On March 11, ABC officials revealed the network’s plans to cover all events of the Papal Conclave, an historic gathering that will affect more than one billion Catholics across the globe. As the world waits in anticipation to see who will be elected as the next Pope, ABC is set to provide extensive online and TV coverage, led by its seasoned nighttime anchor, Diane Sawyer.
Beginning Monday, March 11, Diane Sawyer will anchor “ABC World News” from the Vatican. Sawyer will also lead "Good Morning America's" coverage, with Josh Elliott reporting from the St. Peters Square. Terry Moran will anchor "Nightline" from Rome beginning Monday evening.
The Papal Conclave begins on Tuesday, March 12 when the 115 cardinals conduct their first vote. They will vote twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, until 2/3 majority (77 votes) determines Pope Benedict’s successor. ABC News will broadcast anchored reports to document each vote. Sawyer will be joined in Rome by:
- Terry Moran, anchor of "Nightline"
- Josh Elliott, "GMA" news anchor
- David Wright, who covered the death of Pope John Paul II and the selection of Pope Benedict XVI for ABC News in 2005
- Cokie Roberts, ABC News contributor, who will add a historical perspective. Roberts' mother served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican.
- Ron Claiborne, "GMA" weekend news anchor
- Cecilia Vega, ABC News correspondent
- Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, John Thavis (author of “The Pope Diaries”), Father John Wauck and Sister Clare Pratt, who will provide their unique insights throughout the coverage.
In addition, ABC will provide complete online coverage of the Papal Conclave on ABCNews.com and GoodAmerica.com, affiliate websites, plus its mobile apps. ABCNews.com will feature a rich multimedia experience with interactive graphics including:
- The Conclave: Electing a Pope. An interactive feature that explains the conclave process with details on the election process, top contenders for the Pope and 3-D flyovers of Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel with highlighted points of interest.
- The Conclave: Meet the Cardinals. A fun way to flip through the Papal candidates to learn more about each cardinal contender and their respective backgrounds.
- The Pope and the Catholic Church. A graph measuring how other powerful individuals, such as Apple CEO Tim Cook, stack up against the power of the Pope.
The world will know that a Pope has been elected when white smoke rises from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel. Until then, ABC will provide minute-by-minute updates all this week while the College of Cardinals remains isolated from the world to elect a new Pope.
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