Rome: Conclave Nears

Written By Justin Merriman
 A nun stands in prayer in front of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on Tuesday as Cardinals hold a pre-conclave mass inside as they prepare to vote to choose Pope Benedict XVI’s successor. 
 Cardinals enter St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on Tuesday for their pre-conclave mass prior to voting to choose Pope Benedict XVI’s successor. 
 Guards stand watch at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
 A cardinal enters St. Peter's Basilica.
 A guard stands watch in one of the entrances to St. Peter's Basilica.
 A nun stands in prayer in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican on Tuesday as the College of Cardinals hold a pre-conclave mass inside the basilica as they prepare to vote to choose Pope Benedict XVI’s successor.  Pilgrims gathered outside to watch the mass on several big screens.
 A nun holds rosary beads as she stands in prayer in St. Peter's Square.
 A man stands in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican on Tuesday as rain begins to fall on pilgrims and tourists who gathered in the square on the first day of the conclave.
 A couple holds each other in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican.
 A pilgrims kneels in the rain in St. Peter's Square as the College of Cardinal's hold mass at St. Peter's Basilica.
 A woman prays in St. Peter's Square.
Tourists and pilgrims stand in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican on Tuesday as rain begins to fall on the first day of the conclave, where the College of Cardinals will vote for the first time to choose Pope Benedict XVI’s successor.  Read more about the conclave in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Justin Merriman

Justin Merriman, a freelance photojournalist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has traveled the world to cover politics, wars, natural disasters, civil unrest as well as covering assignment throughout the United States. His work has appeared in leading national publications and he has received multiple top journalism awards.   

After covering the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks – including the crash of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania – Merriman committed to chronicling the U.S. military and its war on terror.  He has followed this story across the United States and into the conflict zones of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He also has covered life in Fidel Castro’s Cuba in 2002, India’s efforts to eradicate polio from its population, the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba in 2012, the 2013 conclave and election of Pope Francis in Rome, the second anniversary of Egypt’s revolution and subsequent unrest, Russia’s invasion of Crimea and the international political crisis that unfolded in Ukraine in 2014, a look inside of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in 2015 and its uncertain future, and most recently, traveled the entire U.S. border with Mexico documenting issues on immigration. 

Merriman’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Time, USA Today, Sports Illustrated and other publications across the globe. 

He has been recognized with numerous regional, national and international awards from organizations including Pictures of the Year International, Society of Professional Journalists, the National Press Photographers Association, the Society for News Design, the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, the Northern Short Course, the Southern Short Course, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the Military Reporters and Editors Association, and the Western Pennsylvania Press Club. He was awarded Photographer of the Year by the News Photographer Association of Greater Pittsburgh four times and most recently was honored with the Keystone Press Award’s 2016 Distinguished Visual Award from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.

Born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Merriman graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Writing. In 2009, the university awarded him its prestigious Alumnus of Distinction award. 

Currently Merriman lives in Oakmont with his fiancé, Stephanie Strasburg, a photojournalist with PublicSource. 

http://www.justinmerriman.com
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