This day, a year ago, 12 March 2013. On that day, the conclave to elect the 266th Pope and 265th Successor of St. Peter the Apostle as the Leader of the Universal Church began.
Below is the picture of Monsignor Guido Marini, the Papal Master of Ceremonies, who closed off the Sistine Chapel to the non-participating people, with the famous utterance “Extra Omnes!” (lit. everybody out!)
Cardinal Medardo Joseph Mazombwe, Cardinal Priest of S. Emerenziana a Tor Fiorenze has passed away on Thursday, 29 August 2013 at the age of 81. He was the Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Lusaka in Zambia.
http://www.gcatholic.org/hierarchy/data/cardB16-3.htm#6723
Cardinal Mazombwe was created Cardinal in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI and he was a longtime bishop of Chipata since 1970 until he was made the Metropolitan Archbishop of Lusaka, Zambia in 1996. Cardinal Mazombwe retired in 2006, and was also for a few years the President of the Zambia Episcopal Conference.
We pray for Cardinal Mazombwe, that he will rest in peace, and God will reward him for all his hard work as the shepherd of the people of God in Lusaka and in Zambia as a whole and his numerous other contributions to the Universal Church and for the Lord’s sake. May the Lord welcome him into His embrace in heaven and give him eternal rest and happiness that he deserved.
With the passing of Cardinal Mazombwe, the College of Cardinals now stands at 201 members, with 112 Cardinal-electors and 89 Cardinal non-electors.
There are now 8 Cardinal-elector vacancies in the College of Cardinals, 12 vacant Cardinal Titles (for Cardinal Priests) and 8 vacant Cardinal Deaconries (for Cardinal Deacons)
Official figures for World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (WYD 2013)
3.7 million people attended the Closing Mass at Copacabana Beach
3.5 million people attended the Vigil with the Pope at Copacabana Beach
600, 000 people attended the opening Mass of the World Youth Day 2013 at Copacabana Beach
The total contribution by tourists and pilgrims during the event reached US$ 1.8 billion
1.2 million people attended the Welcoming Ceremony for the Pope at Copacabana Beach
2 million people attended the Via Crucis at Copacabana Beach (the Way of the Cross)
427,000 registered pilgrims
175 countries represented by the pilgrims from all over the world
356,400 pilgrims registered with accommodations
356 400 vacancies available for hosting family homes and institutions (vacant unregistered spaces)
72.7% of the visitors and pilgrims visited Brazil for the very first time
70,000 downloads on the official website of WYD Rio2013 (http://www.rio2013.com/en)
Over 200,000 hits on the site’s official WYD Rio2013 (http://www.rio2013.com/en)
More than 1.1 million Facebook likes on WYD Rio2013 site (http://www.rio2013.com/en)
10,000 downloads in the official WYD Rio2013 Flickr site
644 bishops registered (including 28 cardinals) for WYD 2013
7,814 priests registered for WYD 2013
632 deacons registered for WYD 2013
6400 journalists accredited to cover the WYD to 57 countries
264 places of catechesis, in 25 languages
60,000 volunteers helped out in WYD 2013 Rio de Janeiro
More than 800 participating artists from Central Acts
100 confessionals were exhibited at the Fair Vocational and Largo da Carioca
4 million Communion host produced for the whole WYD 2013 event – 800,000 for the Closing Mass alone (insufficient for the actual 3.7 million people attending)
345 tons of organic waste and 45 tons of recyclables during WYD Rio2013 (10% less than that recorded in the New Year celebration of Rio de Janeiro)
55% of the public enrolled at WYD are female
60% of the public enrolled at WYD are between 19 and 34 years (young adults and late teenagers)
http://attualita.vatican.va/sala-stampa/bollettino/2013/05/07/news/30948.html
Pope Francis’ complete schedule for the World Youth Day 2013 celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil had been released by the Vatican. As the schedule above is in Italian, I will translate it as best as I can into English here.
The Schedule (The times depicted are local time, Rome time = UTC+2 and Rio de Janeiro time = UTC-3) :
Monday, 22 July 2013
08.45 am (Rome Time) : Departure from Rome’s Ciampino Airport to Rio de Janeiro
04.00 pm (Rio Time) : Arrival at the Galeao International Airport in Rio de Janeiro
05.00 pm : Welcome ceremony for Pope Francis at the Guanabara Palace in Rio de Janeiro
05.40 pm : Visit by Pope Francis to the President of Brazil at the same Guanabara Palace
Pope Francis will then stay at a private residence in the Sumare region of Rio de Janeiro. No event scheduled for Tuesday, 23 July 2013
Wednesday, 24 July 2013
08.15 am (Rio Time) : Pope Francis will depart his residence at Sumare by helicopter to visit the famous Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida
09.30 am : Pope Francis arrives at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida
10.00 am : Pope Francis will venerate an image of the Virgin Mary at the Basilica located in the Hall of the Sanctuary of the Twelve Apostles
10.30 am : Holy Mass led by Pope Francis at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida
01.00 pm : Pope Francis will have lunch with the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Aparecida and the seminarians of the Seminary of Aparecida
04.10 pm : Pope Francis will return to Rio de Janeiro from Aparecida by helicopter
05.25 pm : Pope Francis is scheduled to return to Rio de Janeiro by helicopter
06.30 pm : Pope Francis will visit the St. Francis Assisi Hospital in Rio de Janeiro
Thursday, 25 July 2013
07.30 am : Private Mass led by Pope Francis in his official WYD 2013 residence in Sumare, Rio de Janeiro
09.45 am : Pope Francis will receive the keys of the city of Rio de Janeiro and he will also bless the Olympic Flags of Rio de Janeiro (will be host for 2016 Olympics) at the city square of Rio de Janeiro
11.00 am : Pope Francis will visit the slum community of Varginha (Manguinhos)
06.00 pm : Pope Francis will receive youths attending the WYD 2013 at the Copacabana waterfront area, Rio de Janeiro
Friday, 26 July 2013
07.30 am : Private Mass led by Pope Francis in his official WYD 2013 residence in Sumare, Rio de Janeiro
10.00 am : Pope Francis will conduct confession sessions with youths attending WYD 2013 in the Quinta da Boa Vista Park of Rio de Janeiro
11.30 am : Pope Francis will meet some young prisoners at the Archbishop’s Palace at Rio de Janeiro
12.00 pm : Pope Francis will lead Angelus prayer from the balcony of the Archbishop’s Palace
12.15 pm : Pope Francis will greet the organising committee and benefactors of WYD 2013 in the Archbishop’s Palace, Rio de Janeiro
01.00 pm : Pope Francis will have lunch with youths at the Archbishop’s Palace
06.00 pm : Way of the Cross led by Pope Francis at the Copacabana waterfront, Rio de Janeiro
Saturday, 27 July 2013
09.00 am : Holy Mass with the bishops, priests, seminarians, and religious at the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of San Sebastian Rio de Janeiro (Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro)
11.30 am : Pope Francis will meet with the leaders of Brazil in the Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro
01.00 pm : Pope Francis will have lunch with the Cardinals of Brazil, the President of the Episcopal Conference of Brazil, bishops of the Rio de Janeiro region, and the Papal entourage of WYD 2013 in the Sumare residence, Rio de Janeiro
07.30 pm : Pope Francis will lead the prayer vigil with the youths at Guaratiba, Rio de Janeiro
Sunday, 28 July 2013
10.00 am : Holy Mass of the Closing of WYD 2013 at Guaratiba, Rio de Janeiro.
12.00 am : Pope Francis will lead the recitation of the Angelus prayer at Guaratiba
02.00 pm : Pope Francis will have lunch with the Papal entourage of WYD 2013 in the Sumare residence, Rio de Janeiro
04.00 pm : Pope Francis will meet with the leaders of CELAM, the Latin American Episcopal Conference at Sumare, Rio de Janeiro
04.40 pm : Pope Francis leaves the Sumare residence
05.30 pm : Pope Francis will meet with the volunteers of the WYD 2013 at Hall 5 of Rio Centre, Rio de Janeiro
06.30 pm : Farewell ceremony at the Galeao International Airport of Rio de Janeiro
07.00 pm : Departure from the Galeao International Airport to return to Rome
Monday, 29 July 2013
11.30 am (Rome Time) : Arrival at the Ciampino Airport of Rome
Jesus enters Jerusalem. The crowd of disciples accompanies him in festive mood, their garments are stretched out before him, there is talk of the miracles he has accomplished, and loud praises are heard: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Lk 19:38).
Crowds, celebrating, praise, blessing, peace: joy fills the air. Jesus has awakened great hopes, especially in the hearts of the simple, the humble, the poor, the forgotten, those who do not matter in the eyes of the world. He understands human sufferings, he has shown the face of God’s mercy, and he has bent down to heal body and soul.
This is Jesus. This is his heart which looks to all of us, to our sicknesses, to our sins. The love of Jesus is great. And thus he enters Jerusalem, with this love, and looks at us. It is a beautiful scene, full of light – the light of the love of Jesus, the love of his heart – of joy, of celebration.
At the beginning of Mass, we too repeated it. We waved our palms, our olive branches. We too welcomed Jesus; we too expressed our joy at accompanying him, at knowing him to be close, present in us and among us as a friend, a brother, and also as a King: that is, a shining beacon for our lives. Jesus is God, but he lowered himself to walk with us. He is our friend, our brother. He illumines our path here. And in this way we have welcomed him today. And here the first word that I wish to say to you: joy! Do not be men and women of sadness: a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement! Ours is not a joy born of having many possessions, but from having encountered a Person: Jesus, in our midst; it is born from knowing that with him we are never alone, even at difficult moments, even when our life’s journey comes up against problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable, and there are so many of them! And in this moment the enemy, the devil, comes, often disguised as an angel, and slyly speaks his word to us. Do not listen to him! Let us follow Jesus! We accompany, we follow Jesus, but above all we know that he accompanies us and carries us on his shoulders. This is our joy, this is the hope that we must bring to this world. Please do not let yourselves be robbed of hope! Do not let hope be stolen! The hope that Jesus gives us.
The second word. Why does Jesus enter Jerusalem? Or better: how does Jesus enter Jerusalem? The crowds acclaim him as King. And he does not deny it, he does not tell them to be silent (cf. Lk 19:39-40). But what kind of a King is Jesus? Let us take a look at him: he is riding on a donkey, he is not accompanied by a court, he is not surrounded by an army as a symbol of power. He is received by humble people, simple folk who have the sense to see something more in Jesus; they have that sense of the faith which says: here is the Saviour. Jesus does not enter the Holy City to receive the honours reserved to earthly kings, to the powerful, to rulers; he enters to be scourged, insulted and abused, as Isaiah foretold in the First Reading (cf. Is 50:6). He enters to receive a crown of thorns, a staff, a purple robe: his kingship becomes an object of derision. He enters to climb Calvary, carrying his burden of wood. And this brings us to the second word: Cross. Jesus enters Jerusalem in order to die on the Cross. And it is precisely here that his kingship shines forth in godly fashion: his royal throne is the wood of the Cross! It reminds me of what Benedict XVI said to the Cardinals: you are princes, but of a king crucified. That is the throne of Jesus. Jesus takes it upon himself… Why the Cross? Because Jesus takes upon himself the evil, the filth, the sin of the world, including the sin of all of us, and he cleanses it, he cleanses it with his blood, with the mercy and the love of God. Let us look around: how many wounds are inflicted upon humanity by evil! Wars, violence, economic conflicts that hit the weakest, greed for money that you can’t take with you and have to leave. When we were small, our grandmother used to say: a shroud has no pocket. Love of power, corruption, divisions, crimes against human life and against creation! And – as each one of us knows and is aware – our personal sins: our failures in love and respect towards God, towards our neighbour and towards the whole of creation. Jesus on the Cross feels the whole weight of the evil, and with the force of God’s love he conquers it, he defeats it with his resurrection. This is the good that Jesus does for us on the throne of the Cross. Christ’s Cross embraced with love never leads to sadness, but to joy, to the joy of having been saved and of doing a little of what he did on the day of his death.
Today in this Square, there are many young people: for twenty-eight years Palm Sunday has been World Youth Day! This is our third word: youth! Dear young people, I saw you in the procession as you were coming in; I think of you celebrating around Jesus, waving your olive branches. I think of you crying out his name and expressing your joy at being with him! You have an important part in the celebration of faith! You bring us the joy of faith and you tell us that we must live the faith with a young heart, always: a young heart, even at the age of seventy or eighty. Dear young people! With Christ, the heart never grows old! Yet all of us, all of you know very well that the King whom we follow and who accompanies us is very special: he is a King who loves even to the Cross and who teaches us to serve and to love. And you are not ashamed of his Cross! On the contrary, you embrace it, because you have understood that it is in giving ourselves, in giving ourselves, in emerging from ourselves that we have true joy and that, with his love, God conquered evil. You carry the pilgrim Cross through all the Continents, along the highways of the world! You carry it in response to Jesus’ call: “Go, make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19), which is the theme of World Youth Day this year. You carry it so as to tell everyone that on the Cross Jesus knocked down the wall of enmity that divides people and nations, and he brought reconciliation and peace. Dear friends, I too am setting out on a journey with you, starting today, in the footsteps of Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI. We are already close to the next stage of this great pilgrimage of the Cross. I look forward joyfully to next July in Rio de Janeiro! I will see you in that great city in Brazil! Prepare well – prepare spiritually above all – in your communities, so that our gathering in Rio may be a sign of faith for the whole world. Young people must say to the world: to follow Christ is good; to go with Christ is good; the message of Christ is good; emerging from ourselves, to the ends of the earth and of existence, to take Jesus there, is good! Three points, then: joy, Cross, young people.
Let us ask the intercession of the Virgin Mary. She teaches us the joy of meeting Christ, the love with which we must look to the foot of the Cross, the enthusiasm of the young heart with which we must follow him during this Holy Week and throughout our lives. May it be so.
Mass appeal: some details of tomorrow’s papal inauguration—UPDATED
Today, Tuesday, 19 March 2013, our new Pope will be solemnly inaugurated to begin his Pontificate. He is already our Pope, ever since he accepted the rightful election in the Conclave, but the Inauguration ceremony affirms and completes that process, with the imposition of the symbols of the authority of the Pope, as the leader of the entire Universal Church.
There will be some changes to the liturgy this year, as the imposition of the Pallium and the Ring of the Fisherman will take place just before the Mass starts, instead of being within the Mass itself, as the impositions are seen as more of an extra-liturgical event.
The Pope will pray with the leaders of the Eastern Catholic Churches, the Patriarchs and Major Archbishops at the Tomb of St. Peter underneath the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, where the pallium and the ring had been placed since the night before.
The Pope will then proceed with all the other concelebrating Cardinals and prelates outside to the Altar at St. Peter’s Square, which in the meanwhile the Laudes Regia hymn or ‘Laud to the King (Christ)’, that is a glorious rendition of the Litany of the Saints, with the new innovation of the inclusion of part asking the past Popes who had been canonised as saints for the new Pope, their successor, beginning from Pope St. Linus to Pope St. Pius X.
Following after this is the imposition of the papal pallium, which is different from the pallium worn by the Metropolitan Archbishops. Pope Francis’ pallium will be the same in appearance with that of Pope Benedict XVI’s pallium, with red crosses instead of black ones, representing the wounds of Christ, with three gold pins on three of the crosses, representing the nails that bound both hands and the legs of Christ onto the cross. The pallium symbolises the authority the Pope has over the entire Universal Church. The pallium will be imposed by the senior Cardinal of the order of Priest in the Cardinal-electorate, Cardinal Godfried Danneels.
The Ring of the Fisherman will be given after this, which signifies the bond between the Pope and God’s Church, and as the image on the ring depicts, that of St. Peter holding the keys on a boat, while fishing, as a fisher of man, it symbolises the Pope’s role as the successor of St. Peter the Apostle, and also as the current holders of the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, entrusted by Christ to Peter. The ring will be presented to the Pope by the senior Cardinal Deacon, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran.
Six Cardinals representing the rest of the Cardinals will pay homage to the Pope, and will give their obedience to him, following the imposition of the pallium and the Ring of the Fisherman.
The Mass follows as usual, and the readings will be done in different languages, English, Spanish, and most notably the Gospel in Greek, to highlight the universal nature of the Church, encasing both the Western and Eastern tradition of Christendom. The whole liturgy of the Mass itself will be conducted in solemn Latin and beautiful Gregorian chants.
The booklet for the Mass is available at the link below, in English, Italian, and Latin :
Ephesians 4 : 11-16
As for God’s gifts, to some He gave to be apostles, to others prophets, or even evangelists, or pastors and teachers. So He prepared those who belong to Him for the ministry, in order to build up the Body of Christ, until we are all united in the same faith and knowledge of the Son of God. Thus, we shall become the perfect Man, upon reaching maturity and sharing the fullness of Christ.
Then no longer shall we be like children tossed about by any wave or wind of doctrine, and deceived by the cunning of people who drag them along into error. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we shall grow in every way towards Him who is the Head, Christ. From Him, comes the growth of the whole body to which a network of joints gives order and cohesion, taking into account and making use of the function of each one.
So the Body builds itself in love.
Forgiveness is not an easy thing to be done. It is a difficult thing to do, but yet also a very noble virtue. Forgiveness allow us to transcend hatred and evil, and allow us to break free from that cycle of hatred and death, and instead enter into the realm of love and compassion. For love is not complete without forgiveness, and how can we truly love someone if we have something between us and that person, that we have yet to forgive?
God loves us and He will never leave us in trouble. Just like the king, if we humble ourselves, and throw ourselves at the feet of the Lord, God will surely have pity on us and be merciful. But there is of course limit to God’s mercy, and there is also something that we have to do, that is to truly transform ourselves, to prove to the Lord that we are truly regretful and repentant of all our sins and faults.
How to do that? Not to do public penance and awesome lamentations, and neither do we fast in public and show our regret, but what matters is, our heart. A contrite heart and a broken spirit, that seeks the Lord for healing and forgiveness. These are what the Lord truly wants from us, as these are the sign of our sincerity and our true love for Him, instead of love that is hidden beneath layers of pride and self-vanity.
Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us use this holy and fruitful season of Lent, to forgive one another of the faults we have made, either intentionally or unintentionally. Let us reach out to one another in forgiveness and in sincere love, that in doing so, we too show our great love for the Lord. Do not keep grudge for one another, and do not hate, no matter how great the temptations are, for to hate is to bring ourselves into sin, and into evil, and finally into death and separation from God.
Give thanks to the Lord for all the wonders He had given us, for all the guidance He had given us, especially through difficult times, and let us always strive to orient ourselves towards Him and place Him at the centre of our life. Through regular and constant attendance of the Holy Mass, devotions and prayers, and asking His glorious saints and blesseds to pray for us, our faith and our love for God, and for man alike will only ever grow stronger and stronger.
Pray for one another, and especially now that the Church is preparing for the Conclave, let us also pray for the Cardinals that they can elect a new Pope who is loving, faithful, and filled with the Holy Spirit in his leadership of God’s people on this world. Amen.
http://www.news.va/en/news/general-congregations-5-electors-yet-to-arrive
Here is a rough summary of what was concluded yesterday morning in the Third General Congregation of the College of Cardinals :
1. 110 Cardinal-electors are already in Rome by yesterday morning, only 5 more Cardinal-electors remaining to arrive.
2. No rush to fix the date of the Conclave, but it is still possible to begin by next Monday, 11 March 2013.
3. Sistine Chapel had been closed to public as of yesterday morning, Tuesday, 5 March 2013 to prepare for the Conclave.
4. 33 Cardinals had spoken so far and 11 interventions were made in yesterday’s General Congregation, with issues pertaining to activities of the Holy See and the Church, evangelisation, and many others.
5. Focus on the timeline of the Conclave as specified in the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis and the modifications made by the Motu Proprio Normas Nonnullas.
6. The Cardinals sent a thank-you letter to the Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, now living in the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo.
http://www.news.va/en/news/sede-vacante-1st-meeting-of-general-congregation-a
The first meeting of the General Congregation of the College of Cardinals has been set on Monday, 4 March 2013 to discuss the conclave, especially deciding the exact start date of the conclave. Most Cardinals are expected to attend this first meeting as many of them are already in Rome by the end of Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate on 28 February 2013.
There will be two meetings planned on Monday :
1st Meeting (Morning) : Monday, 4 March 2013 at 9.00 am CET/UTC+1 in the New Synod Hall
2nd Meeting (Afternoon) : Monday, 4 March 2013 at 5.00 pm CET/UTC+1 in the New Synod Hall
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 