Papal conclave: Americans control the message just by talking

VATICAN CITY (AP) - The two American cardinals sat on the stage, microphones in hand, fielding questions from the world's news media on everything from the delayed arrival of some of their colleagues to their own wardrobe choices if elected pope.

Most experts doubt the upcoming conclave will select an American pope, but the U.S. cardinals are already exerting a surprising amount of control over the message - simply by talking. Their lively daily briefings contrast sharply with the sober summaries from the Vatican spokesman and almost nothing from anyone else.

More than 100 journalists and two dozen television crews from the US, Britain, France, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Germany and Italy showed up Tuesday, packing an auditorium for what has become the daily "American Show" at the North American College, the US seminary just up the hill from the Vatican.

Cardinals Daniel Di Nardo of Galveston-Houston and Sean O'Malley of Boston held court, gamely trying to answer questions about when the conclave will begin, why five voting-age cardinals still hadn't shown up and whether they'd all be home in time for Holy Week - all without violating their oath of secrecy about the closed-door deliberations.