The Vatican Press Office posted today the summaries of the briefings given to newsmen regarding the pre-Conclave meetings held by the College of Cardinals from the sixth GC on Thursday afternoon, to the morning GC today...
Briefings on the General Congregations
of the College of Cardinals
Sixth Congregation
The sixth General Congregation of the College of Cardinals took place on Thursday, 7 March, from 5:00pm until 7:00pm.
Two newly arrived cardinals were sworn in: Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Mân, metropolitan archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Cardinal elector) and Cardinal Adam Joseph Maida, archbishop emeritus of Detroit, Michigan, USA (non elector). The entire complement of 115 Cardinal electors who were expected has thus arrived.
The cardinals’ interventions continued. Sixteen cardinals spoke.
Seventh Congregation
The seventh General Congregation took place this morning Friday, 8 March, from 9:30am until 12:30am. There were 153 cardinals present, of whom 115 were Cardinal electors. There were no other new cardinals to arrive.
The Cardinal Dean, in accordance with No. 38 of the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, informed the College of Cardinals of the reasons presented by two Cardinal electors to justify their absence: Cardinal Julius Riyadi Darmaatmadja, S.J., for health reasons, and Cardinal Keith O’Brien, for personal reasons.
The Cardinal Dean asked if the College accepted to recognize the reasons presented. The response was affirmative. The definitive number of Cardinal electors is thus established at 115.
The Cardinal Dean then noted that, because there are no other Cardinal electors expected, it is unnecessary to wait fifteen days from the beginning of the Sede Vacante to begin the Conclave, in application of No. 37 of the Apostolic constitution as amended by Benedict XVI’s recent Motu Proprio, which states: "the College of Cardinals is granted the faculty to move forward the start of the Conclave if it is clear that all the Cardinal electors are present".
The cardinals’ activities then continued during which 18 Cardinal fathers intervened. The total number of interventions—and correspondingly of speakers—has thus been over one hundred.
Topics covered — along with those issues already noted over the past few days — included: inter-religious dialogue; bioethics; justice in the world; the Gospel as a proclamation of love, joy, and mercy; collegiality; and the role of women in the Church.
This afternoon’s Congregation is expected to vote on the date for the Conclave, which will probably be one of the first three days of this coming week.
Eighth General Congregation
The eighth General Congregation of the College of Cardinals took place on Friday, 8 March, from 5:00pm until 7:00pm. In attendance were 145 cardinals.
Two newly arrived cardinals were sworn in: neither of which is a Cardinal elector: Cardinal Miguel Obando Bravo, S.D.B., archbishop emeritus of Managua, Nicaragua, and Cardinal Gaudencio Borbon Rosales, archbishop emeritus of Manila, Philippines.
The Cardinal Dean proposed a vote on the date to begin the Conclave. As preparations in the Domus Sanctae Marthae and the Sistine Chapel will still be under way, the first proposal was to begin the Conclave on Tuesday, 12 March. The proposal was accepted by overwhelming majority.
The cardinals’ interventions then continued. Fifteen cardinals spoke.
Ninth General Congregation
The ninth General Congregation took place this morning Saturday, 9 March, from 9:30am until 12:30pm.
The Cardinal Dean proposed that the Cardinal electors move into their rooms at the Domus Sanctae Marthae on the morning of 12 March, the day that the Conclave will begin, starting from 7:00am. After a short discussion the proposal was accepted by the majority of Cardinal electors.
Further along in the course of the Congregation, the rooms where each Cardinal elector will reside at the Domus were assigned by lot, in accordance with the provisions outlined in the Apostolic Constitution.
The cardinals’ interventions then continued. Seventeen cardinals spoke. In total, therefore, there have been at least 133 interventions during the course of the General Congregations.
Topics included, among other themes previously reported: expectations regarding the new Pope, how to improve the service of the Roman Curia, information regarding wider areas of the Church, etc.
It was communicated to the cardinals that the "Pro eligendo Romano Pontifice" Mass will be concelebrated by all the cardinals at 10:00am on the morning of 12 March, and will be presided over by the Cardinal Dean.
They were also informed of the schedule of entry into Conclave that Tuesday afternoon (beginning with a procession from the Pauline Chapel into the Sistine Chapel at 4:30pm) and the general schedule of daily procedures during the Conclave.
This coming Monday, 11 March, the final General Congregation will take place and many cardinals are already signed up to intervene.
During the press conference other information was also given:
Tomorrow, Sunday, various cardinals will celebrate Mass at their titular churches. It will be a beautiful opportunity for them to pray with the people of God at this important moment in the life of the Church.
Monday afternoon at 5:30pm in the Pauline Chapel, all the auxiliary personnel needed to ensure the smooth operations of the Conclave will take the oath of secrecy. Their oaths will be received by the Cardinal Camerlengo (Papal Chamberlain Cardinal Bertone).
The Pope's (Benedict XVI's) Ring of the Fisherman—which exists in two forms, the ring itself and as a stamp used to seal documents — as well as two stamps and the master lead seal for papal documents have been destroyed. Their images were scratched out in the form of a cross with a burin (a chisel-like graving tool).
The new Pope's Ring of the Fisherman will bear the identical image of Peter casting his net, but will have the new Pontiff's name inscribed above the image.
The commission that, under the direction of the Camerlengo, will seal the entrances to the areas of the Conclave and carry out the other operations necessary for the safeguarding of the Conclave was established.
During the course of the morning, the chimney that will release the "fumata" was installed on the roof of the Sistine Chapel.
Vatican Radio has details of the 'cancellation' of the symbols of Benedict XVI's Pontificate. One almost wants to genuflect to make up for the perfunctoriness of the necessary - but also impersonal and matter-of-fact - procedure (one an hardly call it a ritual):
Among the details disclosed during the briefing today was confirmation of the cancellation - rendering useless – Benedict XVI's Fisherman’s Ring and other official seals of his Pontificate. Fr. Lombardi's English-language co-briefer, Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB, elaborated:
Fr. [Lombardi, SJ] saw with his very own eyes this morning (Saturday), five objects that were ruined – scratched [and] rendered useless, because the image was destroyed...First of all, the Fisherman’s Ring that was destroyed – the image was scratched. Secondly, there was a stamp of the Fisherman’s Ring, a seal, which was used to seal official documents,...Ttwo stamps that were used for official Papal documents with the image [of the ring] on it, were scratched, so they can no longer be used; and finally, the master lead seal, which was used for major documents, and [for] creating other seals: that was scratched, as well.
I was hoping till today that the cardinals would decide to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving together for the Pontificate of Benedict XVI which they could have done tomorrow, Sunday. Obviously it is a gesture no one has thought of - about which many far less eminent parish priests around the world have been more generous - although it could have been a much more meaningful gesture than the robowriter telegram they sent Benedict XVI earlier this week. Some newsman needs to ask the cardinal friends of Benedict XVI after the Conclave why they ever agreed to that heartless telegram, and why not one of them suggested a Mass for Benedict XVI.
We can only be grateful to someone like Cardinal Rouco Varela of Madrid who delayed his arrival in Rome for a day so he could celebrate such a Mass of Thanksgiving at the cathedral in Madrid, and to all the other bishops and priests who have the same Christian generosity and affection for Benedict XVI.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 09/03/2013 21:07]