UPDATE:
Well that was fast!
Let’s keep going.
Originally Published on: May 8, 2025 at 06:36
Collectively we can do some looking around.
If you are watching online or by TV any coverage of the conclave, or the chimney, what service or network are you watching?
Also, WHOM have these services or networks brought in for their commentary?
For example, in my daily text group (which includes serious, highly-credentialled people) after the 1st black smoke today, one texter told us that on EWTN the cleric compared the waiting for white smoke to the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins and, perhaps also the cleric, to Advent. This provoked hilarity and a “face palm” in our group.
Our texter went on to say that CNN was better. Better than EWTN, that is. Pretty sad.
That’s what made me wonder who is commenting on which network or service.
Hence, this post.
I INVITE YOU READERS… to post about what and whom you are watching.
Also, please, post comments made which caught your attention – the good, the bad, the ugly. Try to be accurate for the sake of fairness. Don’t worry about being repetitive. I’ll try to check the message/comment queue often to keep it fresh.
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EWTN stream kept freezing on Wednesday.
Watched BBC stream instead.
BBC seems to be going with one news host and rotating group of correspondents. Host would repeat BBC mantra of “don’t speculate” to herself every time one of her correspondents speculated.
Correspondents were mostly recycling background information.
I actually prefer it that way at this point. Easy to tune them out and wait for smoke or bells.
Watching the BBC live feed. The amount of leftie-pleaseelectareformer-coping is off the charts. +Tobin from the US has been mentioned multiple times, but it’s all grasping at straws.
Interview with Christine Allen, the head of CAFOD seem to think that climate change, debt and economy are big factors according to a BBC Radio 5 Live interview.
Now just watching Vatican Media.
I pulled up a video from Sky News. There was an anchor named Mat who had on a priest, I believe of Nigerian origin, serving in a parish in Thanet in Kent: Fr. Joe Owusu-Ansah. He made intelligent remarks about the growth of Catholics in England and Wales. When asked about a region whence the new Pope might come, he deflected and said that it had to be a leader, a holy man. He brought up the issue of AI. I also saw Fr. Stephen Wang, rector of the English College and Gavin Ashenden. Ashenden was very good. He veered away from left or right for a Pope, but rather made a comparison to the choice of a Chamberlin or a Churchill, someone who will be appeaser with the world or fighter. He also brought up AI as a concern, technology which reduces human autonomy. Brenden Walsh, editor of The Bitter Pill (aka The Tablet) said nothing of any importance at all, just about some mechanics of the conclave: cardinals vote and they eat lunch and stuff. He likes that Los Angeles doesn’t have a cardinal but Papua New Guinea does and he wants a Pope who will continue what Francis was doing. Then he stunned us with the observation that there are different groups among the cardinals. He wants the other Filipino but thinks it’s Parolin. There was a layman, abuse survivor, Juan Carlos Cruz who bashed Trump for being inhumane to immigrants but really focused on the issue of abuse.
I woke up for work at 3:45 am (Mountain Time) this morning and tuned in to Chimney Watch 2025 on the Vatican Chimney Livestream camera on YouTube. No commentary. Honestly, I don’t have it in me to listen to secular media commentary on Church matters so early in the morning before work. I must conserve my patience for dealing with the general public and hostile management.
So far I’ve been watching commentary offered by the LoopCast trio: Tom, Erika, and Josh from CatholicVote.
Amusing bit… I was at a reception held by Newsmax last night and they had some interviews going on (I was one, briefly). Here is a shot from the video with Newsmax CEO (nice guy). I’m in the background with some friends in this shot.
I told Newsmax that the cardinals need to get themselves and their personal agendas out of the way.
I watched the CNBC-TV18 YouTube live stream. I liked it because it’s ambient noise of the people in the square, a view of the square, and it has three different views of the chimney. No commentary to listen to. I was folding laundry when I heard the crowd roar with the first use of the chimney and black smoke came out. It made it easy to work on chores without staring at the TV or my phone.
i watched ewtn, but without sound. life’s too short to waste any of it listening to numbskullduggery.
I’ve been following the social media posts of Jeffrey Bruno, who is an award-winning photographer, writer, and creative director. Yesterday’s comments, in response to attending mass rather than capture the Conclave on film, having been left off “the list” admitted catch photographs of the Cardinals:
“Because here’s the truth: there’s a time and a place for everything, and what the world needs most right now isn’t one more photograph
It needs more prayer
More devotion
More Grace…”
Good reminder for me to do likewise.
I decided before the conclave started to avoid all mainstream media for this, especially the leftist CBC and CTV here in Canada. Maybe they’ve had good coverage but I’ll stick to my plan to avoid them. I was watching some EWTN to start, but yesterday/this morning I was watching and will continue with Urbi et Orbi Communications led by Robert Moynihan online. He had an Italian man, journalist I believe, on with him and I thought they had honest and fair discussions on it all. I must say they both looked cold yesterday too!
I started to think today this is different from 1978 when I was a kid and basically my parents told my brothers and sisters ‘ There’s a new Pope. He’s John Paul I’. Back then they probably just heard it on the radio. My how things have changed!
BBC
I agree with the commenters who have been turning to the BBC. It may be a secular organization, but they still seem to maintain some grasp of journalistic behavior.
For myself, I have been watching NBC. I have not been watching constantly, but when I have tuned in, the anchor coverage has been fairly intelligent and quite respectful, as it should be. Lester Holt and Anne Thompson have done an impressive job and have done the background legwork before appearing in front of the cameras, both at Pope Francis’s funeral and covering the conclave.
As an aside, Craig Melvin did a terrific job covering the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral – he was not embarrassed to be awestruck and touched by the beauty and depth of our Faith. I particularly remember he was almost emotional when he showed an overhead view of the Pieta in the Cathedral – the outstretched hand of Jesus held the remains of melted lead from the burned roof, which was intentionally left.
All three correspondents are unashamedly practicing Christians, and Anne Thompson is a devout Catholic from what I understand.
I noticed there were multiple YouTube accounts with the same handle. This is the channel I was watching. Ambient sounds only, 4 views (the square and 3 views of the chimney).
https://www.youtube.com/live/KJWElf3Ta7w?si=z0fJngJEGFiXcXHG
In the run up, I’ve been following the Conclave Crew. Yesterday I had on EWTN, but that didn’t last long. When the smoke came I was livestreaming Tim Gordon. Today I have on in the background the CNBC chimney stream Father has linked. Like someone else here said, I appreciate the ambient sounds without any commentary.
Primarily Vatican Media’s English YouTube feed. EWTN during Masses. I don’t know the commentators on Vatican Media’s English feed but they did have Joan Lewis for this morning’s vote. I surprised by that. There seems to be a rotating crew of folk. Yesterday they had a conversation about how Latin would negate the need for translators. And going to Mass anywhere in the world would be consistently familiar. I had to chuckle a bit at that.
Before cutting to music they thanked Dr. Timothy O’Donnell for being there. I’ve been pretty satisfied with this feed.
I have only seen a little on Fox News and I admit I am trying to take the opinions lightly. I did notice prior before leaving for work yesterday Bill Hemmer (who I believe is a practicing Catholic) had a board explaining what countries and regions several eligible voting Cardinals are coming from and how many were appointed within the last twelve years. Found that interesting and informative.
Cardinal Dolan gave a brief spot on Fox and Friends prior to entering the conclave yesterday and did his best not to opine. Dolan did mention the 2/3 ratio.
The former Catholic priest was on this morning (he did mention his situation and laicization during commentary covering the funeral of Pope Francis a few weeks ago) and he opined that a centrist ( he mentioned Erdo and Mamberti) would probably get the nod. Normally, he is introduced as a “Theologian”.
Benjamin Hall did some coverage and I believe he is a recent covert after everything he went through after he got hurt. It was nice to hear Mr. Hall talk and it was balanced.
Fr. Z, thanks for commenting about personal agendas. By the way, after 11-3-2020 I don’t normally watch “pundit type ” news. A little too much information.
Notice that there’s never any live, worldwide coverage of who’s going to be next General Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly?
Well, I had just been about to make an updated comment that BBC today (the portion that I was watching) was the live chimney cam feed, just recycling audio with background information that have been recorded in some previous session.
Before I hit send, the smoke and bells started at 12:08 p.m. eastern time usa.
EWTN has become intolerable. BBC tries to cover it like a story about any curious little religion. CNN is CNN. Fox Trump Channel is least awful.
Oh, for Neuhaus!
Catholic Unscripted is live! So much better than EWTN.
I usually follow live Vatican events from the Vatican News Youtube channel, raw feed, no commentary. At least during the Benedict years that’s how it was. I seldom tuned in during Francis’ pontificate. We’ll see how it will be with Leo XIV.
We were traveling by automobile, so first listened to EWTN and then switched to Relevant Radio with Drew Mariani and Fr. Rocky out of Chicago. They did a nice job.
I started watching the live Vatican stream of the chimney, maybe 20 minutes before the smoke. No audio, but I did see the seagull family arrive, including one parent feeding the chick. I think there might have been a sound through the chimney because they left just before the (white) smoke appeared.
I heard later that some observers opined they might have been a manifestation of the Holy Family.