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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Cardinals set a Date for Their Secret Conclave; Peter Jennings Diagnosed with Lung Cancer

Aired April 06, 2005 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, President Bush and his delegation at the Vatican paying their respects.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

Can Italy keep them all safe? Rome grinds to a halt as millions of pilgrims and world leaders arrive for the pope's funeral.

The next pope: Cardinals set a date for their secret conclave. Is it time for them to name a non-European? I'll ask Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

Mourning in Monaco: His marriage to an American movie star put his small country in the spotlight, family scandals kept it there.

Living with lung cancer: Advice for Peter Jennings, from one who's been there.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Wednesday, April 6, 2005.

Thanks for joining us. Some describe it as a river of humanity. And it continues to flow at this hour through Saint Peters Basilica at the Vatican, where it's just now after 11:00 p.m. You're looking at live pictures.

Tens of thousands of people each hour are filing past the body of Pope John Paul II. Millions more are expected in Rome for his funeral Friday.

The massive turnout has overwhelmed the city. Officials plan to cut off the line sometime tonight. And warned even those that make it face up to a 24-hour wait to view the pope's body.

Among the latest developments, President Bush and the U.S. delegation have now all arrived in Rome. They paid their respects to the pontiff and viewed his body at Saint Peter's Basilica less than an hour ago. Also, the Vatican announced that the conclave to elect the next pope will open Monday, April 18, following nine days of official mourning after John Paul ii's funeral.

Meanwhile, Roman officials are scrambling to cope with unprecedented crowds. Special camps have been set up, and the mayor is urging residents to open up their homes to pilgrims. Officials anticipate as many as 5 million people in all.

For more on the arrival of President Bush and the U.S. delegation, let's turn to our senior White House correspondent John King. He's in Rome over at the Vatican.

John, tell us what has happened since the president arrived.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Mr. Bush and the official U.S. delegation wasting no time in paying personal tribute, personal homage to the late John Paul II. Only about 30 minutes after landing here in Rome, the president, the first lady, his father, the former president of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush, the former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, those five, the official U.S. delegation, coming to Saint Peter's to pay tribute to John Paul II. Other senior members of the president's staff on hand, as well.

White House officials telling us Mr. Bush and the other members of the delegation wanted to have this viewing a personal reflection, a few moments of personal reflection, if you will, so they could offer their personal tributes, their personal prayers and reflections to the late John Paul II this evening.

Two days from now, of course, Mr. Bush and the former presidents will be part of the delegation on hand, an array of leaders from around the world, dozens of heads of state to be here for the official funeral. So the White House saying the president wanted a moment, and other members of the delegation wanted a moment of personal reflection before they are part of the larger gathering on Friday.

They spent but a few minutes in Saint Peter's, because they were allowed to cut ahead of the line you have mentioned. Tens of thousands waiting in line. More than 1 million already have paid their tribute to the late pontiff. So Mr. Bush, the first lady, the two former presidents and the secretary of state pausing for personal reflection. They quickly left Saint Peter's. They will, of course, be back for the funeral on Friday.

Mr. Bush has some official meetings tomorrow here, Wolf. They are being kept low key. A courtesy call with the president of Italy, a meeting and a dinner with the prime minister of Italy, as well. But of course, Mr. Bush and the former presidents and other members of the delegation representing, if you will, the American people at this time of global tribute, a time of sadness and mourning, but also a time of celebration if you will, of the life and the mission, the pilgrimage of John Paul II.

And if you listen here, you can hear the dichotomy, if you will, on display in Rome. Helicopters overhead, part of the unprecedented security, because of all those global leaders coming here. But also the hints tribute, as well -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's John King reporting for us from the scene. John, thank you very much.

And as we mentioned, President Bush is among the hundreds of dignitaries gathering in Rome right now along with millions of ordinary mourners to pay their respects to the pope. And the massive influx is prompting unprecedented security measures in the Eternal City. Our Rome bureau chief Alessio Vinci has that part of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): The largest security challenge so far has been controlling a growing crowd trying to reach Saint Peter's Square. Italian officials say they had a plan for the pope's death, but they had no idea millions would show up to pay their last respects to John Paul II. Because, they say, up to 5 million people could be involved by the time the funeral ends on Friday, they only had a matter of days to adapt their security plan.

Despite the long wait to see the pope's body, officials say the crowd has not been hostile towards security forces. But they are not taking any chances.

"I have no sign there could be in any way worrying," he says, "no sign. It is obvious that nobody is going to underestimate anything, and above all, security."

The defense shield will reach its peak on Friday when close to 200 heads of state and government, including the current and two past U.S. presidents, will sit in Saint Peter's Square, attending the pope's funeral.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once they're in the Vatican, they're of course, quite -- quite -- the security I would say, of course. But then we are to handle the people coming into the square. Everybody will be controlled by metal detectors. So we have to get the whole place empty the night before, and then control everybody, and put them back in the square.

So that's going to be a very, very hard task. But, we're ready to do that.

VINCI: Most dignitaries will have a security detail. But officials here say the deployment of security forces will reach close to 15,000 men and women, including hundreds from the military.

It already seems as if every street, corner and piazza around the Vatican and beyond is being carefully watched. Key areas are being monitored with cameras linked to police headquarters. The River Tiber is patrolled 24 hours a day. If someone tries to reach the Vatican from here, these two officers tell me, he has no chance.

(on camera): This is just one of many security measures being employed to protect Vatican City. As you can see the basilica is very close to the river. However, the first line of defense is far away from here. High above Rome, planes circle to protect the skies. And anti-aircraft missile defense systems have been deployed just outside the city center.

(voice-over): The air space over Rome in a range of 60 kilometers has been shut to private aircraft. And commercial air traffic will be reduced drastically by Thursday night. And on Friday, the entire city of Rome has been declared a no driving zone. Alessio Vinci, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The death of the pope is focusing the international spotlight on the Vatican. Among the world's smallest, wealthiest and most secretive principalities. Our state department correspondent Andrea Koppel is here with a closer look inside the Holy See -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, many of us know the Vatican as the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. But for the last 76 years, it's also been a recognized national territory under international law.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL (voice-over): Saint Peter's Square, where hundreds of thousands now gather, is part of Vatican City, the world's smallest city-state. Created in 1929, its purpose, to provide territorial integrity for the Holy See, or Catholic archdiocese in Rome.

REV. KEVIN IRWIN, CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY: It functions fairly well. There's a -- someone apparently asked how many people work in the Vatican? And he said about half. Like any large organization, you've got your four aces and you've got your jokers.

KOPPEL: Covering less than half a square mile, Vatican City employs about 3,000 people. And is home to roughly 900 of them, including the Swiss Guard, responsible for protecting the pope.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was extraordinary. And I thought I was back in another century.

KOPPEL: Thomas Melady was U.S. ambassador to the Vatican from 1989 to 1993.

THOMAS MELADY, FRM. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE VATICAN: You deal very much with one person and his immediate staff.

KOPPEL: The pope?

MELADY: The pope, yes. Particularly in this case. It was a very strong personality.

KOPPEL (voice-over): As with some constitutional monarchs, the pope is head of state, and is elected for life.

Today, 174 countries have diplomatic relations with the Vatican, which has its own post office, commissary, bank, railway station and media outlets.

Its annual revenue is estimated at $245 million. It's budget, at about $260 million. How does the Vatican earn money? Some comes from sales of Vatican stamps of coins, the rest from an annual collection in Catholic churches around the world called Peter's Pence...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no cloak and dagger, there's no cookie jars that are hidden. It's all very high finance, high tech, computerized, and they watch that very, very carefully.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL (on camera): The Vatican's assets also include architectural masterpieces such as Saint Peter's Basilica, and plenty of artwork by the likes of Michelangelo and Raphael. But experts note the Vatican lists all of this on its books as valued at only one euro. In other words, Wolf, priceless.

BLITZER: I think it's fair to say those valuable items are priceless.

Andrea, thanks very much for that report.

And our coverage of Pope John Paul II continues from Rome. Coming up this hour, I'll speak with Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., on the upcoming conclave to select a successor.

When we come back, smoldering wreckage. The deadliest crash since U.S. troops were deployed to Afghanistan in 2001. What caused this coalition chopper to go down?

Royal passing, and pains -- Monaco says good-bye to a prince best known for his fairy tale wedding and dysfunctional family.

And later, taking his private health battle public. Peter Jennings shares his lung cancer diagnosis with viewers. We'll take a closer look at the treatment options, and challenges he faces. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A U.S. military helicopter went down in Afghanistan today; 18 people were believed to have been on board. It's the deadliest crash since U.S. troops were deployed to Afghanistan in 2001. Let's go live to our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre. Jamie?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, at this hour it's night time in Afghanistan and recovery operations have been halted. So far 16 bodies have been confirmed dead, and there are -- still have two bodies unaccounted for.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): Only smoldering wreckage was left of the U.S. army transport helicopter, which crashed in a desert area after apparently getting caught up in high winds and a raging dust storm in southern Afghanistan. The CH-47 Chinook was listed as carrying 18 people. There were no survivors, nor any evidence of hostile fire.

LT. CINDY MOORE, US ARMY: The coalition CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed this afternoon, Wednesday afternoon, near Ghazni, approximately 100 miles southwest of Kabul. The cause of the crash is due to severe weather.

MCINTYRE: According to the U.S. military, a pair of Chinooks was returning from a routine mission in daylight when radio contact was lost with one of the helicopters. The second Chinook made it safely back to Bagram Airbase, north of Kabul.

The CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopter has been the workhorse of the army's transport fleet since its introduction during the Vietnam War. It can cruise at 150 miles an hour, has a distinctive twin rotor design, and is used to carry weapons, people, and supplies. It also has a good safety record. In November of 2003, a CH-47 crashed in Iraq after taking fire from the ground. 16 U.S. troops were killed, and 26 wounded. But this accident is more like one in January in Iraq, when a CH-53, another heavy transport helicopter, flew into a dust storm and hit the ground. 31 died in that mishap.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: The United States has lost more than 120 troops since it first deployed forces to Afghanistan in October of 2001. But unlike in Iraq, Wolf, most of those deaths have come from accidents, not combat.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre reporting. Thank you, Jamie.

After a two-month standoff, Iraq's parliament today made history, electing Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani as the country's new president. Two vice presidents were picked, as well, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, a Shiite, has served as the interim finance minister and the Sunni tribal leader Ghazi al-Yawer has been the interim president. These three are to be sworn in tomorrow and will then name Iraq's new prime minister. Apparently, it will be the Shiite leader Ibrahim al-Jaafari. That will set the stage for the naming of a cabinet and the drafting of a constitution. Get this -- the former dictator Saddam Hussein is said to have watched a videotape of today's proceedings in his jail cell.

When we come back, the passing of Prince Rainier. A royal member made famous for his marriage to a movie star, and scandals involving his children. What's next for Monaco's royal family?

Choosing a new pope: why John Paul II's successor could come from a developing country. Our Zain Verjee takes a closer look.

State of emergency in Mississippi: severe storms, including tornadoes, strike the South. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Monaco's Prince Rainier died today at the age of 81. He was the longest-reigning monarch in Europe. But he was better known around the world for his movie star wife, and in more recent years for his sometimes notorious children.

CNN's Mary Snow standing by live in New York with a look back at this prince -- Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Prince Rainier ruled Monaco since 1949. It's one of the world's smallest countries. In fact, it's even smaller than New York's Central Park you see here behind me. But it grew much bigger on the map, that's in large part due, in fact, to wealth, and a fairy tale wedding.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): It was once said that Monaco was a sunny place for shady people. And Prince Rainier worked to shed that image. To that end, his marriage to movie star Grace Kelly in 1956 did more to put Monaco on the map than any business deal ever could.

JOHN GLATT, "THE ROYAL HOUSE OF MONACO": Grace injected some Hollywood glamour into the place and it drew a lot of attention from America. Especially after the wedding. And there was a huge influx of tourism.

SNOW: With the glamour, came glitter. Prince Rainier became known as the builder for his construction of luxury hotels and high rises alongside the casinos. He also worked to preserve Monaco's status as a tax haven. And Princess Grace helped attract Hollywood's jet set who had come to call Monaco the rock.

STEPHANE BERN, LE FIGARO: But if you look at the -- the notoriety, the celebrity of the little rock in the world, it's very strange. Because it occupies much more place in the world. Because everybody's focused on the family.

SNOW: And much of the focus on the prince's children, Albert, Caroline and Stephanie, often turned to scandal. Most of it came after the car accident in 1982 that killed Princess Grace. Her children became fodder for the tabloids.

GLATT: It really has been largely a soap opera. You know, with the comings and goings of Princess Stephanie's and Caroline. They really kind of, they've embarrassed the Monarchic on many, many occasions. And they seem to out do each other.

SNOW: Tabloids have referred to Stephanie as a wild child, because of colorful romances that include marriages to a circus trapeze artist and her former bodyguard. Caroline is married to her third husband, Prince Ernst August of Hanover. Her first husband was a banker who sold their honeymoon pictures from Tahiti. Her second husband was killed in a boating accident. Now succeeding Prince Rainier is 47-year-old Prince Albert, who's never been married, was schooled in the U.S., and has gained a reputation as a playboy known to date actresses and models.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

To ensure that the Grimaldi family would continue its rule for more than 700 years in Monaco, Prince Rainier amended the constitution back in 2002, to allow his daughters' children to be one of the successors if Albert never marries. Carolyn has four children, Stephanie has three -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Fascinating material. Thank you very much, Mary Snow, for that.

Peter Kurth is a biographer who's written about Monaco's royal family. He's joining us live now from Burlington, Vermont. Peter, thank you very much for joining us.

Here's a question I think a lot of our viewers, especially older viewers are fascinated by. Was this a happy marriage between Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly on both parts?

PETER KURTH, ROYAL BIOGRAPHER: I believe so. At the end of her life Grace was I think, very frustrated about the way everything had turned out. But I don't have any reason to think that was because of Rainier in any way. I think she was -- her children were nearly grown, and she had this great creative side of her that had not been allowed to be expressed after she became princess of Monaco. I think she began to regret that she had entirely given up her film career. And she tried to find other ways to express that part of herself with writing, and with dancing, and everything. And it would be very interesting to know what might have become of her had she lived longer.

BLITZER: Another historic footnote, the 1982 car accident, she was in the car, Princess Stephanie was in the car. She survived the car accident. In all of your research, what did you come up with the bottom line, what was the cause of the crash?

KURTH: The cause, to the best of my knowledge, was that Grace had had a very mild stroke while she was driving. And that that is what caused her to go off the road. And those roads are very steep and very dicy anyway. They were coming down from their -- one of their country places up above Monaco, and those cornish (ph) roads are -- in fact you can see it in "To Catch a Thief" when Grace Kelly and Cary Grant are driving on those roads. And they're very narrow and they're very steep and they're very dangerous. And you hear all kinds of stories about what happened in that car. But I have never heard anything reliable from anyone to suggest that it was not just a terrible accident.

BLITZER: Let's talk briefly about the children, Prince Albert. What goes through your mind when I mention his name.

KURTH: He's the nicest man. He is the definition of nice. He's very American, actually, in lots of ways. And educated here. He's -- he's an astute businessman. I don't know that he has quite the sharp skills of his father for business, but we'll see. He's a great sportsman. Everyone likes him. If he's unmarried, it's for reasons of his own. I don't know what they would be. But he certainly has an awful lot of friends. And the few times that I've met him he's never been anything but wonderfully nice.

BLITZER: What about Princess Stephanie?

KURTH: Well, sorry. She's all right, too now. She seems to be settling down a little bit. She was -- she was born rebellious. And did her best all through her life up until now to be rebellious. To sort of shake off this cloak of princesshood that she has. Caroline went through the same sort of thing. But it was a phase for Caroline and for Stephanie, I'm not sure it is a phase. I think it may be what her life is going to be about all the way through, is this sort of trying to shock people. And I mean, you even talk to family members, and they grow a little wide-eyed when you mention Stephanie, because she's always, always charted her own course. Caroline is now the first lady of Monaco, and has been since Grace died. And does it brilliantly. Superbly.

BLITZER: All right.

KURTH: And I don't think that Albert is going to need, necessarily, another first lady.

BLITZER: We'll see what happens.

KURTH: Yes, we will.

BLITZER: That saga will continue, Peter. Thank you very much for joining us.

KURTH: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: When we come back, he was the first non-Italian pope in hundreds of years. Could John Paul II's successor be from Latin America or Africa? I'll ask the American cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Plus, Peter Jennings high profile battle with lung cancer. We'll look at what he's facing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: From our studios in Washington, once again, Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Cardinals in Rome make preparations to select Pope John Paul II's successor. I'll speak with Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the archbishop of Washington, D.C. He's in Rome right now.

First, though, let's get a quick check of some other stories now in the news. Violent thunderstorms with tornadoes slashed across the Deep South today. A state of emergency was declared in Mississippi, where two dozen homes were destroyed. Businesses and a church were damaged and the roof was blown off a school while classes were in session. Storm warnings are still in effect across much of the region.

Ever so slowly, NASA is moving the space shuttle Discovery to a launch pad. The rollout was delayed briefly as engineers examined a small crack in the foam that insulates the external fuel tank. NASA says the shuttle can fly, despite the flaw. All shuttles have been grounded since the Columbia disintegrated two years ago. That disaster was traced to a piece of foam that broke off during liftoff during -- damaging a wing.

He won fame defending the famous. And former clients Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson were among the celebrities at today's funeral for defense attorney Johnnie Cochran. But Cochran also took on some high-profile civil rights cases, and among those delivering remarks today in Los Angeles were activists and ministers Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton among them. Cochran died last week of a brain tumor.

As we reported at the top of the hour, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church have set April 18 as the start of their conclave in which they'll elect the next pope. Some observers say there's a fair chance he could be from Latin America, perhaps even from Africa.

Our Zain Verjee is at the CNN Center. She's been following this story -- Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the College of Cardinals is charged with the election of a new pope. And it's very diverse. There's no guarantee that the papacy would return to an Italian.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE (voice-over): The face of the Catholic Church has become increasingly multicultural and multiethnic. Vatican experts say the successor to the throne of St. Peter could well be from the developing world.

REV. MARK MOROWICH, CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY: One of the great priorities of the church, to reach out more to the Third World countries, so I think it's probably a pretty good possibility that that would happen.

VERJEE: Latin America is home to the largest number of Catholics in the world. Cardinals from that region constitute a significant voting bloc in the College of Cardinals, 21 out of 117. Among the prominent Latin American contenders, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, the archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Africa has the fastest growing Catholic community in the world and has 10 votes in the College of Cardinals. Former Anglican Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu says it's time for an African pope.

ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU, NOBEL PEACE LAUREATE: We hope that perhaps the cardinals, when they meet, will follow the first non- Italian pope by electing the first African pope.

VERJEE: The leading African contender for pope appears to be Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze. But, by far, the largest voting bloc comes from Europe. Cardinals there command 58 votes.

The remaining 28 eligible cardinals come from countries including the United States and Asia. Could Europe's dominance boost the prospects of an Italian returning to the papacy?

MOROWICH: AS people have been wanting to have an Italian pope again, in a sense to go back to the heartland.

VERJEE: But Pope John Paul II appointed more non-Italians during his reign, contributing to a decline in the number of Italian cardinals, which now number 20. Just like the previous conclave in 1978, there's always the possibility of surprise.

REV. JOHN PARIS, BOSTON UNIVERSITY: Woe betides the one who thinks he can discern what's going to happen in a conclave. No one thought we'd have a Polish pope.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: And, Wolf, Vatican experts add that cardinals may not necessarily support a candidate just because he's from the same country or continent.

BLITZER: CNN's Zain Verjee reporting for us -- thank you, Zain, very much.

But what about the prospects of an American pope? The archbishop of Washington, D.C., Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, is at the Vatican. We'll hear from him. I'll ask him, is it possible an American could be elected pope?

Coping with cancer. An upbeat, but noticeably hoarse Peter Jennings shares his diagnosis with viewers. We'll take a closer look at the challenges and the treatment he may face.

Plus, I'll speak with two ABC insiders, former ABC insiders, about the future of the network's news.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

More now on the death of Pope John Paul II. A little bit earlier today, I spoke about the upcoming conclave with Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the archbishop of Washington. He joined me from Vatican City.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Cardinal McCarrick, thanks so much for joining us, especially at this critically important moment.

What's it like being in Rome right now? Because we heard you in Washington. But it must be so much more powerful right now.

CARDINAL THEODORE MCCARRICK, ARCHBISHOP OF WASHINGTON, D.C.: It certainly is. You feel the presence of this Holy Father, even though he's passed on. And I think, for me, the thing that strikes you most is the crowds. They say that between two and four million people here. And they're from everywhere. They're from all over the world. And they've come to pay their last respects. I was in the -- I was in the procession when they brought the body from the palace to the Basilica.

And, as soon as his body entered the piazza, the crowd started. And I almost cried, because the thought was, he did this so many times when he was alive. And the crowd was yelling out and crying out. They didn't say, vive el papa, because he was dead now. But they cried out. And they just yelled. And they wanted -- they wanted to greet him somehow. His presence was still there.

It's very powerful and very moving. And, in a sense, it's a very emotional moment that you go through at that time.

BLITZER: The conclave will begin now on April 18. You will be one of those 117 cardinals that will elect a new pope. How awesome is this challenge for you personally?

MCCARRICK: Oh, it is very awesome, because you see the challenges that John Paul II faced in his life. And you want to make sure that you choose the person who's going to be able to carry out that great work, to do again the things that he did, to make sure that the church is listening and responding to the needs of the world, even as it did in the more than quarter century of John Paul II.

BLITZER: There have been lots of suggestions over these past few days that it's really unrealistic to assume that an American could be elected pope. Is that your sense?

MCCARRICK: Well, we're not supposed to speculate. But that's not speculation. I think you're absolutely right. We're not going to see an American at this stage in history.

BLITZER: Why is that?

MCCARRICK: Well, I think, since our nation is really the superpower of the world, that it might be off-putting to have the bishop of Rome also a member of that -- of that nation. It's probably better to find a smaller nation. It's better to find someone who's not from the superpower, who will be able to be acceptable to everybody.

I think that, today, there are many people who aren't happy about America, because of some idea that they have or other. And I think you don't want -- the man who's going to be pope already has a lot of burdens, as Pope John Paul II had. You don't want to add to him another burden that would be people who might turn him off because he was an American today.

BLITZER: I know there are severe restrictions on what you can say, what you can't say. You're one of those 117 men who will make this decision. But the notion of a non-European pope, I wonder if there's any thoughts that you have on that, because there's been a lot of discussion that the real growth in the Catholic Church around the world now is in Africa, in South America, not necessarily in Europe or even in North America.

MCCARRICK: Well, of course, all the information that you give is true. But I can't go there, because that would be beyond what I would be able to discuss with you at this time.

BLITZER: All right. That's fair enough. And I certainly wouldn't want to do anything that would violate the confidentiality, the secrecy, if you will, that you have to respect.

Just wrap this up for us. Give us your emotional thoughts right now at this turning point in the Catholic Church.

MCCARRICK: Well, I think that, first of all, we're grieving. We're grieving for the loss of this extraordinary man.

And then, as we look back over the last quarter century, we see all the things that he did, the fall of communism, to some extent, part of his great work. And yet we know the world still has its dictators and has its discrimination, has its problems. We know his great work for the poor. He looked out for the poor and wanted to close the chasm between rich and poor, wanted to get rid of the Third World debt, which is such a burden on some countries.

We know he's worked for peace, peace throughout the world. And we're still in an age where we must look for peace. So, all these problems that he dealt with, ecumenism, his openness to ecumenism, making it really part of the life of the church, his openness to people everywhere, his ability to help people to see that there is really one family under God, that we're all brothers and sisters, these were the challenges that he faced and the challenges that all of us are going to face in the years ahead.

BLITZER: Cardinal Theodore McCarrick is the archbishop of Washington.

Your Eminence, thanks so much for spending a few moments with us during these days.

MCCARRICK: Thanks. Thanks for the opportunity. God bless you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: A public battle. ABC News anchor Peter Jennings shares his diagnosis of lung cancer with viewers. We'll take a closer look at the tough fight he's facing. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The news business is all about unexpected developments. But for our colleagues over at ABC this week, the developments have been particularly jarring. Peter Jennings plans to continue anchoring "World News Tonight" as he battles lung cancer. But, as many cancer patients will tell you, fighting this disease is very, very serious.

Our Brian Todd joining us now with more on this part of the story -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Peter Jennings' position will make it difficult not to fight this battle in a very public way. And even before his first session of chemotherapy, Peter Jennings has given us a window into the experience of a lung cancer patient.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): As shocking as the announcement was, who could have expected a voice like this from the venerable Peter Jennings?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "WORLD NEWS TONIGHT")

PETER JENNINGS, HOST: I will continue to do the broadcast on good days. My voice will not always be like this. Certainly, it's been a long time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Reaction across the news spectrum, at ABC and elsewhere, reflects some surprise, but also admiration, for a news titan battling something much tighter than a deadline.

CHARLES GIBSON, ABC NEWS: He has been the leader of this news division for 22 years. He still is. But his thoughts, needless to say, and his energies will be focused elsewhere for a while.

TODD: Outside the industry, a closer perspective on what Jennings may be going through.

JO ANN SCHWAB, LUNG CANCER PATIENT: The hoarseness sometimes can be just something that goes down -- they go down the throat to get a biopsy of what may be in the lung area.

TODD: Jo Ann Schwab was a smoker for 45 years. She quit about five years ago, but it was too late. By the time she was diagnosed last July, she was at stage four, the most advanced form of lung cancer, tumors in both lungs. Doctors removed one with surgery. Then it was time for chemotherapy.

SCHWAB: It's frightening. It really is frightening when you say, OK, fine, I've got chemo. I'm going to have to have chemo. You don't know what it is.

TODD: For Schwab, it was an incision in the chest called a port, an access needle inserted, multiple drugs sent through her system, four sessions, four to six hours each.

SCHWAB: I got allergic to it, so we had some Benadryl. So, that kind of knocked me out.

TODD: Chemotherapy didn't get the second tumor. Schwab was too weak for another surgery and couldn't breathe normally. So a team of doctors at Georgetown University Medical Center, led used Shakun Malik and Brian Collins, used a CyberKnife, a high-energy light that zaps tumors with focused, heavy doses of radiation.

Collins says it works well with longtime smokers like Schwab and Peter Jennings.

DR. BRIAN COLLINS, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: Their normal lung is very valuable to them, because they become very fatigued when they press, push themselves very hard. With the CyberKnife, we can destroy cancers without wrecking, ruining the normal lung.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Right now, Jo Ann Schwab is cancer-free. But doctors are monitoring her scans very closely. One of Schwab's doctors says the fact that Peter Jennings is undergoing chemotherapy first may mean his doctors want to shrink a tumor before operating or may mean it is inoperable -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Brian Todd, thanks very much for that report.

And we'll have more on Peter Jennings and the battle he faces against lung cancer. Coming up next, I'll speak with two of his former ABC News colleagues.

Stay with us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Dominique Dawes tumbled into the spotlight during the 1996 Olympics as part of the Magnificent Seven gold-medal winning gymnastic teams. Awesome Dawson became the first African-American to win an individual gymnastics medal, with the bronze in the floor exercise.

DOMINIQUE DAWES, GYMNAST: It just meant a lot to do it for the country, my team and myself.

HEMMER: After the games in Atlanta, Dawes turned heads on Broadway, dabbled in acting and modeling, and cartwheeled her way through a Prince music video.

She hung up her leotard in 1998 and started class at the University of Maryland, but soon realized that gymnastics was not quite out of her system. Dawes participated in her third Olympic Games in 2000, in what she calls a once in a lifetime experience.

Dawes is now 28, is completely retired from gymnastics, and splits her time between coaching and motivational speaking.

DAWES: It's really going out there and teaching young girls what being fit is all about.

HEMMER: She's also president of the Women's Sports foundation, and has recently launched a new project called Go Girl, Go.

DAWES: I feel like I do have to inspire and empower others, and that's why, you know, I've found these different platforms, these different venues that I feel like I've been able to touch lives in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Just before the break, we were talking about Peter Jennings' fight against cancer.

We're joined now by two men who know Jennings well, former ABC News correspondents Robert Zelnick and Tom Foreman. Bob Zelnick is now a professor at Boston University. He's joining us from Boston. Tom Foreman, of course, is now a CNN correspondent. He's here in the studio with us.

Bob, first to you. What does this mean for ABC News?

BOB ZELNICK, FORMER ABC NEWS PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it's a terrible blow, but personally. I think Peter was and is an extremely admired and revered figure. He's so much a part of "World News Tonight." It's almost impossible to envision the program without his presence.

And so there's also the personal sadness. But, there's also the feeling that he was poised to make his move now. The other two networks had changed anchors of their evening news programs. Peter was being advertised, built up, hoping to reclaim the No. 1 spot. This is going to make it very difficult.

BLITZER: What was it like, Tom, for you when you worked at ABC News? Peter Jennings the anchor, he was a pretty much hands-on kind of guy.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Peter, I think, among all the anchors I've met, I've never known anybody more involved in it than him, except maybe you. You're awfully involved in it.

But Peter took a day-to-day role every day in what we did. He looked at every script, sometimes much to our hair-tearing frustration, because he wanted to have a say in everything. But the fact is, he wanted the show to be better and better and better. And I will say, for one of these super luminary anchors who's been out there for a long, long time, Peter worked very, very long hours, and I often saw him there before anybody else and after everyone else.

BLITZER: Bob, I remember when both of us were much younger. We were both Pentagon correspondents. You once told me that Peter Jennings used to look at your scripts, and if he didn't like the sound bite from somebody in your script, you had to go find a new one because he was unhappy.

ZELNICK: Well, that's true.

And it could be a pain in the neck sometimes. And I'm not going to hide that simply because of the circumstances. But, on the other hand, you knew that he was very well informed. He cared profoundly about hard news. And particularly when I worked abroad in Moscow and in Tel Aviv, I knew I had an ally, because he wanted foreign news on the program. He thought it was important for Americans to know what was going on overboard -- abroad.

So, I think, given my druthers, I'd still opt for a guy who knows what he's doing, works hard, knows the story and fights for it.

BLITZER: And you were a domestic-based correspondent, Tom, for ABC news. He used to get involved in your scripts as well.

FOREMAN: Peter told me when I first met him in New York -- I was 30 years old -- I had just joined the network -- he called me in to this office and he got out a book on the history of America. And he said, you know what your job is? He says, your job is to remind us, remind us, remind us about that whole big country out there, beyond Washington and beyond New York. And he was always a champion for those stories, trying to get them on the air.

And that's really the big loss for ABC right now, is having this kind of champion at the top who said we need to get those stories on, because that's a fight that has to be made every day in news organizations.

BLITZER: We know, Bob, that he was a smoker. He tried to quit. He did quit on a few occasions.

You used to be a smoker. Tell our viewers a story about smoking and ABC News.

ZELNICK: Well, I could start by quoting Mark Twain, that it's easy to quit. I've done it thousands of times.

But, actually, Ted Koppel and I were both smokers. We both felt terribly guilty about it. And we arranged a $100 bet as to who would quit and stay quit. And, sure enough, some years later, while I was based in Israel, David Burke, the vice president of ABC, handed me $100, said it was compliments of Koppel. He broke down and smoked again.

But Ted really leaned on Peter. He challenged him. He said, you got to quit. Anybody who is as strong as you can quit cigarettes. It's just a matter of willpower. And it took years and years before Peter actually quit.

BLITZER: Tom, did his personal views -- does his personal views, did that influence the editorial direction of ABC News, based on your personal experience, 10 years there?

FOREMAN: I think that every newsperson's personal views affect it somewhat, because there are things that you simply believe in, and you think they're the fact, the truth. Peter and I had some very heated discussions sometimes about stories in the news, where I would say to him, look, you're not paying enough attention to Mississippi or to Colorado or to California. But Peter did not do it because he was trying to promote what Peter believed. Peter was trying to get to the truth of the story, always did, always was that way.

BLITZER: We only have a few seconds left.

Bob, you had your battles with Peter on many of these editorial issues over the years.

ZELNICK: I tended to be probably a little bit more sympathetic to the Israeli position. I tended to be a little harder line on not -- not worrying too much about understanding terrorists, but worrying more about beating them.

But, again, these things are expected to go on in a newsroom. That's the strength of a newsroom, to have these kind of debates. The thing is, I always knew that I was dealing with a champion of hard news.

BLITZER: All right.

ZELNICK: I always knew I was dealing with a guy who didn't argue for closing bureaus and cutting back and trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

BLITZER: We have to leave it there. Bob Zelnick, Tom Foreman, thanks very much to both of you.

And that's it for me. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired April 6, 2005 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, President Bush and his delegation at the Vatican paying their respects.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

Can Italy keep them all safe? Rome grinds to a halt as millions of pilgrims and world leaders arrive for the pope's funeral.

The next pope: Cardinals set a date for their secret conclave. Is it time for them to name a non-European? I'll ask Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

Mourning in Monaco: His marriage to an American movie star put his small country in the spotlight, family scandals kept it there.

Living with lung cancer: Advice for Peter Jennings, from one who's been there.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Wednesday, April 6, 2005.

Thanks for joining us. Some describe it as a river of humanity. And it continues to flow at this hour through Saint Peters Basilica at the Vatican, where it's just now after 11:00 p.m. You're looking at live pictures.

Tens of thousands of people each hour are filing past the body of Pope John Paul II. Millions more are expected in Rome for his funeral Friday.

The massive turnout has overwhelmed the city. Officials plan to cut off the line sometime tonight. And warned even those that make it face up to a 24-hour wait to view the pope's body.

Among the latest developments, President Bush and the U.S. delegation have now all arrived in Rome. They paid their respects to the pontiff and viewed his body at Saint Peter's Basilica less than an hour ago. Also, the Vatican announced that the conclave to elect the next pope will open Monday, April 18, following nine days of official mourning after John Paul ii's funeral.

Meanwhile, Roman officials are scrambling to cope with unprecedented crowds. Special camps have been set up, and the mayor is urging residents to open up their homes to pilgrims. Officials anticipate as many as 5 million people in all.

For more on the arrival of President Bush and the U.S. delegation, let's turn to our senior White House correspondent John King. He's in Rome over at the Vatican.

John, tell us what has happened since the president arrived.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Mr. Bush and the official U.S. delegation wasting no time in paying personal tribute, personal homage to the late John Paul II. Only about 30 minutes after landing here in Rome, the president, the first lady, his father, the former president of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush, the former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, those five, the official U.S. delegation, coming to Saint Peter's to pay tribute to John Paul II. Other senior members of the president's staff on hand, as well.

White House officials telling us Mr. Bush and the other members of the delegation wanted to have this viewing a personal reflection, a few moments of personal reflection, if you will, so they could offer their personal tributes, their personal prayers and reflections to the late John Paul II this evening.

Two days from now, of course, Mr. Bush and the former presidents will be part of the delegation on hand, an array of leaders from around the world, dozens of heads of state to be here for the official funeral. So the White House saying the president wanted a moment, and other members of the delegation wanted a moment of personal reflection before they are part of the larger gathering on Friday.

They spent but a few minutes in Saint Peter's, because they were allowed to cut ahead of the line you have mentioned. Tens of thousands waiting in line. More than 1 million already have paid their tribute to the late pontiff. So Mr. Bush, the first lady, the two former presidents and the secretary of state pausing for personal reflection. They quickly left Saint Peter's. They will, of course, be back for the funeral on Friday.

Mr. Bush has some official meetings tomorrow here, Wolf. They are being kept low key. A courtesy call with the president of Italy, a meeting and a dinner with the prime minister of Italy, as well. But of course, Mr. Bush and the former presidents and other members of the delegation representing, if you will, the American people at this time of global tribute, a time of sadness and mourning, but also a time of celebration if you will, of the life and the mission, the pilgrimage of John Paul II.

And if you listen here, you can hear the dichotomy, if you will, on display in Rome. Helicopters overhead, part of the unprecedented security, because of all those global leaders coming here. But also the hints tribute, as well -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's John King reporting for us from the scene. John, thank you very much.

And as we mentioned, President Bush is among the hundreds of dignitaries gathering in Rome right now along with millions of ordinary mourners to pay their respects to the pope. And the massive influx is prompting unprecedented security measures in the Eternal City. Our Rome bureau chief Alessio Vinci has that part of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): The largest security challenge so far has been controlling a growing crowd trying to reach Saint Peter's Square. Italian officials say they had a plan for the pope's death, but they had no idea millions would show up to pay their last respects to John Paul II. Because, they say, up to 5 million people could be involved by the time the funeral ends on Friday, they only had a matter of days to adapt their security plan.

Despite the long wait to see the pope's body, officials say the crowd has not been hostile towards security forces. But they are not taking any chances.

"I have no sign there could be in any way worrying," he says, "no sign. It is obvious that nobody is going to underestimate anything, and above all, security."

The defense shield will reach its peak on Friday when close to 200 heads of state and government, including the current and two past U.S. presidents, will sit in Saint Peter's Square, attending the pope's funeral.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once they're in the Vatican, they're of course, quite -- quite -- the security I would say, of course. But then we are to handle the people coming into the square. Everybody will be controlled by metal detectors. So we have to get the whole place empty the night before, and then control everybody, and put them back in the square.

So that's going to be a very, very hard task. But, we're ready to do that.

VINCI: Most dignitaries will have a security detail. But officials here say the deployment of security forces will reach close to 15,000 men and women, including hundreds from the military.

It already seems as if every street, corner and piazza around the Vatican and beyond is being carefully watched. Key areas are being monitored with cameras linked to police headquarters. The River Tiber is patrolled 24 hours a day. If someone tries to reach the Vatican from here, these two officers tell me, he has no chance.

(on camera): This is just one of many security measures being employed to protect Vatican City. As you can see the basilica is very close to the river. However, the first line of defense is far away from here. High above Rome, planes circle to protect the skies. And anti-aircraft missile defense systems have been deployed just outside the city center.

(voice-over): The air space over Rome in a range of 60 kilometers has been shut to private aircraft. And commercial air traffic will be reduced drastically by Thursday night. And on Friday, the entire city of Rome has been declared a no driving zone. Alessio Vinci, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The death of the pope is focusing the international spotlight on the Vatican. Among the world's smallest, wealthiest and most secretive principalities. Our state department correspondent Andrea Koppel is here with a closer look inside the Holy See -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, many of us know the Vatican as the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. But for the last 76 years, it's also been a recognized national territory under international law.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL (voice-over): Saint Peter's Square, where hundreds of thousands now gather, is part of Vatican City, the world's smallest city-state. Created in 1929, its purpose, to provide territorial integrity for the Holy See, or Catholic archdiocese in Rome.

REV. KEVIN IRWIN, CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY: It functions fairly well. There's a -- someone apparently asked how many people work in the Vatican? And he said about half. Like any large organization, you've got your four aces and you've got your jokers.

KOPPEL: Covering less than half a square mile, Vatican City employs about 3,000 people. And is home to roughly 900 of them, including the Swiss Guard, responsible for protecting the pope.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was extraordinary. And I thought I was back in another century.

KOPPEL: Thomas Melady was U.S. ambassador to the Vatican from 1989 to 1993.

THOMAS MELADY, FRM. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE VATICAN: You deal very much with one person and his immediate staff.

KOPPEL: The pope?

MELADY: The pope, yes. Particularly in this case. It was a very strong personality.

KOPPEL (voice-over): As with some constitutional monarchs, the pope is head of state, and is elected for life.

Today, 174 countries have diplomatic relations with the Vatican, which has its own post office, commissary, bank, railway station and media outlets.

Its annual revenue is estimated at $245 million. It's budget, at about $260 million. How does the Vatican earn money? Some comes from sales of Vatican stamps of coins, the rest from an annual collection in Catholic churches around the world called Peter's Pence...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no cloak and dagger, there's no cookie jars that are hidden. It's all very high finance, high tech, computerized, and they watch that very, very carefully.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL (on camera): The Vatican's assets also include architectural masterpieces such as Saint Peter's Basilica, and plenty of artwork by the likes of Michelangelo and Raphael. But experts note the Vatican lists all of this on its books as valued at only one euro. In other words, Wolf, priceless.

BLITZER: I think it's fair to say those valuable items are priceless.

Andrea, thanks very much for that report.

And our coverage of Pope John Paul II continues from Rome. Coming up this hour, I'll speak with Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., on the upcoming conclave to select a successor.

When we come back, smoldering wreckage. The deadliest crash since U.S. troops were deployed to Afghanistan in 2001. What caused this coalition chopper to go down?

Royal passing, and pains -- Monaco says good-bye to a prince best known for his fairy tale wedding and dysfunctional family.

And later, taking his private health battle public. Peter Jennings shares his lung cancer diagnosis with viewers. We'll take a closer look at the treatment options, and challenges he faces. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A U.S. military helicopter went down in Afghanistan today; 18 people were believed to have been on board. It's the deadliest crash since U.S. troops were deployed to Afghanistan in 2001. Let's go live to our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre. Jamie?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, at this hour it's night time in Afghanistan and recovery operations have been halted. So far 16 bodies have been confirmed dead, and there are -- still have two bodies unaccounted for.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): Only smoldering wreckage was left of the U.S. army transport helicopter, which crashed in a desert area after apparently getting caught up in high winds and a raging dust storm in southern Afghanistan. The CH-47 Chinook was listed as carrying 18 people. There were no survivors, nor any evidence of hostile fire.

LT. CINDY MOORE, US ARMY: The coalition CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed this afternoon, Wednesday afternoon, near Ghazni, approximately 100 miles southwest of Kabul. The cause of the crash is due to severe weather.

MCINTYRE: According to the U.S. military, a pair of Chinooks was returning from a routine mission in daylight when radio contact was lost with one of the helicopters. The second Chinook made it safely back to Bagram Airbase, north of Kabul.

The CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopter has been the workhorse of the army's transport fleet since its introduction during the Vietnam War. It can cruise at 150 miles an hour, has a distinctive twin rotor design, and is used to carry weapons, people, and supplies. It also has a good safety record. In November of 2003, a CH-47 crashed in Iraq after taking fire from the ground. 16 U.S. troops were killed, and 26 wounded. But this accident is more like one in January in Iraq, when a CH-53, another heavy transport helicopter, flew into a dust storm and hit the ground. 31 died in that mishap.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: The United States has lost more than 120 troops since it first deployed forces to Afghanistan in October of 2001. But unlike in Iraq, Wolf, most of those deaths have come from accidents, not combat.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre reporting. Thank you, Jamie.

After a two-month standoff, Iraq's parliament today made history, electing Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani as the country's new president. Two vice presidents were picked, as well, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, a Shiite, has served as the interim finance minister and the Sunni tribal leader Ghazi al-Yawer has been the interim president. These three are to be sworn in tomorrow and will then name Iraq's new prime minister. Apparently, it will be the Shiite leader Ibrahim al-Jaafari. That will set the stage for the naming of a cabinet and the drafting of a constitution. Get this -- the former dictator Saddam Hussein is said to have watched a videotape of today's proceedings in his jail cell.

When we come back, the passing of Prince Rainier. A royal member made famous for his marriage to a movie star, and scandals involving his children. What's next for Monaco's royal family?

Choosing a new pope: why John Paul II's successor could come from a developing country. Our Zain Verjee takes a closer look.

State of emergency in Mississippi: severe storms, including tornadoes, strike the South. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Monaco's Prince Rainier died today at the age of 81. He was the longest-reigning monarch in Europe. But he was better known around the world for his movie star wife, and in more recent years for his sometimes notorious children.

CNN's Mary Snow standing by live in New York with a look back at this prince -- Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Prince Rainier ruled Monaco since 1949. It's one of the world's smallest countries. In fact, it's even smaller than New York's Central Park you see here behind me. But it grew much bigger on the map, that's in large part due, in fact, to wealth, and a fairy tale wedding.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): It was once said that Monaco was a sunny place for shady people. And Prince Rainier worked to shed that image. To that end, his marriage to movie star Grace Kelly in 1956 did more to put Monaco on the map than any business deal ever could.

JOHN GLATT, "THE ROYAL HOUSE OF MONACO": Grace injected some Hollywood glamour into the place and it drew a lot of attention from America. Especially after the wedding. And there was a huge influx of tourism.

SNOW: With the glamour, came glitter. Prince Rainier became known as the builder for his construction of luxury hotels and high rises alongside the casinos. He also worked to preserve Monaco's status as a tax haven. And Princess Grace helped attract Hollywood's jet set who had come to call Monaco the rock.

STEPHANE BERN, LE FIGARO: But if you look at the -- the notoriety, the celebrity of the little rock in the world, it's very strange. Because it occupies much more place in the world. Because everybody's focused on the family.

SNOW: And much of the focus on the prince's children, Albert, Caroline and Stephanie, often turned to scandal. Most of it came after the car accident in 1982 that killed Princess Grace. Her children became fodder for the tabloids.

GLATT: It really has been largely a soap opera. You know, with the comings and goings of Princess Stephanie's and Caroline. They really kind of, they've embarrassed the Monarchic on many, many occasions. And they seem to out do each other.

SNOW: Tabloids have referred to Stephanie as a wild child, because of colorful romances that include marriages to a circus trapeze artist and her former bodyguard. Caroline is married to her third husband, Prince Ernst August of Hanover. Her first husband was a banker who sold their honeymoon pictures from Tahiti. Her second husband was killed in a boating accident. Now succeeding Prince Rainier is 47-year-old Prince Albert, who's never been married, was schooled in the U.S., and has gained a reputation as a playboy known to date actresses and models.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

To ensure that the Grimaldi family would continue its rule for more than 700 years in Monaco, Prince Rainier amended the constitution back in 2002, to allow his daughters' children to be one of the successors if Albert never marries. Carolyn has four children, Stephanie has three -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Fascinating material. Thank you very much, Mary Snow, for that.

Peter Kurth is a biographer who's written about Monaco's royal family. He's joining us live now from Burlington, Vermont. Peter, thank you very much for joining us.

Here's a question I think a lot of our viewers, especially older viewers are fascinated by. Was this a happy marriage between Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly on both parts?

PETER KURTH, ROYAL BIOGRAPHER: I believe so. At the end of her life Grace was I think, very frustrated about the way everything had turned out. But I don't have any reason to think that was because of Rainier in any way. I think she was -- her children were nearly grown, and she had this great creative side of her that had not been allowed to be expressed after she became princess of Monaco. I think she began to regret that she had entirely given up her film career. And she tried to find other ways to express that part of herself with writing, and with dancing, and everything. And it would be very interesting to know what might have become of her had she lived longer.

BLITZER: Another historic footnote, the 1982 car accident, she was in the car, Princess Stephanie was in the car. She survived the car accident. In all of your research, what did you come up with the bottom line, what was the cause of the crash?

KURTH: The cause, to the best of my knowledge, was that Grace had had a very mild stroke while she was driving. And that that is what caused her to go off the road. And those roads are very steep and very dicy anyway. They were coming down from their -- one of their country places up above Monaco, and those cornish (ph) roads are -- in fact you can see it in "To Catch a Thief" when Grace Kelly and Cary Grant are driving on those roads. And they're very narrow and they're very steep and they're very dangerous. And you hear all kinds of stories about what happened in that car. But I have never heard anything reliable from anyone to suggest that it was not just a terrible accident.

BLITZER: Let's talk briefly about the children, Prince Albert. What goes through your mind when I mention his name.

KURTH: He's the nicest man. He is the definition of nice. He's very American, actually, in lots of ways. And educated here. He's -- he's an astute businessman. I don't know that he has quite the sharp skills of his father for business, but we'll see. He's a great sportsman. Everyone likes him. If he's unmarried, it's for reasons of his own. I don't know what they would be. But he certainly has an awful lot of friends. And the few times that I've met him he's never been anything but wonderfully nice.

BLITZER: What about Princess Stephanie?

KURTH: Well, sorry. She's all right, too now. She seems to be settling down a little bit. She was -- she was born rebellious. And did her best all through her life up until now to be rebellious. To sort of shake off this cloak of princesshood that she has. Caroline went through the same sort of thing. But it was a phase for Caroline and for Stephanie, I'm not sure it is a phase. I think it may be what her life is going to be about all the way through, is this sort of trying to shock people. And I mean, you even talk to family members, and they grow a little wide-eyed when you mention Stephanie, because she's always, always charted her own course. Caroline is now the first lady of Monaco, and has been since Grace died. And does it brilliantly. Superbly.

BLITZER: All right.

KURTH: And I don't think that Albert is going to need, necessarily, another first lady.

BLITZER: We'll see what happens.

KURTH: Yes, we will.

BLITZER: That saga will continue, Peter. Thank you very much for joining us.

KURTH: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: When we come back, he was the first non-Italian pope in hundreds of years. Could John Paul II's successor be from Latin America or Africa? I'll ask the American cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Plus, Peter Jennings high profile battle with lung cancer. We'll look at what he's facing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: From our studios in Washington, once again, Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Cardinals in Rome make preparations to select Pope John Paul II's successor. I'll speak with Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the archbishop of Washington, D.C. He's in Rome right now.

First, though, let's get a quick check of some other stories now in the news. Violent thunderstorms with tornadoes slashed across the Deep South today. A state of emergency was declared in Mississippi, where two dozen homes were destroyed. Businesses and a church were damaged and the roof was blown off a school while classes were in session. Storm warnings are still in effect across much of the region.

Ever so slowly, NASA is moving the space shuttle Discovery to a launch pad. The rollout was delayed briefly as engineers examined a small crack in the foam that insulates the external fuel tank. NASA says the shuttle can fly, despite the flaw. All shuttles have been grounded since the Columbia disintegrated two years ago. That disaster was traced to a piece of foam that broke off during liftoff during -- damaging a wing.

He won fame defending the famous. And former clients Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson were among the celebrities at today's funeral for defense attorney Johnnie Cochran. But Cochran also took on some high-profile civil rights cases, and among those delivering remarks today in Los Angeles were activists and ministers Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton among them. Cochran died last week of a brain tumor.

As we reported at the top of the hour, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church have set April 18 as the start of their conclave in which they'll elect the next pope. Some observers say there's a fair chance he could be from Latin America, perhaps even from Africa.

Our Zain Verjee is at the CNN Center. She's been following this story -- Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the College of Cardinals is charged with the election of a new pope. And it's very diverse. There's no guarantee that the papacy would return to an Italian.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE (voice-over): The face of the Catholic Church has become increasingly multicultural and multiethnic. Vatican experts say the successor to the throne of St. Peter could well be from the developing world.

REV. MARK MOROWICH, CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY: One of the great priorities of the church, to reach out more to the Third World countries, so I think it's probably a pretty good possibility that that would happen.

VERJEE: Latin America is home to the largest number of Catholics in the world. Cardinals from that region constitute a significant voting bloc in the College of Cardinals, 21 out of 117. Among the prominent Latin American contenders, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, the archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Africa has the fastest growing Catholic community in the world and has 10 votes in the College of Cardinals. Former Anglican Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu says it's time for an African pope.

ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU, NOBEL PEACE LAUREATE: We hope that perhaps the cardinals, when they meet, will follow the first non- Italian pope by electing the first African pope.

VERJEE: The leading African contender for pope appears to be Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze. But, by far, the largest voting bloc comes from Europe. Cardinals there command 58 votes.

The remaining 28 eligible cardinals come from countries including the United States and Asia. Could Europe's dominance boost the prospects of an Italian returning to the papacy?

MOROWICH: AS people have been wanting to have an Italian pope again, in a sense to go back to the heartland.

VERJEE: But Pope John Paul II appointed more non-Italians during his reign, contributing to a decline in the number of Italian cardinals, which now number 20. Just like the previous conclave in 1978, there's always the possibility of surprise.

REV. JOHN PARIS, BOSTON UNIVERSITY: Woe betides the one who thinks he can discern what's going to happen in a conclave. No one thought we'd have a Polish pope.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: And, Wolf, Vatican experts add that cardinals may not necessarily support a candidate just because he's from the same country or continent.

BLITZER: CNN's Zain Verjee reporting for us -- thank you, Zain, very much.

But what about the prospects of an American pope? The archbishop of Washington, D.C., Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, is at the Vatican. We'll hear from him. I'll ask him, is it possible an American could be elected pope?

Coping with cancer. An upbeat, but noticeably hoarse Peter Jennings shares his diagnosis with viewers. We'll take a closer look at the challenges and the treatment he may face.

Plus, I'll speak with two ABC insiders, former ABC insiders, about the future of the network's news.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

More now on the death of Pope John Paul II. A little bit earlier today, I spoke about the upcoming conclave with Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the archbishop of Washington. He joined me from Vatican City.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Cardinal McCarrick, thanks so much for joining us, especially at this critically important moment.

What's it like being in Rome right now? Because we heard you in Washington. But it must be so much more powerful right now.

CARDINAL THEODORE MCCARRICK, ARCHBISHOP OF WASHINGTON, D.C.: It certainly is. You feel the presence of this Holy Father, even though he's passed on. And I think, for me, the thing that strikes you most is the crowds. They say that between two and four million people here. And they're from everywhere. They're from all over the world. And they've come to pay their last respects. I was in the -- I was in the procession when they brought the body from the palace to the Basilica.

And, as soon as his body entered the piazza, the crowd started. And I almost cried, because the thought was, he did this so many times when he was alive. And the crowd was yelling out and crying out. They didn't say, vive el papa, because he was dead now. But they cried out. And they just yelled. And they wanted -- they wanted to greet him somehow. His presence was still there.

It's very powerful and very moving. And, in a sense, it's a very emotional moment that you go through at that time.

BLITZER: The conclave will begin now on April 18. You will be one of those 117 cardinals that will elect a new pope. How awesome is this challenge for you personally?

MCCARRICK: Oh, it is very awesome, because you see the challenges that John Paul II faced in his life. And you want to make sure that you choose the person who's going to be able to carry out that great work, to do again the things that he did, to make sure that the church is listening and responding to the needs of the world, even as it did in the more than quarter century of John Paul II.

BLITZER: There have been lots of suggestions over these past few days that it's really unrealistic to assume that an American could be elected pope. Is that your sense?

MCCARRICK: Well, we're not supposed to speculate. But that's not speculation. I think you're absolutely right. We're not going to see an American at this stage in history.

BLITZER: Why is that?

MCCARRICK: Well, I think, since our nation is really the superpower of the world, that it might be off-putting to have the bishop of Rome also a member of that -- of that nation. It's probably better to find a smaller nation. It's better to find someone who's not from the superpower, who will be able to be acceptable to everybody.

I think that, today, there are many people who aren't happy about America, because of some idea that they have or other. And I think you don't want -- the man who's going to be pope already has a lot of burdens, as Pope John Paul II had. You don't want to add to him another burden that would be people who might turn him off because he was an American today.

BLITZER: I know there are severe restrictions on what you can say, what you can't say. You're one of those 117 men who will make this decision. But the notion of a non-European pope, I wonder if there's any thoughts that you have on that, because there's been a lot of discussion that the real growth in the Catholic Church around the world now is in Africa, in South America, not necessarily in Europe or even in North America.

MCCARRICK: Well, of course, all the information that you give is true. But I can't go there, because that would be beyond what I would be able to discuss with you at this time.

BLITZER: All right. That's fair enough. And I certainly wouldn't want to do anything that would violate the confidentiality, the secrecy, if you will, that you have to respect.

Just wrap this up for us. Give us your emotional thoughts right now at this turning point in the Catholic Church.

MCCARRICK: Well, I think that, first of all, we're grieving. We're grieving for the loss of this extraordinary man.

And then, as we look back over the last quarter century, we see all the things that he did, the fall of communism, to some extent, part of his great work. And yet we know the world still has its dictators and has its discrimination, has its problems. We know his great work for the poor. He looked out for the poor and wanted to close the chasm between rich and poor, wanted to get rid of the Third World debt, which is such a burden on some countries.

We know he's worked for peace, peace throughout the world. And we're still in an age where we must look for peace. So, all these problems that he dealt with, ecumenism, his openness to ecumenism, making it really part of the life of the church, his openness to people everywhere, his ability to help people to see that there is really one family under God, that we're all brothers and sisters, these were the challenges that he faced and the challenges that all of us are going to face in the years ahead.

BLITZER: Cardinal Theodore McCarrick is the archbishop of Washington.

Your Eminence, thanks so much for spending a few moments with us during these days.

MCCARRICK: Thanks. Thanks for the opportunity. God bless you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: A public battle. ABC News anchor Peter Jennings shares his diagnosis of lung cancer with viewers. We'll take a closer look at the tough fight he's facing. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The news business is all about unexpected developments. But for our colleagues over at ABC this week, the developments have been particularly jarring. Peter Jennings plans to continue anchoring "World News Tonight" as he battles lung cancer. But, as many cancer patients will tell you, fighting this disease is very, very serious.

Our Brian Todd joining us now with more on this part of the story -- Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Peter Jennings' position will make it difficult not to fight this battle in a very public way. And even before his first session of chemotherapy, Peter Jennings has given us a window into the experience of a lung cancer patient.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): As shocking as the announcement was, who could have expected a voice like this from the venerable Peter Jennings?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "WORLD NEWS TONIGHT")

PETER JENNINGS, HOST: I will continue to do the broadcast on good days. My voice will not always be like this. Certainly, it's been a long time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Reaction across the news spectrum, at ABC and elsewhere, reflects some surprise, but also admiration, for a news titan battling something much tighter than a deadline.

CHARLES GIBSON, ABC NEWS: He has been the leader of this news division for 22 years. He still is. But his thoughts, needless to say, and his energies will be focused elsewhere for a while.

TODD: Outside the industry, a closer perspective on what Jennings may be going through.

JO ANN SCHWAB, LUNG CANCER PATIENT: The hoarseness sometimes can be just something that goes down -- they go down the throat to get a biopsy of what may be in the lung area.

TODD: Jo Ann Schwab was a smoker for 45 years. She quit about five years ago, but it was too late. By the time she was diagnosed last July, she was at stage four, the most advanced form of lung cancer, tumors in both lungs. Doctors removed one with surgery. Then it was time for chemotherapy.

SCHWAB: It's frightening. It really is frightening when you say, OK, fine, I've got chemo. I'm going to have to have chemo. You don't know what it is.

TODD: For Schwab, it was an incision in the chest called a port, an access needle inserted, multiple drugs sent through her system, four sessions, four to six hours each.

SCHWAB: I got allergic to it, so we had some Benadryl. So, that kind of knocked me out.

TODD: Chemotherapy didn't get the second tumor. Schwab was too weak for another surgery and couldn't breathe normally. So a team of doctors at Georgetown University Medical Center, led used Shakun Malik and Brian Collins, used a CyberKnife, a high-energy light that zaps tumors with focused, heavy doses of radiation.

Collins says it works well with longtime smokers like Schwab and Peter Jennings.

DR. BRIAN COLLINS, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: Their normal lung is very valuable to them, because they become very fatigued when they press, push themselves very hard. With the CyberKnife, we can destroy cancers without wrecking, ruining the normal lung.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Right now, Jo Ann Schwab is cancer-free. But doctors are monitoring her scans very closely. One of Schwab's doctors says the fact that Peter Jennings is undergoing chemotherapy first may mean his doctors want to shrink a tumor before operating or may mean it is inoperable -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Brian Todd, thanks very much for that report.

And we'll have more on Peter Jennings and the battle he faces against lung cancer. Coming up next, I'll speak with two of his former ABC News colleagues.

Stay with us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Dominique Dawes tumbled into the spotlight during the 1996 Olympics as part of the Magnificent Seven gold-medal winning gymnastic teams. Awesome Dawson became the first African-American to win an individual gymnastics medal, with the bronze in the floor exercise.

DOMINIQUE DAWES, GYMNAST: It just meant a lot to do it for the country, my team and myself.

HEMMER: After the games in Atlanta, Dawes turned heads on Broadway, dabbled in acting and modeling, and cartwheeled her way through a Prince music video.

She hung up her leotard in 1998 and started class at the University of Maryland, but soon realized that gymnastics was not quite out of her system. Dawes participated in her third Olympic Games in 2000, in what she calls a once in a lifetime experience.

Dawes is now 28, is completely retired from gymnastics, and splits her time between coaching and motivational speaking.

DAWES: It's really going out there and teaching young girls what being fit is all about.

HEMMER: She's also president of the Women's Sports foundation, and has recently launched a new project called Go Girl, Go.

DAWES: I feel like I do have to inspire and empower others, and that's why, you know, I've found these different platforms, these different venues that I feel like I've been able to touch lives in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Just before the break, we were talking about Peter Jennings' fight against cancer.

We're joined now by two men who know Jennings well, former ABC News correspondents Robert Zelnick and Tom Foreman. Bob Zelnick is now a professor at Boston University. He's joining us from Boston. Tom Foreman, of course, is now a CNN correspondent. He's here in the studio with us.

Bob, first to you. What does this mean for ABC News?

BOB ZELNICK, FORMER ABC NEWS PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it's a terrible blow, but personally. I think Peter was and is an extremely admired and revered figure. He's so much a part of "World News Tonight." It's almost impossible to envision the program without his presence.

And so there's also the personal sadness. But, there's also the feeling that he was poised to make his move now. The other two networks had changed anchors of their evening news programs. Peter was being advertised, built up, hoping to reclaim the No. 1 spot. This is going to make it very difficult.

BLITZER: What was it like, Tom, for you when you worked at ABC News? Peter Jennings the anchor, he was a pretty much hands-on kind of guy.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Peter, I think, among all the anchors I've met, I've never known anybody more involved in it than him, except maybe you. You're awfully involved in it.

But Peter took a day-to-day role every day in what we did. He looked at every script, sometimes much to our hair-tearing frustration, because he wanted to have a say in everything. But the fact is, he wanted the show to be better and better and better. And I will say, for one of these super luminary anchors who's been out there for a long, long time, Peter worked very, very long hours, and I often saw him there before anybody else and after everyone else.

BLITZER: Bob, I remember when both of us were much younger. We were both Pentagon correspondents. You once told me that Peter Jennings used to look at your scripts, and if he didn't like the sound bite from somebody in your script, you had to go find a new one because he was unhappy.

ZELNICK: Well, that's true.

And it could be a pain in the neck sometimes. And I'm not going to hide that simply because of the circumstances. But, on the other hand, you knew that he was very well informed. He cared profoundly about hard news. And particularly when I worked abroad in Moscow and in Tel Aviv, I knew I had an ally, because he wanted foreign news on the program. He thought it was important for Americans to know what was going on overboard -- abroad.

So, I think, given my druthers, I'd still opt for a guy who knows what he's doing, works hard, knows the story and fights for it.

BLITZER: And you were a domestic-based correspondent, Tom, for ABC news. He used to get involved in your scripts as well.

FOREMAN: Peter told me when I first met him in New York -- I was 30 years old -- I had just joined the network -- he called me in to this office and he got out a book on the history of America. And he said, you know what your job is? He says, your job is to remind us, remind us, remind us about that whole big country out there, beyond Washington and beyond New York. And he was always a champion for those stories, trying to get them on the air.

And that's really the big loss for ABC right now, is having this kind of champion at the top who said we need to get those stories on, because that's a fight that has to be made every day in news organizations.

BLITZER: We know, Bob, that he was a smoker. He tried to quit. He did quit on a few occasions.

You used to be a smoker. Tell our viewers a story about smoking and ABC News.

ZELNICK: Well, I could start by quoting Mark Twain, that it's easy to quit. I've done it thousands of times.

But, actually, Ted Koppel and I were both smokers. We both felt terribly guilty about it. And we arranged a $100 bet as to who would quit and stay quit. And, sure enough, some years later, while I was based in Israel, David Burke, the vice president of ABC, handed me $100, said it was compliments of Koppel. He broke down and smoked again.

But Ted really leaned on Peter. He challenged him. He said, you got to quit. Anybody who is as strong as you can quit cigarettes. It's just a matter of willpower. And it took years and years before Peter actually quit.

BLITZER: Tom, did his personal views -- does his personal views, did that influence the editorial direction of ABC News, based on your personal experience, 10 years there?

FOREMAN: I think that every newsperson's personal views affect it somewhat, because there are things that you simply believe in, and you think they're the fact, the truth. Peter and I had some very heated discussions sometimes about stories in the news, where I would say to him, look, you're not paying enough attention to Mississippi or to Colorado or to California. But Peter did not do it because he was trying to promote what Peter believed. Peter was trying to get to the truth of the story, always did, always was that way.

BLITZER: We only have a few seconds left.

Bob, you had your battles with Peter on many of these editorial issues over the years.

ZELNICK: I tended to be probably a little bit more sympathetic to the Israeli position. I tended to be a little harder line on not -- not worrying too much about understanding terrorists, but worrying more about beating them.

But, again, these things are expected to go on in a newsroom. That's the strength of a newsroom, to have these kind of debates. The thing is, I always knew that I was dealing with a champion of hard news.

BLITZER: All right.

ZELNICK: I always knew I was dealing with a guy who didn't argue for closing bureaus and cutting back and trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

BLITZER: We have to leave it there. Bob Zelnick, Tom Foreman, thanks very much to both of you.

And that's it for me. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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