AS a reporter covering the Vatican, you sometimes find yourself late at night dreaming of a time when you’ll have a no-holds-barred exchange with the Pope himself.

On CNN’s Connect the World programme on Mar 11, the day before the conclave opened, host Becky Anderson asked me a question about geographic blocs in the college of cardinals.

Cardinals electing the new pope will be looking for a charismatic but tenacious man capable of reuniting a fractious Church, stamping down on scandals, and reigniting faith among the young.

Formally speaking, the race for the next pope doesn’t open until 9.30am on Monday, when all the cardinals who have made it to Rome by then will meet for the first time in what’s called a “general congregation”.

A US judge ordered the unsealing of documents related to a disgraced Catholic organisation called the Legion of Christ as it faces questions about its relationship to wealthy elderly patrons, but the religious order immediately moved to block it.

US cardinal Justin Rigali, under pressure over his handling of a long-running priest sex-abuse scandal, is expected to step down after eight tumultuous years leading the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Pope Benedict XVI stressed the Catholic church’s opposition to abortion and stem cell research in his first meeting with US president Barack Obama.

The Vatican is expected to issue a statement tomorrow concerning its investigation into allegations the Mexican founder of the conservative order Legionaries of Christ sexually abused seminarians decades ago, officials said today.

THE Vatican next month will make known its position on US bishops' new strategy to eradicate sex abuse among clergy, a policy expected to raise objections at the Holy See.

The Vatican has denied a report in the National Catholic Reporter that says sexual abuse of nuns by priests is a serious problem.