By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic
Photographer: Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Hundreds of people watch a TV screen as they wait for a sign of smoke in St. Peter's Square on March 12, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI's successor is being chosen by the College of Cardinals in Conclave in the Sistine Chapel. The 115 cardinal-electors, meeting in strict secrecy, will need to reach a two-thirds-plus-one vote majority to elect the 266th Pontiff.
PopeAlarm.com is a free notification service sponsored by FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. It offers users the option to receive a text or e-mail when white smoke is seen and when the new pope is announced.
"The election of the Pope is one of the most exciting events in the history of the Church. We want everyone to be able to experience the event live," said Kevin Cotter, director of Web for FOCUS. "It is possible that someone would be sleeping or engaged in another activity and not know of the election. Unlike past elections, we currently have the technology to alert you about the pope's election and our service can alert you right away, wherever you are."
PopeAlarm.com will also provide live updates about the conclave via the Twitter account, @popealarm.
Vatican News Service also is offering The Pope App, which they tout as �your way to all the information about the pope.� In addition to letting you know when the white smoke appears, this free app will allow users to follow the new pope�s events live and to set up alerts to notify you when papal events begin.
It also gives access to all official papal-related content in a variety of formats: news and official speeches, galleries with the latest images and videos, access to his calendar, and links to other services of the Holy See.
The app also lets you see key areas of the Vatican through webcams distributed throughout St. Peter's Square that are always broadcasting images.
And while you wait for your phone to buzz, you can take a moment or two out of your day to say the Prayer for the Church offered by the Knights of Columbus:
�O Lord Jesus Christ, Supreme Pastor of Your Church,
we thank you for the ministry of Pope Benedict XVI
and the selfless care with which he has led us
as Successor of Peter, and Your Vicar on earth.
Good Shepherd, who founded Your Church
on the rock of Peter�s faith
and have never left Your flock untended,
look with love upon us now,
and sustain Your Church in faith, hope, and charity.
Grant, Lord Jesus, in Your boundless love for us,
a new Pope for Your Church
who will please You by his holiness
and lead us faithfully to You,
who are the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Amen.�
