Finally! Cardinals ready to set papal conclave date

Now that the last cardinal has arrived in the Vatican from Vietnam, the 115 men are in a meeting to decide when the conclave will take place. NBC's Keir Simmons reports and Vatican spokesman Greg Burke says the decision could be made today.

By Claudio Lavanga and Alastair Jamieson, NBC News

VATICAN CITY -- A date for the start of the papal conclave to elect the next pope will be chosen Friday, the Vatican announced.

Cardinals gathered in Rome will meet at 5 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET) to vote on the date for the start of the secret ballot process, spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told reporters.

Greg Burke, a Vatican senior communications adviser, told NBC's TODAY that the date was expected to be decided by Friday night.

?The cardinals are going about their work,? he said. ?They are taking their time ? but we do expect by tonight we will get that date.?

It is thought the chosen date could be made public after the meeting, at about 7 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET).?

L'Osservatore Romano via Reuters

Workers prepare stoves in the Sistine Chapel that will be used to burn ballots during the conclave, in a photo released on Thursday.

All of the 115 cardinals taking part in the conclave ? in which a series of closed ballots is held in the Sistine Chapel until a successor for Pope Benedict XVI is chosen ? are now gathered in Rome, Lombardi said.

He added that it was "likely" the conclave would begin next week.

On Thursday, reporters were shown images of preparation work being carried out at the Vatican, including the installation of the chimney stack through which white smoke will flow once a pope has been elected.

NBC News' Ian Johnston contributed to this report.

Related:

Riots, revenge and royal rigging: A history of controversial conclaves

Will Catholics embrace change? The view from one parish in Rome

Full coverage of the papal abdication from NBC News

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This story was originally published on Fri Mar 8, 2013 7:19 AM EST

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/08/17235761-cardinals-to-set-papal-conclave-date?lite

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