Lebanese supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad fired heavy machine guns and lobbed mortar shells at each other Thursday in some of the worst fighting in the port city of Tripoli in years.VATICAN CITY – The last cardinal who will participate in the conclave to elect the next pope arrived in Rome on Thursday, meaning a date can now be set for the election. One U.S. cardinal said a decision on the start date is expected soon.
Some American and other cardinals had said they wanted to continue the pre-conclave meetings that have been going on all week for as long as it takes so they can discern who among them has the stuff to be pope and discuss the problems of the church.
Some Vatican-based cardinals, defensive about criticisms of the Vatican’s internal governance that have been aired recently, seemed to want to get on with the vote.
“Hopefully it will be a short conclave and start very soon,” Vatican-based German Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes was quoted Wednesday as telling the German daily Bild. “I would compare it with a visit to the dentist – you want to get everything over with quickly.”
Thursday afternoon, U.S. Cardinal Roger Mahony tweeted that the discussions were “reaching a conclusion.”
“Setting of date for conclave nearing. Mood of excitement prevails among Cardinals,” he wrote.
