123pm. Fox reporting that the Holy Father has died. Sky News also reporting and Italian news agencies. Not yet confirmed by the Vatican. The Bronze Door has not yet closed.

142pm Fox is correcting itself. Reports that Vatican sources say Pope’s “heart and brain are still functioning.”

157pm Shepherd Smith apologizes for inaccuracy based on Reuters/Sky Italia news report.

***
Words to live by:

We are coming to the end of a century which began with confidence in humanity’s prospects of almost unlimited progress, but which is now ending in widespread fear and moral confusion. If we want a springtime of the human spirit, we must rediscover the foundations of hope. Above all, society must learn to embrace one more the great gift of life, to cherish it, to protect it, and to defend it against the culture of death, itself an expression of the great fear that stalks our times.

- Pope John Paul II, Oct. 2, 1998, “Ad Limina” address to the Bishops of California, Nevada, and Hawaii

In memoriam:

A beacon of hope and inspiration
The Pope Page
CNN’s in-depth report on the Pope, 1999
John Paul II and the Crisis of Humanism
Beautiful photo essay at FoxNews.com

The question of succession:

Who will be the next Pope?
Ritual governs choice of successor
Why The Next Pope May Be A Surprise

Among the candidates cited as front-runners:

Christoph Cardinal Schonborn, O.P., the Cardinal-Archbishop of Vienna
Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria
Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras
Cardinal Ivan Dias of India

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