Cardinals arrive for Pope Benedict's last general audience

(27 Feb 2013)
1. Wide pan of US Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, walking through Fiumicino Airport
2. Various of DiNardo walking through airport
3. Various exteriors of Fiumicino Airport Terminal 3
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai and President of the Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI):
"We hope to have a pope who is spiritual, intellectual and will lead the church in these challenging times."
5. Pan of Gracias walking through airport
6. Close-up of Italian and European Union flags outside airport
7. Various exteriors of airport
STORYLINE:
Several of the cardinals who will choose the new pope arrived in the Italian capital on Wednesday to attend Pope Benedict XVI's final weekly audience.
Those arriving at Rome's Fiumicino Airport included Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the Archbishop of Galveston-Houston in the United States, and Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai in India.
Many cardinals were expected to join the huge crowds in St Peter's Square in the Vatican for the pope's last general audience on Wednesday.
The pope will meet with cardinals for a final time on Thursday morning, then fly by helicopter to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo south of Rome, becoming the first pope in 600 years to resign.
Vatican officials say cardinals will begin meeting on Monday to decide when to set the date for the conclave to elect the next pope.
Gracias, who is also president of the Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), said he hoped Benedict's successor would be "spiritual, intellectual and will lead the church in these challenging times."
In all, 115 cardinals under the age of 80 are expected in Rome for the conclave to vote on who should become the next pope.
Cardinals who are 80 and older can join the College meetings but won't participate in the conclave or vote.
Benedict has given the cardinals the go-ahead to bring forward the start date of the conclave - overriding the traditional 15-day waiting period.


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