Upcoming Papal Conclave Not Like 2005's

For one there was no funeral of a pope

As the world's Catholic cardinals gather in Rome this week to begin conversations and set a date for the conclave that will elect the next pope, memories of the last gathering of these men in red flooded back.

On April Fool's Day in 2005, word came down that Pope John Paul II was in his final hours. I was on the next plane to Rome. The pope died on April 2, initiating a wave of mourning that showcased the good will he'd built up over nearly three decades as leader of the faith.