Tuesday

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Video : Beginning of 2005 Papal Conclave

For those who are interested in knowing what to expect on Tuesday afternoon, 12 March 2013 when the Conclave officially begins, with the Cardinal-electors marching into the Sistine Chapel, here is a video recording from the 2005 Papal Conclave. Not a very good quality, so I hope they do make a better recording for 2013 Papal conclave.

You can clearly see the Dean of the College of Cardinals at the time in the video, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected Pope in that Conclave, and whom we knew better as our beloved Pope Benedict XVI, now Pope Emeritus.

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Tenth General Congregation of the College of Cardinals and the Oath taking of the personnels involved in the Conclave

The tenth and most likely last of the General Congregation meetings of the College of Cardinals will take place on Monday, 11 March 2013 in the usual Hall of the Synod of Bishops in the Vatican City.

As the Cardinal-electors had all been assigned their rooms in the Domus Sancta Marthae, their residence during the Conclave, the Tenth General Congregation is likely therefore as the last opportunity for the Cardinals, both electors and non-electors to raise any remaining issues or clarify the need for certain qualities in the new Pope to be elected, as well as completing any outstanding issues before the Conclave commence on Tuesday, 12 March 2013.

Fr. Federico Lombardi, head of the Holy See Press Office, will conduct his usual press briefing at 1 pm, Rome time, on Monday, most likely to divulge the outcome of the Tenth General Congregation and likely to answer any remaining questions the journalists have on the Conclave.

In the evening, at 5.30 pm Rome time (CET/UTC+1) on Monday, 11 March 2013, live from Rome at Vatican Player (www.vatican.va/video/) can be viewed the oath-taking of all the personnels involved in the Conclave and locked together with the Cardinal-electors.

They will take the same oath as the Cardinal-electors (who will only take the oath when they enter the Conclave the next day, Tuesday), as prescribed by the Motu Proprio Normas Nonnullas released by Pope Benedict XVI to modify the rules of the Conclave as written in the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis.

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Pictures of all the 115 Cardinal-electors of the 2013 Papal Conclave (Easy to view)

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All the 115 Cardinal Electors of the 2013 Papal Conclave which will begin on Tuesday afternoon, 12 March 2013. All photos and arrangements were by Catholic News Service.

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Press briefing on the conclusion of the General Congregations of the College of Cardinals

The Ninth General Congregation of the College of Cardinals have been concluded this Saturday morning, 9 March 2013, and as the date of the beginning of the Conclave came closer (Tuesday, 12 March 2013), Fr. Federico Lombardi, head of the Holy See Press Office clarifies certain matters involving the sede vacante period and the upcoming Conclave.

The Conclave will be preceded by a Solemn Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff or the Missa pro Eligendo Pontifice/Papa on Tuesday morning, 12 March 2013 in St. Peter’s Basilica, and then on the same day, Tuesday, in the afternoon, the Cardinals will proceed into the Sistine Chapel to officially begin the Conclave.

The famous chimney which will release the signal whether a new Pope had been elected, had been installed on the roof of the Sistine Chapel on Friday morning, after long work by the technicians in the installing the two stoves where the ballots will be burned after the ballots, and the chimney itself, linked directly to the stoves inside the Sistine Chapel.

The Ring of Fisherman, two papal stamps bearing the image of the Ring of the Fisherman, and the master lead seal, also bearing the Ring’s image, which is used for major documents, have been decommissioned by defacement of the Ring’s image, and therefore while the Ring of the Fisherman has not been completely destroyed,

A commission has been created to ensure that the Conclave has indeed been sealed entirely from the outside world, with no external portal of entry and ensuring that no one tampers with the seal of the Conclave until a new Pope had been elected. Strong frequency and signal jammers had also been installed to prevent any wiretapping and bugging of the Sistine Chapel and the areas where the Cardinals will reside throughout the Conclave.

It is noted that if the Conclave has not been successful to elect a new Pope after three full days (a new Pope can only be elected if he receives more than two-thirds of all the votes of the Cardinal-electors, or 77 votes), the voting sessions will be adjourned for a day of prayer and reflection, so that in the event of the upcoming voting sessions, the Cardinals can gain a new inspiration of the Holy Spirit and therefore hopefully elect a new Pope as soon as possible.

The Motu Proprio released earlier by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 has modified the rules of the election as written in the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, as it no longer allows the Cardinal-electors to revert to an absolute majority system once a certain number of days have passed (many days), and the Motu Proprio once again made the election of the new Pope by two-thirds majority alone.

The bells of St. Peter’s Basilica and also the other bells of the churches throughout Rome will also be rung once the new Pope had been elected, just as they were in 2005 conclave, to reinforce and affirm the white smoke signal released through the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

About 45 minutes or more may pass between the election of the new Pope and his appearance on the Loggia or the balcony of the St. Peter’s Basilica, as there are rites that the new Pope had to go through in the time between, beginning with the acceptance of the election, the entry into the Room of Tears where the Pope will change into his new white Papal cassock, and then homage from all the Cardinals, and of course the announcement of the Habemus Papam by the Cardinal Protodeacon, Jean-Louis Tauran himself, before the new Pope will make his appearance on the balcony.

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Ninth General Congregation of the College of Cardinals : Saturday, 9 March 2013

The ninth and probably the last of the General Congregations of the College of Cardinals will take place on Saturday morning at 9.30 am, 9 March 2013, and may be used as an opportunity to clear up outstanding matters and issues, and to help the Cardinals to affirm what they are looking as the characteristics needed in the new Pope, which they will elect in the Conclave that will begin on Tuesday, 12 March 2013.

Now that the date of the Conclave has already been decided, the remaining matter to be completed is to assign the rooms in the Domus Sancta Marthae where the Cardinals will stay during the duration of the Conclave. The room assignment is done by lots and therefore is random, and may be done in the Ninth General Congregation this morning.

The Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff or the Missa pro Eligendo Pontifice, has also been confirmed to take place at St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday morning before the commencement of the Conclave on Tuesday afternoon, when the Cardinals will march into the Sistine Chapel and henceforth be ‘closed-off’ from the outside world until the new Pope is elected.

Fr. Federico Lombardi, head of the Holy See Press Office will give his usual press briefing on Saturday afternoon at 1pm Rome time (1 pm CET // 12 pm UTC // 7 am EST // 4 am PST // 7 pm WIB or UTC+7 // 8 pm Singapore time or UTC+8).

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(Official) Conclave to begin on Tuesday, 12 March 2013

http://www.news.va/en/news/conclave-to-begin-tuesday-march-12th

The College of Cardinals have voted on the starting date of the conclave, and had decided in the Eighth General Congregation of the College of Cardinals, which takes place on Friday evening 8 March 2013, that the Conclave will begin on Tuesday, 12 March 2013 in the afternoon.

The Mass for the Election of the Roman Ponfiff or the Missa pro Eligendo Pontifice will be celebrated at St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday morning, 12 March 2013.

Let us pray for the Cardinal-electors going into the Conclave, that God will guide them through the Holy Spirit to make a careful and well-discerned choice to elect our new Pope, to be the shepherd of the Universal Church.

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Tuesday, 5 March 2013 : 3rd Week of Lent (Scripture Reflection)

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.

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Tuesday, 5 March 2013 : 3rd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Matthew 18 : 21-35

“I say to you : whatever you bind on earth, heaven will keep bound; and whatever you unbind on earth, heaven will keep unbound. In like manner, I say to you : if, on earth, two of you are united in asking for anything, it will be granted to you by My heavenly Father; for where two or three are gathered in My Name, I am there among them.”

Then Peter asked Him, “Lord, how many times must I forgive the offenses of my brother or sister? Seven times?” Jesus answered, “No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. This story throws light on the kingdom of Heaven : A king decided to settle the accounts of his servants. Among the first was one who owed him ten thousand pieces of gold. As the man could not repay the debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, his children, and all his goods, as repayment.”

“The servant threw himself at the feet of the king and said, ‘Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.’ The king took pity on him, and not only set him free, but even cancelled his debt. When this servant left the king’s presence, he met one of his companions, who owed him a hundred pieces of silver. He grabbed him by the neck and almost choked him, shouting ‘Pay me what you owe!'”

“His companion threw himself at his feet and begged him, ‘Give me time, and I will pay everything.’ The other did not agree, but sent him to prison until he had paid all his debt. Now his fellow servants saw what had happened. They were extremely upset, and so they went and reported everything to their lord.”

“Then the lord summoned his servant and said, ‘Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed when you begged me to do so. Weren’t you bound to have pity on your companion, as I had pity on you?’ The lord was now angry, so he handed his servant over to be punished, until he had paid his whole debt.”

Jesus added, “So will My heavenly Father do with you, unless you sincerely forgive your brothers and sisters.”

 

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Tuesday, 5 March 2013 : 3rd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Psalm 24 : 4bc-5ab, 6-7bc, 8-9

O Lord, make known to me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and instruct me, for You are my God, my Saviour.

Remember Your compassion, o Lord, Your unfailing love from of old. In Your love remember me.

Good and upright, the Lord teaches sinners His way. He teaches the humble of heart and guides them in what is right.

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Tuesday, 5 March 2013 : 3rd Week of Lent (First Reading)

Daniel 3 : 25, 34-43

Azariah stood up in the midst of the fire and prayed aloud : “Do not abandon us forever, do not reject Your covenant for Your Name’s sake. Do not withdraw Your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham, Your friend, of Isaac, Your servant, of Israel, Your holy one, to whom You promised to multiply their race as the stars of heaven and the sand on the shore of the sea.”

“Lord, see, we have become the least among the nations in all the world, and we are humiliated because of our sins. At this time, we no longer have a king, or prophet, or leader. We cannot offer You holocausts, sacrifices, offerings, or incense. We have no place to present to You the first-fruits of our crops, and so obtain Your favour.”

“But at least when we present ourselves with a contrite soul and humbled spirit may we then be acceptable to You, more than by offerings of rams and calves as holocausts, and of thousands of fat lambs. May this sacrifice of ours today obtain for us Your favour for we know that those who trust in You shall never be disappointed.”

“And now, we serve You with our whole heart, we fear You and we seek Your face. Do not leave us in our humiliation, but treat us according to Your kindness and Your great mercy. Free us in keeping with Your wonders, and give us the glory of Your Name, Lord.”