Pope Francis: Profile Of New Catholic Leader

He's the first ever pope from the Americas, an austere Jesuit intellectual who modernised Argentina's conservative Catholic church.

Known until Wednesday as Jorge Bergoglio, Pope Francis is respected as a humble man who denied himself the luxuries that previous Buenos Aires cardinals enjoyed.

In the past, the 76-year-old Pontiff has accused fellow church leaders of hypocrisy and of forgetting that Jesus Christ bathed lepers and ate with prostitutes.

He often rode the bus to work, cooked his own meals and regularly visited the slums that ring Argentina's capital.

He accused fellow church leaders of hypocrisy and forgetting that Jesus Christ bathed lepers and ate with prostitutes.

"Jesus teaches us another way: Go out. Go out and share your testimony, go out and interact with your brothers, go out and share, go out and ask. Become the Word in body as well as spirit," Bergoglio told Argentina's priests last year.

Bergoglio's legacy as a cardinal includes his efforts to repair the reputation of a church that lost many followers by failing to openly challenge Argentina's murderous 1976-83 dictatorship.

The new pope on the streets of Buenos Aires earlier this month

He also worked to recover the church's traditional political influence in society, but his outspoken criticism of President Cristina Kirchner could not stop her from imposing socially liberal measures, from gay marriage and adoption to free contraceptives.

He came close to becoming pope in 2005, reportedly gaining the second-highest total in several rounds of voting before bowing out in the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.

Initially trained as a chemist, Bergoglio taught literature, psychology, philosophy and theology before taking over as Buenos Aires archbishop in 1998.

He became cardinal in 2001, when the economy was collapsing, and won respect for blaming unrestrained capitalism for impoverishing millions of Argentines.

Sergio Rubin, Bergoglio's authorised biographer, said the new pope felt most comfortable taking a very low profile, and his personal style was the antithesis of Vatican splendour.

"It's a very curious thing: When bishops meet, he always wants to sit in the back rows. This sense of humility is very well seen in Rome," Mr Rubin said before the 2013 conclave to choose Benedict's successor.

Bergoglio has stood out for his austerity. Even after he became Argentina's top church official in 2001, he never lived in the ornate church mansion where Pope John Paul II stayed when visiting the country.

For years, he took public transportation around the city.

Bergoglio almost never granted media interviews, limiting himself to speeches from the pulpit, and was reluctant to contradict his critics, even when he knew their allegations against him were false, said Mr Rubin.

Bergoglio talks with a man as he rides the subway in Buenos Aires

That attitude was burnished as human rights activists tried to force him to answer uncomfortable questions about what church officials knew and did about the dictatorship's abuses after the 1976 coup.

Many Argentines remain angry over the church's acknowledged failure to openly confront a regime that was kidnapping and killing thousands of people as it sought to eliminate "subversive elements" in society.

It's one reason why more than two-thirds of Argentines describe themselves as Catholic, but fewer than 10% regularly attend mass.

Under Bergoglio's leadership, Argentina's bishops issued a collective apology in October 2012 for the church's failures to protect its flock. But the statement blamed the era's violence in roughly equal measure on both the junta and its enemies.

"Bergoglio has been very critical of human rights violations during the dictatorship, but he has always also criticized the leftist guerrillas; he doesn't forget that side," Mr Rubin said.

The bishops also said "we exhort those who have information about the location of stolen babies, or who know where bodies were secretly buried, that they realize they are morally obligated to inform the pertinent authorities."

But that statement came far too late for some activists, who accused Bergoglio of being more concerned about the church's image than about aiding the many human rights investigations of the Kirchners' era.

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New Pope: Cardinal Bergoglio Elected

Profile: The Chemist Who Became A Pope

Updated: 12:54am UK, Thursday 14 March 2013

He's the first ever pope from the Americas, an austere Jesuit intellectual who modernised Argentina's conservative Catholic church.

Known until Wednesday as Jorge Bergoglio, Pope Francis is respected as a humble man who denied himself the luxuries that previous Buenos Aires cardinals enjoyed.

In the past, the 76-year-old Pontiff has accused fellow church leaders of hypocrisy and of forgetting that Jesus Christ bathed lepers and ate with prostitutes.

He often rode the bus to work, cooked his own meals and regularly visited the slums that ring Argentina's capital.

He accused fellow church leaders of hypocrisy and forgetting that Jesus Christ bathed lepers and ate with prostitutes.

"Jesus teaches us another way: Go out. Go out and share your testimony, go out and interact with your brothers, go out and share, go out and ask. Become the Word in body as well as spirit," Bergoglio told Argentina's priests last year.

Bergoglio's legacy as a cardinal includes his efforts to repair the reputation of a church that lost many followers by failing to openly challenge Argentina's murderous 1976-83 dictatorship.

He also worked to recover the church's traditional political influence in society, but his outspoken criticism of President Cristina Kirchner could not stop her from imposing socially liberal measures, from gay marriage and adoption to free contraceptives.

He came close to becoming pope in 2005, reportedly gaining the second-highest total in several rounds of voting before bowing out in the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.

Initially trained as a chemist, Bergoglio taught literature, psychology, philosophy and theology before taking over as Buenos Aires archbishop in 1998.

He became cardinal in 2001, when the economy was collapsing, and won respect for blaming unrestrained capitalism for impoverishing millions of Argentines.

Sergio Rubin, Bergoglio's authorised biographer, said the new pope felt most comfortable taking a very low profile, and his personal style was the antithesis of Vatican splendour.

"It's a very curious thing: When bishops meet, he always wants to sit in the back rows. This sense of humility is very well seen in Rome," Mr Rubin said before the 2013 conclave to choose Benedict's successor.

Bergoglio has stood out for his austerity. Even after he became Argentina's top church official in 2001, he never lived in the ornate church mansion where Pope John Paul II stayed when visiting the country.

For years, he took public transportation around the city.

Bergoglio almost never granted media interviews, limiting himself to speeches from the pulpit, and was reluctant to contradict his critics, even when he knew their allegations against him were false, said Mr Rubin.

That attitude was burnished as human rights activists tried to force him to answer uncomfortable questions about what church officials knew and did about the dictatorship's abuses after the 1976 coup.

Many Argentines remain angry over the church's acknowledged failure to openly confront a regime that was kidnapping and killing thousands of people as it sought to eliminate "subversive elements" in society.

It's one reason why more than two-thirds of Argentines describe themselves as Catholic, but fewer than 10% regularly attend mass.

Under Bergoglio's leadership, Argentina's bishops issued a collective apology in October 2012 for the church's failures to protect its flock. But the statement blamed the era's violence in roughly equal measure on both the junta and its enemies.

"Bergoglio has been very critical of human rights violations during the dictatorship, but he has always also criticized the leftist guerrillas; he doesn't forget that side," Mr Rubin said.

The bishops also said "we exhort those who have information about the location of stolen babies, or who know where bodies were secretly buried, that they realize they are morally obligated to inform the pertinent authorities."

But that statement came far too late for some activists, who accused Bergoglio of being more concerned about the church's image than about aiding the many human rights investigations of the Kirchners' era.

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Pope Election: Black Smoke From Sistine Chapel

The Secret World Of The Conclave

Updated: 8:04am UK, Tuesday 12 March 2013

By Michelle Clifford, Sky News Correspondent

The cardinals heading into the Conclave in Rome know they won't see the world outside the Vatican walls again until they have chosen a new Pontiff.

The highly secretive process has been experienced by few men over the last century. British Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor is one of them.

In 2005 he helped pick Pope Benedict XVI and the memory of that first day is still etched on to his psyche.

"I can still remember walking in and it looked absolutely magnificent in the Sistine Chapel. The wonderful frescoes of Michelangelo. The Last Judgement on the altar. And the wonderful images around the walls," he said.

Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor recalls the enormity of the task ahead of them. Knowing the choice they made would impact the lives of more than a billion Catholics. And in a blink the moment was upon them.

"And then suddenly the junior Cardinal says: 'Everybody out. Extra Omnes,' and so all the servers, the ministers, the people go.

"And he shuts the huge doors with a big thud. And so there's just 115 of us and we all look at each other and think, well one of us is going to come out not with a scarlet cassock but with a white one".

He remembers the process as a solemn and holy one.

Each cardinal felt the weight of responsibility to make the right choice. And the tension wasn't helped during each round of voting by the fact that every man knew there was a chance, however small, that he could be picked.

"The cardinal sitting near me was going rather white. You could tell he was thinking 'gosh, I really don't want this'. And between you and me, I think every cardinal had a name up his sleeve just in case."

He himself had chosen Adrian after the only English Pope and Gregory. He also toyed with Benedict - the name the cardinal he picked for Pope took.

Such is the secrecy around the vote the cardinals go into lockdown inside the Vatican. They vote, eat and live together. And the debate about who should be leader goes on well after they leave the Sistine Chapel each day.

He remembers well the stoves erected in the Sistine Chapel to burn the ballot papers after each round.

Black smoke was sent up if no-one had been elected. But when white smoke emerged from the Sistine chapel chimney the outside world learned what the cardinals inside already knew - a Pope had been selected.

"You could have heard a pin drop as the last votes were counted. It was a very dramatic moment. It felt extraordinary," he said.

The then Cardinal Ratzinger announced the name he had chosen for himself and then disappeared out for a short moment to be transformed.

Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor explained: "There is a tailor outside the door with three cassocks. Small, large and medium. And what is amazing is that he comes back wearing a white cassock and we gave him a great clap and we all went up one by one and kissed his ring.

"And it didn't matter whether you voted for him or not - he is Pope."

Some cardinals say it is a process they would not want to repeat - such is the burden of responsibility.

But Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor would be happy to oblige despite knowing that when he came out his family would ask the same two questions they did the last time.

He said: "My nephew asked what was the food like. I told him good. I then asked him what his other questions was. He said 'How many votes did you get?'"

On that point the Cardinal's lips are sealed.

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Libya: Toxic Hooch Kills 60 And Makes 700 Ill

At least 60 people have been killed and 700 made ill in the Libyan capital by a batch of poisonous homemade liquor.

The scale of the alcohol poisoning is so great that hospitals in Tripoli have been overstretched with patients and some of the victims have had to be sent to clinics in other parts of the country for treatment.

The homemade brew, known locally as Boukha, has been laced with methanol, according to the country's Health Minister Nurideen Doghman.

He said that at least 60 people had died. On Monday, the Health Ministry said that it had registered 51 deaths and 378 cases of poisoning, mainly in the capital.

Colonel Mahmoud Sharif said: "There have more 709 cases of alcohol poisoning.

"This includes 10 women - both Libyan and from other Arab states," he said.

"Six people have been arrested, and an investigation is under way. Two others are believed to be on the run and their names have been given to border officials."

The consumption and sale of alcohol is banned in the North African country, but it is available on the black market.

Libya has seen a significant increase in drug and alcohol trafficking since the dictator Muammar Gaddafi was ousted from power in 2011.

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Cardinals Prepare To Choose A New Pope

By Nick Pisa, Vatican City

Cardinals will gather today for a ceremony steeped in tradition as they vote to elect a new Pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church.

The so-called Princes of the Church will assemble in the Vatican's beautifully ornate Sistine Chapel to decide on a new Pontiff.

It follows ex Pope Benedict XVI stepping down last month following eight years in office.

In all 115 cardinal electors, those below the age of 80, are involved in the process.

The first the world will know a new Pope has been chosen is when white smoke appears from a chimney on the chapel's roof.

But before that process begins, there were several key events that were due to take place.

The first took place on Monday when 90 people ranging from cleaning staff, drivers, priests and Swiss Guards swore an oath of secrecy.

They will be on hand as the cardinals gather and are not allowed to breathe a word of what they say or hear - and if they do they are excommunicated from the Roman Catholic faith.

Whilst the conclave is taking place the cardinals will be staying in a special residence inside the Vatican called the Domus Marthae and they will remain there until a Pope has been chosen and all staff there are sworn to secrecy.

This morning the day will begin with a Latin Mass in St Peter's for the cardinals and public and which is traditionally held before a conclave starts and is known as "pro eligendo Romano Pontifice".

It will be led by the Dean of the College of Cardinals Angelo Sodano who will also give a sermon in Italian which is expected to outline the spiritual significance of the task that faces them to elect the 266th Pope.

After lunch they will then leave in a solemn procession from the Pauline Chapel in the Vatican to the Sistine Chapel.

As they go they will be accompanied by Latin prayers and songs, as they ask the Holy Spirit for help in choosing the right man for the job.

Once inside the Sistine Chapel they will swear an oath, with their hand on a Gospel.

Next, all those cardinals who are not electors and other accompanying priests will be ordered to leave by the Master of Ceremonies Monsignor Guido Marini.

He will say in Latin "extra omnes", which means "everybody out" and then the last pictures the world will see are the doors of the Sistine Chapel closing as the cardinals begin their deliberations.

The word conclave comes from the Latin "con clavum" or "with key" as cardinals in the past were kept locked in a room until they came up with a new Pope.

As part of the selection process a jamming device has been installed in the chapel as the cardinals are not allowed to have any contact with the outside world.

It is feared that any contact could influence their vote and if they do break the vow of secrecy they also face excommunication.

The secret ballot will involve the cardinals writing the name of their preferred candidate on a slip of paper - trying to disguise their handwriting if possible - which they will then place on a tray with the ballot then sliding into an urn.

The cardinals, as they did in this picture from 2005, will wear red

Once all the votes are counted by the scrutineers they are pierced with a needle through the Latin word 'Eligendo' (I elect) and a thread is fed through them - the key figure to look for is 77 votes, two thirds of the 115 elector cardinals plus one.

If no clear winner emerges then the voting papers are put into a 74 year old stove which has been specially installed in the Sistine Chapel and burnt - chemicals are added to produce white smoke, to show a winner has emerged and black if still no decision.

There will be one vote on Tuesday with smoke expected around 7pm (GMT) although Vatican officials have already said they do not expect a verdict straight away.

After final prayers and vespers the cardinals will then leave the Sistine Chapel and head back to their sealed overnight accommodation for dinner.

There will be two rounds of voting on Wednesday morning and two in the afternoon with smoke expected at around 11am and 6pm - with the eyes of the world watching the chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel.

Spotlights will be trained on the chimney in case darkness has fallen and to ensure everyone knows a new Pope has been elected the bells of St Peter's will also ring out and his first appearance will be on the balcony where he will give a blessing.

Favourites so far include Italian cardinal Angelo Sodano and Brazilian Odilo Pedro Scherer but no real strong candidate has emerged with Vatican watchers saying this may lead to a longer conclave than usual.

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Pope: The Secret World Of The Conclave

By Michelle Clifford, Sky News Correspondent

The cardinals heading into today's Conclave in Rome know they won't see the world outside the Vatican walls again until they have picked a new Pontiff.

The highly secretive process has been experienced by few men over the last century. British Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor is one of them.

In 2005 he helped pick Pope Benedict XVI and the memory of that first day is still etched on to his psyche.

"I can still remember walking in and it looked absolutely magnificent in the Sistine Chapel. The wonderful frescoes of Michelangelo. The Last Judgement on the altar.

"And the wonderful images around the walls," he said.

Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor recalls the enormity of the task ahead of them. Knowing the choice they made would impact the lives of more than a billion Catholics. And in a blink the moment was upon them.

"And then suddenly the junior Cardinal says: 'Everybody out. Extra Omnes,' and so all the servers, the ministers, the people go.

"And he shuts the huge doors with a big thud. And so there's just 115 of us and we all look at each other and think, well one of us is going to come out not with a scarlet cassock but with a white one".

He remembers the process as a solemn and holy one.

The elector cardinals go to the Sistine Chapel in 2005

Each cardinal felt the weight of responsibility to make the right choice. And the tension wasn't helped during each round of voting by the fact that every man knew there was a chance, however small, that he could be picked.

"The cardinal sitting near me was going rather white. You could tell he was thinking 'gosh, I really don't want this'. And between you and me, I think every cardinal had a name up his sleeve just in case."

He himself had chosen Adrian after the only English Pope and Gregory. He also toyed with Benedict - the name the cardinal he picked for Pope took.

Such is the secrecy around the vote the cardinals go into lockdown inside the Vatican. They vote, eat and live together. And the debate about who should be leader goes on well after they leave the Sistine Chapel each day.

He remembers well the stoves erected in the Sistine Chapel to burn the ballot papers after each round.

Black smoke was sent up if no-one had been elected. But when white smoke emerged from the Sistine chapel chimney the outside world learned what the cardinals inside already knew - a Pope had been selected.

"You could have heard a pin drop as the last votes were counted. It was a very dramatic moment. It felt extraordinary," he said.

The then Cardinal Ratzinger announced the name he had chosen for himself and then disappeared out for a short moment to be transformed.

Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor explained: "There is a tailor outside the door with three cassocks. Small, large and medium. And what is amazing is that he comes back wearing a white cassock and we gave him a great clap and we all went up one by one and kissed his ring.

"And it didn't matter whether you voted for him or not - he is Pope."

Some cardinals say it is a process they would not want to repeat - such is the burden of responsibility.

But Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor would be happy to oblige despite knowing that when he came out his family would ask the same two questions they did the last time.

He said: "My nephew asked what was the food like. I told him good. I then asked him what his other questions was. He said 'How many votes did you get?'"

On that point the Cardinal's lips are sealed.

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India Bus Gang Rape Leader In Jail Suicide

The man accused of leading the gang rape of a student on a New Delhi bus has hanged himself in his prison cell.

Ram Singh used his shirt to kill himself in the high security Tihar jail where he had been on suicide watch in an isolated cell, according to Sky sources.

Singh, 35, was accused of leading a gang of five others who subjected a 23-year-old physiotherapy student to a two-and-a-half hour sex attack in which she was gang raped.

Her internal injuries were so horrific she died two weeks later in a hospital in Singapore despite surgery to try to save her.

Singh's suicide comes in the middle of his trial. He and four others are accused of luring the woman and a male friend, who were on their way home from a trip to the cinema, on to the bus where they beat him before repeatedly raping her.

Days of protests followed the horrific attack

A senior police officer on the case, said: "The case will continue. There is no reason for the case to suffer."

Singh's lawyer, confirmed his client's death but said claimed that he had been "killed in prison". Lawyers for the men have previously accused police of beating confessions out of their clients.

Singh was the regular driver of the white private bus, usually used to carry school children, which is alleged to have been used in the December 16 attack.

Police say Singh, whose brother is also one of the accused, had been out with friends and drinking heavily when they decided to take the bus out for a night-time joyride.

The men are facing charges of murder, rape, and kidnapping, and if found guilty are expected to be given the death penalty.

The attack caused worldwide revulsion and outrage in India. Days of protests followed in a country where a woman is raped every 20 minutes.

The woman's friend, who is still suffering from the injuries he sustained in the attack, has already given evidence at the trial. His account was said to be a crucial part of the case.

Rallies grew violent and water cannon were turned on protesters

He had previously spoken of the attack in an interview in which he  told how he begged the rapists to stop "the cruelty that should never be seen."

The 28-year-old told how they were lured on to the bus after failing to get a rickshaw home and how stepping on to the vehicle had been "the biggest mistake I made".

He said:  "The driver and the other men raped my friend and hit her in the worst possible ways in the most private parts of her body.

"I cannot tell you what I feel when I think of it. I shiver in pain."

He said he had tried to fight them off but they hit him with an iron bar until he was unconscious and fractured his leg.

When they had finished with their victim the threw her naked from the bus with her companion.

Protesters have called for all rape suspects to be hanged and want a better deal for women so the streets are safer and men who rape women are put on trial.

National crime records show that 228,650 of the total 256,329 violent crimes recorded in India last year were against women and rape cases more than doubled between 1990 and 2008.

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New Pope 'Needs To Put House In Order'

By Michelle Clifford, Senior Correspondent

Jane Livesey is a straight talking, no-nonsense Brit who also happens to be a nun living and working in the power base of the Catholic faith - Rome.

And she isn't short of opinions about what needs to be done to restore trust in the Church which she says she "loves but sometimes drives me mad".

"The church needs to put its own house in order and be seen to be putting its house in order," says Sister Livesey, who believes the last Pope failed to to grasp just how ordinary people were feeling in the wake of the unravelling sexual abuse scandals.

"The Pope's people, his civil service were out of touch. They didn't get it and that meant he didn't get it."

By "they " Sr Livesey means the Roman Curia - the powerful, intensely secretive, predominantly Italian, bureaucratic body in the Vatican whose members are now facing intense scrutiny after leaked documents alleged high-level corruption and gay networks at the top.

A report commissioned by Pope Benedict into the so-called Vatileaks scandal remains under wraps and is the subject of fierce speculation. In fact some of the cardinals who will be choosing the new Pope have been demanding to see the contents of the report.

Sister Jane Livesey says those at the top need to get a grip

Investigative journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi said: "A very strong request came from the North American cardinals. Transparency was one of their demands."

But Pope Benedict had insisted before departing only the next Pontiff will get to see what is contained in its pages.

From what he has uncovered in relation to Vatileaks, Mr Nuzzi said: "It's evident that the dossier shows the power struggles in the Roman Curia which sent the Papacy into a stall. So much so that Pope Benedict took a step back for what he called the good of the Church. He stepped away from the divisions that he acknowledged slashed at the face of the Church."

The new Pontiff will have to not only wrestle with the content of the report but deal with the fallout. There is a growing chorus coming from the Catholic clergy worldwide for reform of the Curia.

Father Marco Fibbi, whose church is in the Tiburtino suburb not far from the Vatican, wants to see power wrested from the Curia and even from priests. He wants power and responsibility shared with lay people.

He said: "In other countries lay people do the work of spreading the word. Priests have to leave more space to lay people. Look, in history of the Church the best testimony didn't come from Popes or cardinals but simple people. St Francis of Assisi was a layman, he never become a priest but he had a very strong message."

Fr Fibbi acknowledges that some in the Church might find that concept hard to deal with but he is unapologetic, saying: "Maybe this is a kind of humble therapy for priests to realise they are not so fundamental for the Church."

It's a thought he hopes the new Pontiff will spread. Fr Fibbi says this moment of transition at the Vatican is a real opportunity for change and reform. Reform which he believes has been a long-time coming.

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Conclave Cardinals Vote With Latin Remote

By Nick Pisa in Vatican City

Cardinals taking part in secret discussions ahead of next week's Conclave to elect a new Pope have been using a remote control with buttons in Latin.

The state-of-the-art devices have been handed to the so-called "Princes of the Church" as the College of Cardinals hold their daily meetings at the Nervi hall in the Vatican.

Latin is the official language of the Vatican and numerous signs and documents are in the ancient language - as is a cashpoint machine just inside the walls by the Sant'Anna gate.

The remote control is used by the cardinals as they vote on a series of themes and topics that have come up for discussion ahead of the start of Tuesday's Conclave in the Sistine Chapel.

The electronic devices have a small display with a Vatican stem showing the "sede vacante" or empty see, which denotes the fact that no Pope is in office since former Pontiff Benedict XVI stepped down last month.

Below the screen are two buttons - one coloured green with the word "confirmo" for send and one in red with "deleo" for delete.

Cardinals discuss matters in the Vatican ahead of the Conclave on Tuesday

Then there are four grey buttons with the words "placet" (agree), "non placet" (don't agree), "abstineo" (abstain) and "luxta modum" - agree in principle.

During voting and meetings, the wifi system in the nearby press centre is switched off and a jamming device also prevents the use of mobile telephones to ensure that cardinals have no contact with the outside world.

The same principle is used for the Conclave, with a jamming system being place to prevent cardinals receiving and giving information on the secret ballot.

However, the voting procedure inside the Sistine Chapel follows a more traditional method, with the 115 elector cardinals (those under 80 years old) writing their nominations on a ballot paper - again written in Latin.

It says "Eligo in Summum Pontificem" (I elect to the Pontifical See) and then their chosen cardinal's name. This is then put in an urn and the names are counted by scrutineers with a hole being pushed through each paper with a needle and thread.

These are then collected and burned in a stove inside the Sistine Chapel with chemicals being added which turn the resulting smoke white to signify a new Pope has been chosen or black to say there is still no decision.

Recently, the Vatican has been stepping up its use of social networks with a Papal Twitter account, Facebook site and YouTube page, plus all announcements from the Vatican are uploaded into its press office site and Twitter account.

Emeritus Pope Benedict was the first to have a Twitter account - before he stepped down he had more than three million followers.

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Anger Over US Cardinal's Role At Conclave

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

Victims of sexual abuse by priests in the largest Catholic diocese in the US have spoken of their anger that its former archbishop is taking part in the process to choose the next Pope.

Cardinal Roger Mahony was stripped of all administrative duties in January over allegations he engaged in a cover-up to protect priests accused of abuse.

Mahony retired after 26 years as the Archbishop of Los Angeles in 2011, but the punishment handed down by his successor is regarded as unprecedented.

It followed the release of thousands of pages of files which highlighted claims against more than one hundred priests dating back decades.

They also showed the attempts made to avoid getting the police involved.

Mahony, an enthusiastic blogger, has been providing a running commentary of developments in the Vatican since arriving to join the conclave.

A petition had called for him not to go.

And Esther Miller, who was abused by a priest when she was a teenager, told Sky News she was angry that Mahony was there at all.

She said: "He is not contrite. As Catholic kids we learn the prayer of contrition and it talks about steps you do to repair the offences.

"He has not done steps to repair the offences, he has not done a full remorseful act. Instead he slaps us in the face and jaunts off to Rome. It is appalling."

Esther Miller was a victim of sexual abuse when she was a teenager

Ms Miller said the abuse she suffered still impacts her life.

"I lament the years that were stolen from me," she said. "It is difficult."

She was a party to a multimillion dollar settlement between the church and victims in 2007.

It included an order to release the files but legal wrangling prevented their full release until January.

Victoria Kim, a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times which campaigned for the full release, said: "What was surprising to us was the explicitness in the church leaders' own words.

"They very much understood that what these priests had done could be prosecuted under criminal law. Their reaction was to try and avoid that at all costs."

The Los Angeles Police Department has said it will review the files to see if there is the prospect of a criminal prosecution for either abuse of the failure to report it.

In a statement, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles told Sky News: "The Catholic Church's Canon Law requires Cardinal Mahony to participate in the election of the next Pope.

"The cardinal made mistakes, apologised for them, but also learned from them, implementing rigorous policies and procedures to deal promptly with allegations, and to provide abuse prevention training to adults and children."

They pointed out that the Italian newspaper La Stampa reported this week that Mahony's address to the General Congregation of cardinals focused on clergy sexual abuse and how it needs to be dealt with decisively.

He has already spent three hours answering questions from lawyers representing victims of abuse while he was in office in Los Angeles.

Victims groups say they hope the successor to Pope Benedict XVI will take a stronger line in supporting them and providing transparency within the church.

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