French Cardinal will announce new pope

French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran will announce the name of Benedict XVI's successor as pope to the world, the Vatican said Tuesday. Tauran, 69, has been chosen to declare "habemus papam," the formal Latin declaration meaning, "We have a new pope," once the conclave has elected a new leader of the Roman Catholic Church," the Italian news agency ANSA reported. His announcement will come after white smoke curls up from the Sistine Chapel where 115 cardinal electors will vote on a new pontiff. A career diplomat, Tauran is the first Frenchman to perform the role in more than 500 years. Tauran is a native of Bordeaux and was ordained a priest in 1969. The announcement of his selection came as a pre-conclave mass concluded at St. Peter's Basilica. Cardinal Angelo Sodano invited the faithful to pray for the next pope. "Let's pray so that the Lord grants us a pontiff who carries out his luminous mission with a generous heart," said Sodano, the dean of the College of Cardinals. Earlier in the service, Sodano expressed the Church's thanks to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who stepped down last month. The service was to be the last public event featuring the cardinals who will choose the new spiritual leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics. The technologically advanced Vatican will still use swirling smoke to announce whether a new pope has been elected, a spokesman said. "For a church that has made much progress in the area of modern communications, computer technology, Internet and Twitter, the conclave still relies on smoke signals to let the world know of its results," the Rev. Thomas Rosica told The Washington Post before 115 cardinal-electors moved early Tuesday into unadorned rooms of the Vatican's Santa Marta guest residence, where they will sleep, sequestered, during the conclave. Cardinals were assigned rooms randomly to discourage the forging of blocs in living quarters, The Wall Street Journal reported. At 3:45 p.m. the cardinals were to travel to the Apostolic Palace, the pope's official residence. Some 45 minutes later, they were to walk, chanting in Latin, from the palace's Cappella Paolina, or Pauline Chapel, through the Sala Regia, or Regal Room, and into the Sistine Chapel, which has been prepared for the occasion. Vatican carpenters installed a wooden floor, covered by tan cloth, over the pavement to even out the different levels, the Vatican said. The Vatican's virtual panoramic view of the chapel -- including its famous ceiling, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512 -- can be found at tinyurl.com/TheSistineChapel. Inside the chapel, the cardinals swear an oath to follow the constitution on papal elections, maintain conclave secrecy and obey the next pope. They are then expected to hold their first vote. If they do, it's likely the first smoke will be seen about 8 p.m., Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said Monday. The votes are on rectangular pieces of paper bearing the words, "Eligo in summum pontificem," or "I elect as supreme pontiff." The cardinals often write the name of their candidates in disguised handwriting to ensure anonymity. The voter folds the ballot in half twice, walks to the front of the chapel, holds it in the air, places it in a saucer and then tips the saucer into an urn. Each cardinal kneels and says the words, "I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my judge that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected." The next pope must win two-thirds of the votes, or 77 of 115 cardinals. If the vote yields a new pope, white smoke will emerge from a special copper chimney installed last weekend. If not, black smoke will emerge. If no pope is elected Tuesday, smoke would be expected at about noon and again about 8 p.m. Wednesday. Vatican Television Center planned to broadcast the "fumate," or "smoke," live with a camera positioned about 10 yards away from the chapel chimney. The live video was to be available at player.rv.va.