Pope's Health Takes a Turn for the Worst Overnight
JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: I think one thing extraordinary was that Dr. Navarro-Valls actually teared up during that press conference. He's a man I've watched closely over a long period of time. He is normally a very cool customer, and the fact that he was overcome with emotion, I think, is terribly significant.</s>HEMMER: The other point is that he announced that the Holy Sea (ph) press office would actually be open all night tonight. That's an extraordinary step in itself. It normally closes at 3:00 in the afternoon. And obviously, a clear recognition that something dramatic could happen. John Allen from earlier. "Time" magazine's Jeff Israely has been following the pope's condition for the last several weeks as this crisis has developed. Jeff Israely is in Rome today, and I'm wondering from your perspective, following it so closely, based on the news we have gotten and the news we have not got from the Vatican, what do you make of the headline for this hour?</s>JEFF ISREALY, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Well, Dr. Navarro-Valls, the Vatican spokesman, was quite clear in saying that the pope's health has taken a severe turn for the worse. All indications from what's coming out of the Vatican, both officially and unofficially, is that we are nearing the end. Of course, we don't know when the end will come, but it's -- there's a different mood out here today than in past weeks, even when the pope was hospitalized.</s>HEMMER: Jeff, can you paint a picture for us behind the scenes as to what might be happening at the Vatican now?</s>ISRAELY: Well, it appears on a medical front, they're still trying to treat this infection that has struck the pope, and otherwise trying to make him as comfortable as possible. At the same time, senior Vatican cardinals have been called in to the papal apartments to meet with the pope. At this time, they exchanged well wishes and tried to be close to the holy father. And it's typically a sign that, in fact, we're nearing the end. And otherwise, at lower levels in the Vatican, things do sort of grind to a halt and everyone's attention here, as is with everyone in the world, practically, at this point, is focused on the pope's condition.</s>HEMMER: There are rules of succession for the Vatican. I think it might do our viewers well to take us through the rules at this point, John.</s>ISRAELY: Sure. Well, all of the confusion and uncertainty and speculation of today, over the past two months, will -- when the moment does arrive, will be replaced by a sort of a strict regiment. There are specific rules to handle succession. The church has every interest in making it as smooth a process as possible, allowing its followers to mourn the holy father who has just deceased. And so, for example, it would begin four to six days after the death of the pope, the funeral will take place, which is preceded by three days where the body will lay in state. And then from always starting from the day of the pope's death, the conclave is set for somewhere between 15 and 20 days, no fewer than 15 and no more than 20 days from his death to the beginning of the conclave. And as you may know -- yes?</s>HEMMER: Let me just stop you for a second there, because a bit of confusion with the graphics we're showing our viewers. Let's go ahead and back up to the first graphic here, and I'm going to read these off. The cardinals will vote twice in the morning and then twice in the afternoon. You' can see it on our screen in a moment here. The ballots are burned at the end of each voting session. We have not seen that since the late '70s, with 1978 would be the last year when this current pope was elected. The cardinals send the smoke signals, black meaning no pope, white meaning a pope, and this voting can go on for days among the conclave within the Sistine Chapel. Then what you were referring to, there must be nine days of mourning, and the conclave cannot begin earlier than 15 days, and no later than 20 days after the death, and the pope must be buried between the fourth and sixth day after death. All this according to church law set up centuries ago, and the pope's body must be on display at St. Peter's Basilica for mourning. And we will see a wave of pilgrims, if indeed that is the case, flooding into Rome and Vatican City. I don't want to get too ahead of this story, Jeff, but as you're covering this from Rome, what is the talk of succession for a man who has dominated the world Catholic Church for nearly three decades?</s>ISRAELY: Well, there's quite obviously been speculation for coming up on a decade now, since the pope's health began to decline about a decade ago, and there's been chatter, obviously, over that time. Names have changed. Some of the past frontrunners have, in fact, died or gotten too old to be considered likely candidates. The first question for us to consider is whether the cardinals will elect an Italian or a non-Italian. As you know, this pope, the Polish pope, is the first non-Italian in nearly five centuries. And without a doubt, the Italian cardinals and their voting bloc of around 20 cardinals, and very well organized, are probably going to do their best to try to organize around one of their own to try to see if they can get an Italian back in the chair of Peter. But there is much talk of Latin-American candidates. Latin America has not had a pope, and they are growing and devoted flock, and have quite a large number of cardinals themselves. And so there are any number of scenarios based on geography, based on ideology, on the characteristics of the man himself. And so there's been a lot of speculation, of course. There will be a will the more in the time to come.</s>HEMMER: What a headline it was on October 16, 1978, a man from southern Poland was elected as the next leader of the Roman Catholic church. Jeff Israely, thanks, from "Time" magazine in Rome. Want to check the headlines now. Here's Kelly Wallace with us as well. Kelly, good morning to you.</s>KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Bill. Good morning again, everyone. Here are some of the other stories now in the news. More attacks today against Iraqi security forces this morning. Iraqi police say a police chief was gunned down in an ambush about 30 miles north of Baghdad. In another part of the city, an interior ministry officer was killed in clashes between insurgents and security forces, this as U.S. and Iraqi troops continue to root out militants in raids in Mosul. The international criminal court at the Hague is preparing to try suspected war criminals from Sudan's Darfur region. This after the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution late Thursday approving a handover to the court known as the ICC. The U.S. does not support the international court, but agreed not to veto the resolution in exchange for assurance that Americans working in Sudan would not be prosecuted. President Bush and the first lady are set to speak on helping America's youth. In just over an hour, the president and the first lady will head to a charter school in Washington. They're set to meet with several groups, including children of prisoners and their mentors. The first lady has said she wants to focus on helping urban boys during her husband's second term in office. And the same congressional committee that conducted hearings into steroids in baseball is now asking about performance-enhancing drugs in football. The panel has asked NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue for information about how the league regulates steroids use. The committee also expected to ask for similar data from other sports leagues, including the NBA and the NHL. Get you caught up. You're laughing there.</s>COSTELLO: No, so it goes on. We're ready for another circus.</s>WALLACE: Yes, right, more and more. You haven't heard the last of it here.</s>COSTELLO: Exactly. I don't think so. Thank you, Kelly. An autopsy being performed on Terri Schiavo's body. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, hopes the results will shed light on the extent her brain damage. For weeks, he's been severely criticized by politicians, clergy members and Terri's parents and siblings. His brother spoke with CNN's Paula Zahn.</s>PAULA ZAHN,CNN ANCHOR: Scott, why do you think your brother, Michael, has been so demonized in all of this?</s>SCOTT SCHIAVO, MICHAEL SCHIAVO'S BROTHER: He's been demoninzed because of the most demon aspect of life, and that's money. This is -- you know, Bob Schindler told Mike that he was going to make his life a living hell, because he got no money from the malpractice suit, and he has done that.</s>ZAHN: You still have some of affection for Mrs. Schindler. Can there ever be any peace between your two families?</s>SCHIAVO: You know, I think if the Schlinders apologize to him, there could be.</s>ZAHN: Michael Schiavo will hold a private ceremony in Pennsylvania, where Terri's ashes will be buried. Terri's parents also expect to hold a service next week in Florida. CNN's Adaora Udoji traveled to Terri's hometown, where she's being remembered by her friends.</s>ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT(voice-over): At Terri Schiavo's old Catholic high school, there's a message for her on the billboard. "We pray you rest in peace." And some flowers dropped by Denise McNabb, who remembers her from religion class.</s>DENISE MCNABB, HIGH SCHOOL CLASSMATE: I feel sick over her parents, what they've gone through and it terrifies me to think I couldn't protect my daughter.</s>UDOJI: Touched by Terri's plight, complete strangers came to pay tribute in this Philadelphia suburb where she grew up.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think she'll be soon forgotten.</s>UDOJI (on camera): Terri lived in this house in a very quiet neighborhood. We spoke to one longtime neighbor who remembered her as friendly, always polite and always respectful. (voice-over): Sue Pickwell, a bridesmaid in Terri and Michael Schiavo's wedding, remembers Terri as fun. She recalls the day they met in seventh grade, the giggles they shared for decades.</s>SUE PICKWELL, FRIEND: We knew her passion for life, for people, for caring. She had such a kind heart towards everybody and everything.</s>UDOJI: Pickwell remembers a family full of love and tenderness. She's bitter Terri's parents, the Schindlers, lost the battle to keep their daughter alive.</s>PICKWELL: I knew she was safe in her parents' heart. They were there. They were taking care of her. She had that comfort. And they couldn't follow through with it, because of a husband by paper.</s>UDOJI: Terri's brother-in-law, Scott Schiavo, also in the area, felt differently.</s>SCOTT SCHIAVO, TERRI'S BROTHER-IN-LAW: I just feel that right now, Terri's at peace. That's all -- you know, this has always been about Terri.</s>UDOJI: Pickwell says she thinks Terri would hate being the center of attention, but she would love knowing her life and her death had meant so much to so many. Adaora Udoji, CNN, Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania.</s>COSTELLO: And coming up on our next hour, we'll hear from Bob and Mary Schindler's lawyer about how they're coping this morning.</s>HEMMER: Carol, once again, monitoring a breaking story out of Rome. Pope John Paul II said to be in very grave condition at this hour. We will go back there live in a moment. Also, a look at three Vatican officials who hold the most responsibility during this crisis. Our coverage continues right after this.</s>HEMMER: Live picture again from Vatican City, watching very closely the events for the pope and his health. He remains now in grave conditions, according to Vatican officials. He does not wish to return to the hospital, we're told. He is staying inside a papal residence, which is right there in the middle of your screen, which appears to be that three-story brown structure. We are told by the Vatican that he is resting and he is serene and still conscious, as well. The last update we were given, about three hours ago, at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time. We wait for more word from the Vatican at this hour. If the pope now, dies or is incapacitated, what happens then to the church? Jim Bittermann tries for some answers this morning on that.</s>JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Much of what the Catholic Church does happens far from Pope John Paul's Vatican office. Most all of it takes place without the slightest sign of papal intervention. An army of more than 405,000 priests and 4,700 bishops knows what must be done to carry on the work of the pope whether or not he's there to urge them on or restrain them. And so, unlike a corporation or a government, the Catholic Church does not immediately spin out of control if the chair of St. Peter is empty.</s>ULRICH ESSER, GREGORIAN UNIV. SEMINARIAN: The church is more than 2,000 years old, so two weeks without the holy father, that can bother nothing.</s>BITTERMANN: With or without the pope, the Catholic universities go on training up young theologians. Even at the top of the hierarchy in the dicasteries, the Vatican equivalent of government ministries, the bureaucratic work grinds on. But the decline in John Paul's health has meant more and more power going to those at the top. Three men in particular, Italian- born Angelo Sodano, the secretary of state, is essentially the Vatican's prime minister. With the pope no longer able to carry out even ceremonial duties, Cardinal Sodano has become the point man, especially in the area of foreign affairs. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a German, is in charge of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the church institution most responsible for enforcing church teachings. His writings have sometimes been more doctrinaire than the pope. And with a lower rank but not less power Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, the pope's personal secretary for 40 years, has always been at John Paul's side. And now that the pope is ailing, he's the go-to person for the pope's signature and thought to be the one who has final say on the pope's medical treatment. But the three are just first among equals. Other cardinals have their own individual powers. Only John Paul can give them orders. (on camera): Over the years, the pope has delegated more and more responsibility to his top churchmen, and sometimes there are disputes among them. But without the pope in place, there is no one to resolve them. (voice-over): And some say therein lies the real problem with an extended papal illness.</s>REV. KEITH PECKLERS, PROFESSOR, GREGORIAN UNIV.: What happens down the road if we have a pope, for example, who can no longer speak, who can no longer be seen in public, for example? And then there we're going to have to face some serious questions.</s>BITTERMANN: Not the least among them, how to maintain the coherence and cohesion of a church with no single person in charge. Jim Bittermann, CNN, Vatican City.</s>HEMMER: The conclave to choose the next pope begins 15 days after the pope's death. The cardinals take a series of votes in the Sistine Chapel, burning their ballots after each one. The smoke burns black until someone is chosen, then that smoke will turn white. And our breaking news coverage continues in a moment after the break. Once again, Pope John Paul II in very grave condition. The latest in a moment here from Vatican City.</s>COSTELLO: A live look for you at Vatican City, where the pope is said to be in very serious condition. In fact, the Vatican press office is staying open during the crisis, quite unusual, because the usually closes down at 3:00 in the afternoon. That would be, of course, the time in Italy, but it is remaining open for any update on the pope's condition, and he's said to be in very serious condition, but lucid at this time. So we'll keep you posted. Let's turn to Jack now.</s>JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the March jobs report is just out a few minutes ago. With the details, Andy Serwer is here "Minding Your Business." Good morning.</s>ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Thank you, Jack. Good morning to you. It was a weak jobs report crossing the tape just 20 minutes or so ago. Economists looking for 220,000 jobs to be created; we only got 110,000. There may be a silver lining here. I'll get to that in a second. Unemployment rate, however, is good. It dropped from 5.4 percent to 5.2 percent. The silver lining is this, there had been concerns in the financial market the economy was overheating, that inflation was beginning to creep up. This should probably allay those fears. And indeed the Futures are up this morning. Jack, I also want to talk a little bit about the markets. We ended the quarter yesterday, as you know.</s>JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Glad it's over.</s>SERWER: Yes, that's the only way to term it. Look at that. Especially the Nasdaq, tech stocks weak. A couple groups here we can talk about very quickly. Oil stocks up, of course, doing the best, and we can see here, drug stocks recovering from some of the damage last fall. And now, the weak ones, let's look here, which would be your tech stocks, automobiles. That business is just very, very difficult. And airlines. What a surprise.</s>CAFFERTY: All right, thanks, Andy.</s>SERWER: You're welcome.</s>CAFFERTY: A couple of items worth mentioning in the "Cafferty File" this morning, beginning with a bunch of jockeys, who for this particular race might have thought they were in the middle of Alfred Hitchcock's movie, "The Birds." Eleven horses racing toward the finish line in a Melbourne race track on Wednesday. Hundreds of seagulls suddenly rose up off the track, several of the jockeys actually knocked off their horses. Nobody was seriously injured. A couple of the seagulls didn't fare too well in this. Australian racing officials say they'll take a look at the safety procedures in light of what happened at the track. A great white shark that apparently just does not play well with others is being taken out of California's Monterey Bay Aquarium and put back into the ocean. They want nothing further to do with this fish. The aquarium had to set the shark loose because she was becoming too dangerous to handle, and she was starting to eat the other fish in the display. Prior to release, the shark was fitted with an electronic data tag that will monitor her movements for the next month. The shark was on exhibit for six months, was part of a program to change public attitudes about great white sharks. Didn't work. April Fool's Day. The joke will be on Star Jones a little later. The animal activism group PETA will unveil this. This is an ad that will go up outside the studios where Star Jones is one of the cohosts on that show they do, "The View." "The fur's a drag" ad features a six-foot-tool cross-dresser named Flotilla DeBarge, who is impersonating Star Jones, as you can see, by wearing a wedding gown and a white fur coat covered in blood. PETA listed Star Jones four times on the annual worst-dressed list, citing her fondness for fur. Star Jones' to the ad and Flotilla DeBarge, quote, "I hope his hair and makeup look fabulous, and that he remembers to shave," unquote.</s>COSTELLO: Well, at least she has a sense of humor about.</s>CAFFERTY: Sort of.</s>COSTELLO: I bet she's really mad.</s>CAFFERTY: I bet she is, too.</s>COSTELLO: Yes.</s>HEMMER: Thank you, Jack. Needed that laugh today. In a moment, we'll take you back to Rome for the breaking news there. Pope John Paul II has taken a severe turn for the worst. We'll try and gauge the latest reaction from Vatican City as we continue, top of the hour on AMERICAN MORNING.