Still no Pope: Black smoke rises from Sistine Chapel on second day of papal conclave as world waits for the next pontiff

The cardinals who will choose the next Pope failed to make a decision this morning after voting for a second time on a replacement for Benedict XVI following his shock resignation. Black smoke poured out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel around 10.40am GMT to signify that the latest ballot had resulted in deadlock. The 115 senior priests failed to elect a pontiff during two hours of discussion yesterday, and sent up a plume of black smoke to signal their disagreement before retiring for the night. They will spend several hours today locked in the world-famous building, but it is unclear whether or not this will be day that they settle on a man to lead the Catholic Church into the future. Benedict's resignation has thrown the church into turmoil and exposed deep divisions among cardinals grappling with whether to pick a manager who can clean up the Vatican bureaucracy or a pastor who can inspire Catholics at a time of crisis. The red-hatted and red-caped cardinals yesterday chanted and prayed for divine guidance as they prepared for a conclave to choose a pontiff who will face one of the most difficult periods in the Church's history. They gathered in the Pauline Chapel and walked in procession along the frescoed halls of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace into the Sistine, where they could remain closeted for several days of balloting. 'The entire Church, united with us in prayer, asks for the grace of the Holy Spirit at this moment so that we elect a worthy shepherd for the entire flock of Christ,' a cardinal said in Latin as the procession began. They then chanted what is known as the 'litany of saints', asking more than 150 saints by name for help in making their choice of who should succeed Benedict XVI, who has withdrawn from public life after his surprise abdication last month. Smoke - white for a new pontiff, black after an inconclusive vote - emerges from the chimney on the Sistine's roof every time a ballot is held The balloting for the next pontiff is taking place under the gaze of the divine presence represented through Michelangelo's fresco of the Last Judgment on the wall behind the altar. The solemn afternoon procession into the Sistine followed a morning Mass in St. Peter's Basilica where Angelo Sodano, an Italian who is dean of the cardinals, called for unity in the Church, which has been riven with intrigue and scandal, and urged everyone to work with the next pope. 'My brothers, let us pray that the Lord will grant us a pontiff who will embrace this noble mission with a generous heart,' Sodano said in his homily, receiving warm applause when he thanked 'the beloved and venerable' Benedict. The former pontiff, who retired on February 28, has excluded himself from public life and was not present yesterday. No clear favourite has emerged to take the helm of the Church, with some prelates calling for a strong manager to control the much criticised Vatican bureaucracy, while others want a powerful pastor to combat growing secularism. Italy's Angelo Scola and Brazil's Odilo Scherer are spoken of as possible frontrunners. The former would return the papacy to Italy after 35 years in the hands of Poland's John Paul II and the German Benedict, while Scherer would be the first non-European pope since Syrian-born Gregory III in the 8th century. On the eve of the vote, cardinals offered wildly different assessments of what they were looking for in the next pontiff and how close they were to a decision. It was evidence that Benedict XVI's surprise resignation has continued to destabilise the church leadership and that his final appeal for unity may go unheeded, at least in the early rounds of voting. The buzz in the papal stakes swirled around Cardinal Angelo Scola, an Italian seen as favoured by cardinals hoping to shake up the powerful Vatican bureaucracy, and Brazilian cardinal Odilo Scherer, a favourite of Vatican-based insiders intent on preserving the status quo. Cardinal Scola is affable and Italian, but not from the Italian-centric Vatican bureaucracy called the Curia. That gives him clout with those seeking to reform the nerve centre of the church that has been discredited by revelations of leaks and complaints from cardinals in the field that Rome is inefficient and unresponsive to their needs. Cardinal Scherer seems to be favoured by Latin Americans and the Curia. He has a solid handle on the Vatican's finances, sitting on the governing commission of the Vatican bank, as well as the Holy See's main budget committee. As a non-Italian, the archbishop of Sao Paulo would be expected to name an Italian as secretary of state - the Vatican number two who runs day-to-day affairs - another plus for Vatican-based cardinals who would want one of their own running the shop. The pastoral camp seems to be focusing on two Americans, New York archbishop Timothy Dolan and Boston archbishop Sean O'Malley. Neither has Vatican experience. Canadian cardinal Marc Ouellet is well-respected, stemming from his job at the important Vatican office that vets bishop appointments. If the leading names fail to reach the 77 votes required for victory in the first few rounds of balloting, any number of surprise candidates could come to the fore as alternatives. During the voting, each cardinal writes his choice on a rectangular piece of paper inscribed with the words 'Eligo in summen pontificem' - Latin for 'I elect as Supreme Pontiff'. Holding the folded ballot up in the air, each approaches the altar and places it on a saucer, before tipping it into an oval urn, as he intones these 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.' After the votes are counted, and the outcomes announced, the papers are bound together with a needle and thread, each ballot pierced through the word 'Eligo'. The ballots are then placed in a cast-iron stove and burned with a special chemical. That is when all eyes turn to the 6ft copper chimney atop the Sistine Chapel to pipe out puffs of smoke to tell the world if there is a new pope. Black smoke means 'not yet' - the likely outcome after round one. White smoke means the 266th pope has been chosen. The next pope will face a church in crisis: Benedict spent his eight-year pontificate trying to revive Catholicism amid the secular trends that have made it almost irrelevant in places like Europe, once a stronghold of Christianity. Clerical sex abuse scandals have soured many faithful and competition from rival evangelical churches in Latin America and Africa has drawn souls away. Closer to home, leaks of papal documents last year exposed ugly turf battles, allegations of corruption and even a plot purportedly orchestrated by Benedict's aides to out a prominent Italian Catholic editor as gay.

Source: Daily Mail.

Eight-year-old boy marries 61-year-old woman after 'dead ancestors told him to tie the knot'

An eight-year-old schoolboy has married a 61-year-old woman because the ghost of his dead ancestor told him to. Sanele Masilela tied the knot with Helen Shabangu, who is already married and a mother-of-five. The boy, from Tshwane, South Africa, said he had been told by his dead ancestors to wed and his family, fearing divine retribution, forked out for a wedding. They paid £500 for the bride and a further £1,000 for the big day, which was organised in just two months. Dressed in a bow tie and tiny silver suit, little Sanele, the youngest of five children, exchanged rings in front of 100 guests and even puckered up for a kiss. It's already shocked the community but the family has defended the ceremony, saying it was just a ritual and not legally binding. Sanele's 46-year-old mum, Patience Masilela said: 'This is the first time this has happened in the family. 'Sanele is named after his grandfather, who was never had a white wedding before he died so asked Sanele to get married. He chose Helen because he loves her. 'By doing this we made the ancestors happy. If we hadn't done what my son had asked then something bad would have happened in the family. 'I didn't have a problem with it because I know it's what the ancestors wanted and it would make them happy.' The widow, who works at a recycling centre, added: 'I would say that this is not wrong. 'Sanele was fine and he was happy about the ceremony and it was what he wanted. He was happy to get married and very excited.' Sanele and his bride did not sign a marriage certificate and do not have to live together. Both have gone back to their normal lives. Sanele today said he hoped he would have a proper wedding to a woman his own age when he was older. He added: 'I told my mother that I wanted to get married because I really did want to. 'I'm happy that I married Helen - but I will go to school and study hard. 'When I'm older I will marry a lady my own age.' Despite being old enough to be his grandmother, bride Helen, whose children are aged between 37 and 27, was happy with the arrangement. Helen, who also works at a recycling centre, said: 'I'm married and have five kids of my own, but I know that this is what the ancestors wanted - and now they are happy. 'It is a ritual. We are just playing now, but it is a sign that he will get married one day.' Her husband of 30 years, Alfred, 65, said: 'My kids and I are happy. 'We don't have problems with it but some of the community members were shocked.' Source: Dailymail. African societies are enshrined with different cultural practices that are bizarre to the Western world. Can you allow a member of your family to indulge in this kind of practice?