Rome: Sede Vacante

Written By Justin Merriman
 Emma Connaughton, 20, and Joshua Walden, 21, both of Northampton, England embrace in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City, the papal enclave within Rome on Saturday evening. Cardinals from around the world are gathering in Rome and are expected to soon announce a date for the conclave where 115 cardinals will chose a successor to Pope Benedict XVI, the leader of some 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide, who resigned Feb. 28.
A man stands in St. Peter's Square in front of the basilica early Wednesday morning in Vatican City, as the College of Cardinals continued their General Congregations at the Vatican in preparation for the conclave that will elect the next pontiff.
  Light streams in through a window near the Monument to Maria Clementina Sobieski at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. The Basilica's interior is decorated by some of the great artists like Geon Lorenzo Bernini and Michelangelo.
 A nun leaves the Altar of St. Joseph after praying in St. Peter's Basilica
 A priest stands near the Altar of St. Joseph in St. Peter's Basilica
 St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
 Bailey Marget, 21, a student from Richmond, Virginia, takes photographs of the interior of St. Peter's Basilica as she visits the Vatican City on Sunday, March 3, 2013 .  “I wish that we could have a pope that respected women more and valued their role in the Catholic Church more,” said Marget. “I am Catholic but believe in a lot of spirituality. I want more understanding from the church,” she said.
 As the College of Cardinals continued their General Congregations at the Vatican in preparation for the conclave that will elect the next pontiff, people visit St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.
 Papal Swiss Guards stand near an entrance to St. Peter's Basilica.
 Brother Luke Gill, 24, of Richmond, Virginia, who is studying to become a priest, stands outside of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Monday.  “It is exciting to be here in the heart of the church during such a special and exciting time,” he said. “We all want that father figure in the pope, to guide us and show us the way to fall more in love with Christ,” said Gill.
 Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, left, and  Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, right, answer questions from the media at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, during a briefing on the General Congregations. Cardinal O'Malley, lived in South Hills and attended Saint Gabriel and Sacred Heart Elementary Schools in Pittsburgh and St. Fidelis High School Seminary in Butler, PA. Cardinal DiNardo was raised attending St. Anne Parish in Castle Shannon and after his 1977 ordination he served at St. Pius X in Brookline and Madonna del Castello in Swissvale.
 A lone bird flies above St. Peter's Basilica.
 St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.
A couple embracing each other sit, basking in the light, in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.
Justin Merriman

Justin Merriman is a freelance photojournalist, commercial photographer, licensed drone pilot, and filmmaker based in Pittsburgh. His career began in Southwestern Pennsylvania, where he worked as a newspaper photographer dedicated to community storytelling and politics. Since then, his work has been recognized with regional, national, and international awards and has appeared in publications around the world.

After covering the crash of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001, Merriman committed to documenting the U.S. military’s War on Terror, reporting from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and across the United States. His international assignments have also included life in Fidel Castro’s Cuba, India’s campaign to eradicate polio, the aftermath of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba in 2012, the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis in Rome, the second anniversary of Egypt’s revolution, Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea, and the uncertain future of Guantanamo Bay in 2015. That same year, he traveled the full U.S.–Mexico border to document immigration issues.

In addition to photography, Merriman works as a director and filmmaker, creating recent films on refugees in Turkey, Jordan, India, and South Africa.

Closer to home, he frequently covers stories across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, focusing on the intersections of economic, environmental, and political life. Most recently, he reported on the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and its impact on the community.

Born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Merriman graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg with a B.A. in English Writing. In 2009, the university awarded him its prestigious Alumnus of Distinction award. He is a founding member of Argo Collective, a group of photographers sharing diverse visions of America. He lives outside Pittsburgh with his wife, Stephanie Strasburg, a photojournalist with PublicSource.

http://www.justinmerriman.com
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