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==Accession to the Papacy==

==Accession to the Papacy==

[[Image:Popebenedictbirthday.jpg|right|His Holiness Benedict XVI p.p. on his 80th Birthday|thumb]]

[[Image:Popebenedictbirthday.jpg|right|His Holiness Benedict XVI p.p. on his 80th Birthday|thumb]]

On April 2, 2005, John Paul II passed away. Following the prescribed mourning period, the College of Cardinals was summoned to the Vatican for the Papal Conclave. He was widely regarded as one of the strongest candidates for election to the papacy. On April 19, 2005 after a prior false signal, white smoke appeared at the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, the traditional sign of a new pope. As in the past, the Cardinal Protodeacon, Jorge Cardinal Medina Estevez, appeared on the balcony and proclaimed the following;

On April 2, 2005, John Paul II passed away. Following the prescribed mourning period, the College of Cardinals was summoned to the Vatican for the Papal Conclave. He was widely regarded as one of the strongest candidates for election to the papacy. On April 19, 2005 after a prior false signal, white smoke appeared at the chimney of the [[Sistine Chapel]], the traditional sign of a new pope. As in the past, the Cardinal Protodeacon, Jorge Cardinal Medina Estevez, appeared on the balcony and proclaimed the following;

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<blockquote>

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum:<br>

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum:<br>