More than 130 Catholic Cardinals began the secretive, centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis, opening the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith’s 2,000-year history.
Two by two, the Cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel chanting the meditative “litany of the saints” as Swiss guards stood at attention. The hymn implores the saints to help the Cardinals find a new leader of the 1.4 billion strong Catholic Church.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to enforce a ban on transgender people in the military.
The court acted in the dispute over a policy that presumptively disqualifies transgender people from military service and could lead to the expulsion of experienced, decorated officers.
The court’s three liberal justices said they would have kept the policy on hold. Neither the justices in the majority or dissent explained their votes, which is not uncommon in emergency appeals.
Real ID requirements for those flying within the United States begin Wednesday after nearly 20 years of delays.
Many airports reported wait times of a few minutes at security checkpoints on their websites on Wednesday morning, although some had longer waits. LaGuardia airport reported no wait at one TSA precheck checkpoint and wait times ranging from 2 to 11 minutes in the general lines.
Livy Dunlap can be reached dunl3109@stthomas.edu
