BENEDICT XVI: NEWS, PAPAL TEXTS, PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY

5:40 PM ROME TIME - WE DO NOT HAVE A NEW POPE YET.
Billows of black smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.





Cardinal Poupard:
'Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope
at 5:28 pm on April 19, 2005 -
I looked at my watch when he reached 77 votes'
by GIACOMO GALEAZZI
Translated from

March 12, 2013

"In my life, I have never experienced similar emotions. All the mass media had predicted a long conclave. And yet, when the 77th vote was reached [on April 19, 2005, the fourth ballot of the Conclave, the first on the afternoon of the second day], I looked at the cardinal next to me in the Sistine Chapel and said, 'The Holy Spirit does not read the newspapers'. I took off my wrist watch and looked at the historic moment: 17:28 p.m."

Cardinal Paul Poupard of France, 82, recalled the 'rapid election' of Benedict XVI after leaving the last General Congregation yesterday at the Synod Hall of the Aula Paolo VI.

"At the funeral Mass for John Paul II," he said, "Cardinal Dean Ratzinger raised an arm towards the window of the Pope's study to evoke his presence spiritually - and I understood then that the Conclave had ended before it had even begun".

Cardinal Poupard, who got his red birettain 1985, was a former President of the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialog. 2005 was his first and only Conclave experience.

Once again, he says, "It is really impossible to describe the sensations one has facing the Last Judgment bu Michelangelo".

How is this Conclave different for you from that in 2005?
That at the General Congregations I knew almost everyone, and that with those whom I had not met or only met briefly before, it was immediately easy to get to know one another.

Eight years ago, the congregations were presided by a cardinal dean who took part in the Conclave, whereas Cardinal Sodano now is not an elector.

Joseph Ratzinger led us from the pre-Conclave to the Conclave itself. His homily at St. Peter's on the morning the Conclave began acted to bring together the College of Cardinals emotionally and spiritually.

John Paul II's illness lasted some time, ans we were psychologically ready to elect his successor. This time the difference was abysmal: Benedict XVI's renunciation wastruly a bolt out of the blue for all of us.

What was it like to vote in the Sistine Chapel?
It was like going into another world. I was in St. Peter's Square when Papa Roncalli was elected, and the morning when that Conclave (1958) opened, I had breakfast with one of his electors. Five years later, I was working in the Seceretariat of State when Paul VI became Pope.

When it was my time to take part in the Conclave, I tried to be part of such an extraordinary event, so intense and significant, as naturally as I could. But I can recall every moment of it, every stage.

On Monday, April 18, 2005, at 4:30 p.m., we were scheduled to enter the Conclave and swear the oath for taking part in electing a new Pope. Fifteen minutes before that, we had gathered in the Aula della Benedizione in the first loggia of the Apostolic Palace. We were all in choir robes, with the red capelet and red cap. Preceded by the Cross and the Book of the Gospel, and chanting the Litany of Saints, we processed to the Sistine Chapel where we swore the oath. My voice quivered as we sung the 'Veni creator Spiritus'.

What was the atmosphere like?
At that time, some restoration work was being undertaken, snd in the Aula della Benedizione, we sat on wooden benches like schoolchildren. But one could hardly hear a breath. I never found myself immersed in such absolute silence despite the number of people present.

But once the procession to the Sistine Chapel got underway, it was as if a psychological block had been lifted - the atmosphere was of seriousness and serenity. I was particularly moved by the hymn to the Holy Spirit - the most extraordinary one I had ever chanted. In the order of the procession, I was between Cardinal Wetter [Cardinal Ratzinger's successor as Archbishop of Munich] and the Filipino Cardinal Jose Vidal, whom I met again at the congregations.

And at Casa Santa Marta?
We had a chance to take minibuses from there to the Sistine and vice versa. I chose to walk. The weather was pleasant and the open air refreshed my thinking. Along with other colleagues, we walked through the internal courtyards, past the apse of St. Peter's and into San Damaso courtyard, then took the elevator. It was an opportunity to discuss.

But even during meals at Casa Santa Marta, we spoke with each other freely, and in great haramony. After dinner, we all headed spontaneously towards the chapel to pray.

That day, from another angle
Translated from

March 12, 2013

“I remember very well the day Cardinal Ratzinger was elected Pope. For lunch, we had a main dish with onions. When I came to serve at his table, I was a bit intimidated. He was seated with Caridnals Tettamanzi, Bertone and Arinze. ‘Eminence,' I said, 'Do you like onions?’ He took a good serving, saying it was good for the health. He struck me as a man of incredible simplicity". [This would have been the lunch that preceded the fourth ballot at which Cardinal Ratzinger was elected.]
During the Conclave of 2005, Sister Franca Rossetti was one of the many who were in service at the Casa Santa Marta where the cardinals are lodged.

What was the atnosphere like in Casa Santa Marta?
It was a beautiful couple of days. It felt like one big family.

Wasn’t there any plotting among the cardinals?
(She laughs) Not at table. They spoke to each other normally. They all seemed calm. Of course, when Cardinal Ratzinger was elected, that night there was some sort of celebration. We all sang ‘Oremus pro Pontefice’. And he, who had only been drinking orange juice with his meals, joined in the toasting with champagne. He said that he could make an exception for the occasion.

Do you remember Cardinal Martini from those days?
Oh, very well. He arrived with the most luggage. On a cart. In contrast, Cardinal Ratzinger arrived with a very small suitcase.

Those of you who worked at Casa Santa Marta – since you were all isolated at the time, how did you learn of the election?
We heard the bells pealing loudly. That was the signal. And shortly afterwards, even our cell phones began to work again. Before that, complete isolation. If you turned on the TV, nothing – not even ‘snow’….