Catholics in Maine are anxious to hear the results of the Papal Conclave

7:12 PM, Mar 12, 2013   |    comments
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PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) - As the Papal Conclave gets down to business at The Vatican, Catholics in Maine await the results of the historic vote.

Older and younger members of the Catholic faith are celebrating the process at Mass and learning about it at school.

At the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, a special mass was held to mark the event Tuesday. Prayers were offered for the College of Cardinals, which will elect the new Pope.

At Cheverus High School, theology students are learning about the secretive and traditional process of picking the pontiff.

Students say they understand the Church's reliance on tradition but they hope the new leader of the world's Catholics communicates the church's message in methods that reach young people - specifically on Facebook and Twitter.

"[New York Cardinal Timothy] Dolan is into Twitter," says Senior Michael Orne, "He's reaching out, he's finding other areas to connect to the world and that's important."

Cardinal Dolan is a name that often comes up among younger Catholics. They say he speaks their language.

He's also one of the contenders mentioned on The Sweet Sistine, a takeoff on the March Madness basketball bracket.

NEWS CENTER