South Florida Catholics await new pope

Election of new pope begins in Vatican City

MIAMI ā€“ Catholics throughout South Florida await the election of their new leader as the cardinals went into the Sistine Chapel, where they will take part in the secret election of a new pope.

Students and faculty members at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School held a special mass Tuesday to pray for the cardinals.

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"This is monumental," said senior Eric Couto. "Coming here and watching them over the television and praying together as a community is really impactful."

"It's kind of a shock to us," said senior Oscar Cabanas. "It's not every day that the pope retires."

Deacon Robert O'Malley is the first cousin of Cardinal Sean O'Malley, the Archbishop of Boston.

"We email him but all communication is cut off at this point," said Robert O'Malley. "They all feel this awesome responsibility of making sure the vote that they make is in accordance of the Holy Spirit and God's will."

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"We hope that they make the decision quickly and they make the right decision," added Cabanas.

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