As cardinals from around the world begin arriving in Rome for a conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI, new shadows have fallen over the delicate transition, which the Vatican fears might influence the vote and with it the direction of the Roman Catholic Church.
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L'Osservatore Romano Pope Benedict XVI prays in the Vatican on Saturday. The Vatican assailed the flurry of "often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories" before the conclave to elect Benedict's successor.
