This morning the Cardinals prayed in St. Peter's basilica for a good election of the next pope while the women had their "pink smoke" activity nearby. I couldn't go to both events because I had to send out a press release for Hans Kueng's 85th birthday next week, to prepare our press conference and to answer all media requests. But Martha (who is back from her home in Innsbruck/Austria) and Marilyn and many others went there. You can see a report on the Internet . It was the top news at yahoo.it.
In the afternoon we had the IMWAC press conference at Stampa Estera, the Foreign Press Association, where almost 20 journalists from international media were present. Vittorio (who came from his hometown Milano for today), Martha, Marilyn and I had many one to one interviews afterwards. I would like to say many thanks to Stampa Estera! From there I rushed off to a live interview with France24, later this evening I had two radio interviews with BBC at St. Peter's square. In fact I was interviewed together with an American professor at the Opus Dei university in Rome. The funny thing: We had very similar ideas what needed to be changed in the church - at least more collegiality and a better esteem of the laity. From there we could see the smoke of the first ballot - it was black.
The hotel where we stay until now is very nice but much to far away from the Vatican. With the help from my wife and her best friend in Germany I found a hotel very close to the Vatican where we will move to tomorrow morning. We have to be at hand to the journalists when the white smoke will come from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.