Vatican
City, 18 March 2013
(VIS) – In the press conference held today, Fr. Federico Lombardi,
S.J., director of the Press Office of the Holy See, focused on two
themes: Pope Francis' first audiences and details of the Mass
inaugurating the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome.
First,
Fr. Lombardi relayed the information that the Holy Father was, at the
moment, having lunch with the President of Argentina, Cristina
Fernandez de Kirchner, whom he received at the Domus Sanctae Marthae
“in a private meeting that lasted around 20 minutes, afterwards
greeting the other members of the Argentine delegation”. Also this
morning, at 10:00am, Francis received in audience Cardinal Secretary
of State Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B. Yesterday afternoon he had two very
cordial audiences, one with the Bishop of Albano, Italy, and the
other with the Superior General of the Jesuits, Fr. Adolfo Nicolas
Pachon.
The
main part of the press conference was dedicated to how the Mass
inaugurating the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome will be
celebrated. “The correct term for the ceremony,” Fr. Lombardi
clarified, “is not enthronement but inauguration. As successor of
Peter, the Pope is Bishop of Rome and the Church of Rome 'presides in
love' over the others. Also, it is a celebration rich with symbols
that recall the Pope's tie to St. Peter, beginning with the place
where, according to tradition, Peter was martyred.”
The
Press Office Director also explained where those participating in and
attending the Mass will be located. “On the left-hand side of the
'Sagrato' (porch of the Basilica) will be seated bishops and
archbishops (around 250 are expected), ecclesiastics, and delegations
from other Churches and Christian confessions. On the right-hand side
of the 'Sagrato' will be delegations from various countries lead by
heads of state, ministers, etc. On the St. Peter’s statue side of
the piazza will be seated Jews, Muslims, and members of other
religions, then around 1200 priests and seminarians. On the St.
Paul’s statue side of the piazza will be seated the diplomatic
corps accredited to the Holy See and other civil authorities. The
rest of the piazza will be standing-room for all those without
tickets. A large number is expected to attend.”
Between
8:45 and 8:50am the Pope will depart the Domus Sanctae Marthae and
start to move through the crowd in the various sections of the
piazza—either in the Jeep or the Popemobile—and greet those
gathered. He will return to the Sacristy, via the Pietà side, around
9:15am. Mass is planned to begin at 9:30am.
Regarding
the beginning of the ceremony, the Pope, once having entered the
Basilica, will head to the Confession (St. Peter’s tomb under the
high altar) while trumpets will announce the “Tu es Petrus”. The
Pope will venerate the tomb of St. Peter, together with the
Patriarchs and Major Archbishops of the Eastern Rite Catholic
Churches (ten in number, four of whom are cardinals). He will then be
presented with the Pallium, Ring, and Book of the Gospels that were
placed at St. Peter’s tomb the night before.
The
Holy Father will then come back up from the Confession to the main
floor of the Basilica, from which the procession continues. The
“Laudes Regiae” (Christ is King) will be chanted, with some
invocations taken from the Vatican II document on the Church, “Lumen
Gentium”. In the Litany of Saints are particularly to be noted,
after the Apostles, the Holy Roman Pontiffs who have been canonized
up to the most recent: St. Pius X. Fr. Lombardi clarified that these
are only the pontiffs who have been named as saints, not those who
have been beatified. The procession will then make its entrance into
the square.
Fr.
Lombardi listed who will be concelebrating the Mass with Francis: all
the cardinals present in Rome, joined by the Patriarchs and Major
Eastern Rite Archbishops (6); the Secretary of the College of
Cardinals; and two Superior Generals (that of the Order of Friars
Minor, Jose Rodriguez Carballo and that of the Jesuits, Adolfo
Nicolas Pachon, respectively President and Vice-President of the
Union of Superior Generals). In total about 180 are expected to
concelebrate and they will be seated at the left (that is, in front
of the ecclesiastics, not the national delegations).
Before
the Mass begins there are the rites specific to the beginning of the
Bishop of Rome's Petrine Ministry. These include:
The
Imposition of the Pallium:
Made
of lamb’s wool and sheep’s wool, the Pallium is placed on the
Pope's shoulders recalling the Good Shepherd who carries the lost
sheep on his shoulders. The Pope’s Pallium has five red crosses
while the Metropolitans’ Palliums have five black crosses. The one
used by Francis is the same one that Benedict XVI used. It is placed
on the Pope’s shoulders by Cardinal proto-deacon Tauran and, after
the imposition, there is a prayer recited by Cardinal proto-presbyter
Daneels.
The
Fisherman’s Ring:
Peter
is the fisherman Apostle, called to be a “fisher of men”. The
ring is presented to the Pope by Cardinal Deacon Sodano (first of the
Order of Bishops). It bears the image of St. Peter with the keys. It
was designed by Enrico Manfrini The ring was in the possession of
Archbishop Macchi, Pope Paul VI's personal secretary, and then Msgr.
Malnati, who proposed it to Pope Francis through Cardinal Re. It is
made of silver and gold.
The
“Obedience”:
Six
cardinals, two from each order, among the first of those present
approach the Pope to make an act of obedience. Note that all the
Cardinal electors already made an act of obedience in the Sistine
Chapel at the end of the Conclave and that all the cardinals were
able to meet the Pope in the following day’s audience in the
Clementine Hall. Also, at the moment of “taking possession” of
the Cathedral of Rome—St. John Lateran—it is expected that the
act of obedience will be made by representatives of the various
members of the People of God.
The
Mass will be that of the Solemnity of St. Joseph, which has its own
readings (therefore they are not directly related to the rite of the
Inauguration of the Pontificate). The Gospel will be proclaimed in
Greek, as at the highest solemnities, to show that the universal
Church is made up of the great traditions of the East and the West.
“Latin,” Fr. Lombardi said, “is already abundantly present in
the other prayers and Mass parts.”
The
Pope will give his homily in Italian and, as is his style, it
probably will not follow the written text strictly, but will contain
improvisations.
Fr.
Lombardi said that the Master of Celebrations expects that the
ceremony will not last much more than two hours and, always with the
intention of simplification and not making the rite overly long,
there will not be an Offertory procession. The Eucharistic gifts will
be brought to the altar by the ministers who prepare the altar. Also,
the Pope will not distribute Communion, which will be done by the
deacons on the “Sagrato” and, in the various areas of the piazza,
by priests.
Regarding
the music for the ceremony, several moments are notable. When the
Pope enters the Basilica silver trumpets will ring out the “Tu es
Petrus”. The Laudes Regiae will be chanted during the procession
from St. Peter’s tomb to the “Sagrato”. A 14 piece brass
ensemble will play at various moments of the celebration. During the
Offertory the “Tu es pastor ovium” (You Are the Shepherd of the
Sheep) motet composed by Pierluigi da Palestrina precisely for the
Inauguration of the Pontificate will be sung. At the conclusion, the
“Te Deum” will be sung with verses alternating between Gregorian
chant and a melody by Tomas Luis de Victoria. As it will not be held
on a Sunday, there will be no Angelus after the Mass.
At
the end of the celebration, and after removing the Liturgical
vestments, the Pope will go to the Basilica’s high altar, before
which he will greet the heads of the official delegations from
various countries who will pass before him. He will then go to the
Domus Sanctae Marthae for lunch.
Other
delegations staying in Rome can meet with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone,
S.D.B., secretary of State of His Holiness, and Archbishop Dominique
Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States the following day,
Wednesday (for example, the President of Brazil in light of the
upcoming World Youth Day). As is known, the Pope will receive
delegations of the Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities and
of other religions in audience on Wednesday.
At
the present moment, the main delegations that are expected to attend
are:
-
33 delegations representing Christian Churches and Ecclesial
Communities (14 Oriental; 10 Western; 3 Christian organizations;
others). Among these will be present: Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew I; Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians
Karekin II; Metropolitan Hilarion of the Patriarchate of Moscow; many
metropolitans; Anglican Archbishop Sentamu; Secretary of the World
Council of Churches Fykse Tveit; etc.
-
16 members of important Jewish delegations including: the Jewish
community of Rome; international Jewish committees; the Chief
Rabbinate of Israel; the World Jewish Congress; the Anti-Defamation
League, etc.
-
As well as delegations of Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jainists, etc.
To
date, delegations of various sizes and levels from 132 countries have
confirmed their attendance.
“The
delegations,” Fr. Lombardi emphasized, “are coming to Rome
following information of the event made public by the Secretary of
State. There were no 'invitations' sent out. All who wish to come are
warmly welcomed. It must be made clear that no one has privileged
status or will be refused. The order will depend on protocol and the
level of the delegation.”
Naturally,
the most important delegations will be those from Argentina, led by
President Cristina Kirchner and Italy, led by President Napolitano
and Prime Minister Monti with presidents of the Italian Senate,
House, and Constitutional Court.
Also
expected are six reigning sovereigns (Belgium, Monaco…); 31 heads
of state (Austria, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Canada, Poland, Portugal,
European Union…); three crown princes (Spain, Holland, Bahrain); 11
heads of government (Germany, France, the Vice President of the
United States, …); and delegations led by: first ladies, vice
presidents, vice prime ministers, parliament presidents, ministers,
ambassadors, and other dignitaries.
Papal
Coat of Arms:
The
last topic that Fr. Lombardi covered was the now pontiff's papal coat
of arms and motto. These are the same that he used as bishop. The
shield has a bright blue background, at the centre top of which is a
yellow radiant sun with the IHS christogram on it representing Jesus
(it is also the Jesuit logo). The IHS monogram, as well as a cross
that pierces the H, are in red with three black nails directly under
them. Under that, to the left, is a star representing Mary, Mother of
Christ and the Church. To the right of the star is a nard flower
representing Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church. With these
symbols the Pope demonstrates his love for the Holy Family.
What
distinguishes his coat of arms as pontiff is that, instead of the
wide-brimmed, red cardinal's hat atop the shield, it is now bears the same symbols of papal dignity as that of Benedict XVI: the papal mitre and crossed silver and gold keys joined by a red cord.
His
motto—“miserando atque eligendo” (because he saw him through
the eyes of mercy and chose him)—is taken from the Venerable Bede's
homily on the Gospel account of the call of Matthew. It holds special
meaning for the Pope because—when he was only 17-years-old, after
going to confession on the Feast of St. Matthew in 1953—he
perceived God's mercy in his life and felt the call to the
priesthood, following the example of St. Ignatius of Loyola.