The Pope

Good morning/afternoon/evening, 

I hope everything is going good with all you bloggers :)

This post is going to be about the Pope. 
As I'm sure most of you know, Pope Benedict XVI resigned as Pope on February 18, 2013. He was the first Pope to do so since Pope Gregory XII in 1415. The Pope claims that his resignation was due to being the ripe age of 85.

The voting process for finding a new Pope is very interesting. The Sistine Chapel is closed down and St. Peter's Square in Rome is filled with people awaiting the unveiling of the new Pope. There are about 150 candidates to choose from in this election. When the members of the College of Cardinals have decided who the new Pope shall be, they burn a fire with white smoke so that the citizens outside know if they have made their decision. If the smoke is black, the people know that the college is still deciding. 

March 14, 2013 was the date of the election of the new Argentinian Pope "Francis I" (the first). He is a grand 76 years of age. 

If you want to know even more about this very detailed process, here's a link :)
http://people.howstuffworks.com/papacy3.htm

Fun Fact: Statistics show that only about 6 Popes have resigned.

Anyway, I am super stoked that they found a new Pope. He seems like a very nice guy :) and this means that when my family arrives, (MONDAY!) our trip to Rome is not ruined <3

Thanks for reading! :)

~Shelby Janae