VATICAN CITY — When the pope dies, cardinals become celebrities and Vatican City becomes a zoo as paparazzi stalk the corridors of St. Peter’s Square, swarming any cardinal bold enough to walk the streets in the days before the conclave.
This is what’s currently happening in the 120-acre country. It has transformed into a mass-media panopticon for the 133 cardinal-electors residing in the Vatican and its surrounding environs. They are joined by dozens more nonvoting princes of the church who are participating in the pre-conclave discussions known as the general congregations.
Some have tried to hide their rank as they walk toward St. Peter’s Basilica, wearing simple priestly suits and keeping their heads down.
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Paparazzi walk in front and point cameras at Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (center, back
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