitation perhaps of the two doves which descended onto the shoulders of a count's son to elect him as the new Pope in the Grimms tale).

[In transcript by me, but it is best seen as a video because then you can contrast the commentary with the obvious evidence of one's eyes:]

— They're actually — now that there's darkness, they can't even see the, ah, chimney. They're actually watching it — you can see, in some of the wide shots, a large video monitor just like people . . . And there you have it.
— Smoke.
— Ummmm, black or white? [The smoke is light grey.]
— Again, seems to look a little lighter than last time, but still . . . I have to say, somewhat dark, somewhat light! It's lighter — lightest smoke we've seen.
— I think, Chris, that is a fair point; it's the lightest we've seen. But as we've been reminding people —
— They are excited, the crowd . . . They are excited [The smoke is undeniably white.] in a way they were not last night. They're excited in a way that they were not this morning.
— That looks like white smoke.
— It certainly seems to be turning progressively more white as it issues from the chimney. [Again, undeniably white.]
— We have been told, also, that the bells of St. Peter will ring. But last time that took some four or five minutes before, for confirmation.
[. . .]
The bell is ringing here in Rome — the Campanone, the big ring. That means one thing, John Allen. What does it mean?
— Habemus papam.
— Habemus papam. We have a pope.

"Great moments in smoke analysis!", noted Josh Marshall of the political website, Talking Point Memo, which offered the video.

AT TIMES, too, non-Papal affairs interrupted the flow of Papal headlines. Martha Stewart Living's Twitter account observed:

"These Mocha-Chip Meringues from @everydayfood are everything we love: They're light, chewy, and chocolaty. http://shout.lt/gLc1"

MARIA SHRIVER, Catholic by grace of being a Kennedy, was one of the more reverent commentators and a concentrated one:

Wow, wonder what he is thinking! RT @NBCNews BREAKING: Apparent white smoke appears at Vatican signaling new pope elected

Big moment for the church and for those of us who call ourselves Catholics. I hope the new pope comes with an open heart and open mind.

A historic moment. May the words and the way forward also be historic.

Looking for pope who is open, inclusive & evolved. Looking for man who sees & hears his flock. He can become new type of man for all to see.

Enough with the suspense! Unless he is praying for strength (if so, he can take his time...)

THEN, finally, something stirred behind the curtains behind the balcony at the Vatican . . . (not Polonius being stabbed by Hamlet, fortunately) . . . It was 7:12 p.m.UTC . . .

Source:  @mariashriver

The balcony door opened and a group of robed persons emerged! Cardinal Protodeacon Jean-Louis Pierre Tauran took up a position in their centre and announced,

Habemus papam!

Which we had already deduced. But he continued to speak, and the new pope is . . .:

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, of Argentina — a Jesuit — and the future Pope Francis.

 Source: @mariashriver