Vatican
City, 5 March 2013
(VIS) – On a tapestry hanging in the eponymous gallery of the
Vatican Museums, we find one of the oldest witnesses of the
chalice-urns that served to gather the ballots of the cardinals
voting in the election of a new pontiff.
The
tapestry relates an episode narrated in the chronicles of the
election of Pope Urban VIII (1623-1644). In the final scrutiny,
during the counting of the ballots, one ballot was missing. On the
right-hand side of the tapestry, one can see a scrutineer who is
looking inside a large chalice with attention and interest, as if to
verify the presence of the lost ballot.
A
chalice that is very similar to the one seen in the tapestry and a
pyx (ciborium) are preserved in the pontifical sacristy of the
Sistine Chapel. This chalice and pyx have been used to gather the
voting ballots in the conclaves of the last century, up to the
election of John Paul II.
With
the promulgation of the Apostolic Constitution "Universi
Dominici Gregis" concerning the period of Sede Vacante of the
Apostolic See and the election of the Roman Pontiff (John Paul II, 22
February 1996), the need arose to adapt the urns to the new norms. It
was necessary to add a new urn to the chalice and pyx called for in
previous regulations, in order to receive the votes of any cardinals
having the right to vote but who were impeded through illness from
leaving their room to be present for the voting process in the
Sistine Chapel. Rather than creating another urn, three new ones were
designed during John Paul II's pontificate, principally to make them
more functional for the intended use, but also to make them uniform.
The
function of the urns is described in Chapter V of the Constitution,
which also speaks of a plate to be placed on top of the first urn.
Every cardinal, in fact, must "place his ballot on the plate,
with which he drops it into the receptacle beneath." The second
urn will be used only in the case of the presence in the Conclave of
cardinals impeded by illness from leaving their rooms and the third
urn will be used to gather the ballots after the scrutiny, before
they are burned to produce the traditional smoke announcing to the
faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square either the non-election
(black smoke) or the election (white smoke) of the new Pontiff.
The
urns are the work of the Italian sculptor Cecco Bonanotte, already
known for the new entrance doors of the Vatican Museums that were
inaugurated on the occasion of the Jubilee Year 2000. They are made
of silver and gilded bronze and their iconography is linked to two
fundamental symbols: the first is that of the Good Shepherd and the
second of charity. The symbols chosen by the artist for the three
urns—a shepherd and his sheep along with more subtle birds, grapes,
and ears of grain—are united in a simple and direct way to the
meaning that the person of the Pope has in the Church: the shepherd,
indeed the Good Shepherd who, in the name of Christ, has the duty of
"confirming his brothers" (Luke 22:31) in the faith.
The
symbolism of the Good Shepherd, however, also underlines the style of
exercising this primacy, which is indissolubly linked to charity.
This idea is clearly expressed in the Gospel of John (21:15-25) where
"feeding" the flock is joined inseparably to loving care:
"Simon of John, do you love me?..." Peter tells him: "Lord,
you know everything, you know that I love you: "Feed my lambs."
The relationship of love between Jesus and Peter, and as a
consequence between the Pope and the Church, is emphasized in the
other symbols used to decorate the urns: the birds, grapes, and the
ears of grain. Eucharistic bread and wine, which are Christ,
accentuate the idea of charity underlined by the sharing of this very
bread and the chalice.
Posts
A picture of the new urns would be appreciated
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