Cardinals arrive for pre-conclave meeting

(15 Apr 2005)
1. Cardinal Walter Kasper of Germany entering Sant' Uffizio Gate
2. Swiss guards
3. Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino of Italy
4. Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala of Uganda
5. Group of cardinals enter building
6. Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria
7. Cardinal Severino Poletto, Archbishop of Turin
8. Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, Archbishop of Milan, man kisses Tettamanzi's hand as he enters gate
9. Swiss guards salute Tettamanzi as he enters gated area
10. Group of cardinals enter
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Cardinal Walter Kasper, Pontifical Council for Christian Unity:
Q: "How are the meetings going? Is everything going to plan?"
A: "All is going well. We hope to come to a good result."
Q: "How are the plans for the conclave? Are you looking forward to it?"
A: "I do not know. I am not a prophet."
12. Cardinal Virgilio Noe of Italy gets into car
13. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith gets into car drives away
14. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Voxpop:
"I would like it to be someone from Latin America, after having had a Pole."
"Q: Why?
A: "I think it is a very lively Church. The Church in Europe is changing. A Latin American Pope would be good if only for a change."
17. Various of St Peter's Square

STORYLINE

Roman Catholic cardinals at the Vatican remained tight-lipped on Friday as they began a final series of meetings ahead of the Conclave, due to start on Monday afternoon.

Cardinal Walter Kasper of Germany said the talks were going well, and he was hoping for a good result.

The cardinals have been meeting for the past week to discuss the forthcoming election, which will decide the future direction of the Catholic church following the death of John Paul II.

Many are speculating about the selection process of picking the successor to Pope John Paul II.

Some pilgrims gathered at Saint Peter's Square said they want to see a Latin American pope succeed John Paul.

Latin America will have 20 cardinals in the conclave, and some observers think the predominantly Spanish-speaking region could have its first pope.

Among the most talked about candidates is Honduras Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga. Like John Paul II, who was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, high on his resume are his skills as a linguist, including command of Italian.

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