Pope Weblog To Report on Conclave and College of Cardinals

    /24-7PressRelease.com/ - April 3, 2005 - With the Pope currently clinging to life's last breath, The Pope Weblog (online at http://thepopeblog.blogspot.com/ ) has announced its intentions to provide around-the-clock coverage of all of the events at Vatican City in the coming weeks as the College of Cardinals convenes for a conclave. The blog's two main authors have pledged that the site will act as a clearinghouse for news reports from the Conclave and College of Cardinals. The blog will also offer insightful commentary and analysis about past events that may shed light on possible opinions from within the College of Cardinals.

Pope John Paul II, the 263rd Successor of St. Peter, has been experiencing severe health problems for the past month. In February, he was twice rushed to a local hospital after experiencing breathing difficulties. During the latter visit, he underwent a tracheotomy to insert a breathing tube into his throat to keep him alive.

Earlier in life, the Pontiff was almost killed during an assassination attempt in 1981. For the last several years, the Pope has lived with Parkinson's disease. At the time of writing this release however it is clear that the Pope will not recover from these recent health problems. Last Thursday night, the Pope suffered a heart attack and received Holy Viaticum (see http://thepopeblog.blogspot.com/2005/04/pope-loses-consciousness.html for more information on this).

Meanwhile the College of Cardinals have been summoned to Rome to participate in the Papal election process known as a conclave. The word "conclave" is derived from the Latin phrase "cum clavi" ("with a key") because the election process is secretive and leaves the College of Cardinals locked within the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel. No one besides the College of Cardinals is allowed to enter during the process. The Conclave is conducted without interference from the external media.

The Pope Blog is a not-for-profit Web site operated by Jimmy Atkinson and Andy Hagans. The two are dedicated to serving the latest news and information regarding the Pontiff, the College of Cardinals and the upcoming conclave. See the Pope Blog - Conclave Edition at http://thepopeblog.blogspot.com/ .