Vatican
City, 11 March 2013
(VIS) – In this morning's 10th and final General Congregation 152
Cardinals were in attendance. Three new members for the Particular
Congregation were picked by lot to assist the Cardinal Camerlengo for
the next three days in the lesser affairs of the proceedings. The
Cardinal assistants chosen were: from the Order of Bishops, Cardinal
Antonios Naguib, patriarch emeritus of Alexandria, Egypt; from the
Order of Priests, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the
Congregation for Bishops; and from the Order of Deacons, Cardinal
Francesco Monterisi, archpriest emeritus of the Basilica of Saint
Paul Outside-the-Walls.
“Twenty-eight
cardinals spoke today,” Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of
the Holy See Press Office reported, “bringing the total number of
interventions given during the course of the 10 General Congregations
to 161. There was a wide participation, even if some other cardinals
would have liked to participate or to speak again. It was, however,
decided not to have another Congregation this afternoon in light of
the move to the Domus Sanctae Marthae and the preparations for the
Conclave.”
This
morning, among other topics, the Institute for Works of Religion
(IOR) was discussed. “Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, as president of
the Commission of Cardinals for oversight of the IOR, presented the
current operations of that commission to those present along with the
process for adopting the norms of transparency that it has
established. Naturally, much was also said about the expectations and
hopes for the future Holy Father.”
Fr.
Lombardi then provided some information about events that will take
place in the next few days.
Around
90 auxiliary personnel will take the oath of secrecy this afternoon
at 5:30pm in the Pauline Chapel. The Cardinal Camerlengo will receive
the oaths of these persons who will assist in meeting the personal
and official needs connected with the election process. (We provide a
list of those involved in a separate article below.)
The
“pro eligendo Romano Pontifice” Mass will be celebrated in the
Vatican Basilica tomorrow, 12 March, at 10:00am. The booklet for the
Mass is available on the Vatican website under the section of the
Office for Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff. The
liturgy will be presided by Cardinal Dean Angelo Sodano and
concelebrated by all the cardinals, including the non-voters. During
the offertory, a motet (choral musical composition) by Giovanni
Pierluigi da Palestrina will be heard.
Beginning
tomorrow, Vatican Television will have a camera fixed on the chimney
of the Sistine Chapel to capture the images of the “fumate”.
On
their seats in the Sistine Chapel, the Cardinal electors will find
the Apostolic Constitution “Universi Dominici Gregis”, the “Ordo
Rituum Conclavis” (Book of Rites of the Conclave), and a book of
the Liturgy of the Hours.
The
director of the Holy See Press Office also summarized the final acts
of the Conclave as regulated by that text. “If a cardinal gets
two-thirds of the vote—the required amount for an election—the
Cardinal Dean of the assembly, in this case Cardinal Giovanni
Battista Re, asks 'Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme
Pontiff?' After receiving the consent of the one elected he then
asks, “By what name do you wish to be called?” Then the Master of
Papal Liturgical Celebrations, acting as notary and having two
masters of ceremonies as witnesses who are called in at that time,
records the new Pope's acceptance and chosen name. He then proceeds
to burn the ballots for the white “fumata” (smoke signalling the
election). The new Pope then dresses in the “Room of Tears”—perhaps
so-called because of the emotion of the moment. When he returns to
the Chapel a Gospel passage connected to the Petrine ministry is
read, a brief prayer is given, and the cardinals process, one-by-one
to the new pontiff, congratulating him and promising their obedience.
The Pope and the cardinals sing the Te Deum together.”
“There
is a new aspect to this Conclave,” Fr. Lombardi noted. “The Pope,
before going to the balcony at the centre of St. Peter's Basilica,
will stop at the Pauline Chapel to pray before the Blessed Sacraments
for a few moments. Then he will go out onto the loggia and greet
those gathered with the “Urbi et Orbe” blessing.
Regarding
the opening Mass of the new pontificate, Fr. Lombardi explained that
it does not have to be celebrated on Sunday, but could occur any day
of the week.
Finally,
he clarified that the Prefect of the Papal Household, Archbishop
Georg Ganswein, the Pope emeritus' personal secretary, will attend
the ceremony of the beginning of the Conclave, as foreseen by his
defined duties.
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