NATION/WORLD

The next pope must be "very aware" of the need for vigilance in preventing clergy sex abuse and accept a policy of "zero tolerance" as the universal law of the church, said Chicago's Cardinal Francis E. George.

The College of Cardinals began their formal pre-conclave meetings March 4 with 142 members present, 103 of whom are under the age of 80 and eligible to enter the conclave to vote for a new pope.

Chanting the Litany of the Saints, asking a host of holy men and women to help them, the cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel in procession, aware of their enormous responsibility to elect a new pope.

After Pope Benedict XVI officially became pope emeritus, he ate dinner, watched the television news and strolled through the lake-view rooms of the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo.

In his State of the Union address last year, President Barack Obama called for an "all of the above" strategy on domestic energy production. In this year's State of the Union remarks, Obama said, "No area is more ripe for such innovation than energy."

Both houses of the Arkansas Legislature voted to override Gov. Mike Beebe's veto of a fetal pain bill, outlawing most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

The world's cardinals were to begin meetings at the Vatican March 4, and while onlookers are focused on who may be the next pope, the cardinals have business to deal with.

Cardinal-electors are caught in a Catch-22. They are eager to give the world a new pope; however, they need time to pick the right leader, said South Africa's cardinal.

Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo ministers from the heart of Europe, but with a concern and contacts that span the globe.

Taking the helm of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in 2009, near the beginning of the global financial crisis, Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson's work has focused heavily on promoting Pope Benedict XVI's calls for more carefully regulated international markets and for real solidarity with the poor.