SUMMARY:
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SECOND CONCLAVE OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY BEGINS
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SECOND
CONCLAVE OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY BEGINS
Vatican
City, 12 March 2013 (VIS) – The 115 cardinals who will elect the
Pope entered the Pauline Chapel at 4:15pm. There Cardinal Giovanni
Battista Re, dean of the assembly, making the sign of the Cross,
pronounced: “May the Lord, who guides our hearts in the love and
patience of Christ, be with you all.” After this brief prayer, he
invited those gathered to begin the procession towards the Sistine
Chapel, where the Conclave will be held, saying: “Venerable
Brothers, after having celebrated the divine mystery, we now enter
into Conclave to elect the Roman Pontiff. The entire Church, joined
with us in prayer, constantly calls upon the grace of the Holy
Spirit, to elect from among us a worthy Pastor of all of Christ's
flock. May the Lord direct our steps along the path of truth, so
that, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the
Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, we may always do that
which is pleasing to him.”
Chanting
the Litany of Saints, those gathered, preceded by the Cross, moved
through the Sala Regia toward the Sistine Chapel. The procession
included: non-elector Cardinal Prospero Grech, O.S.A., who will give
the meditation; the General Auditor of the Apostolic Camera, Msgr.
Giuseppe Sciacca; the Master of Ceremonies of Papal Liturgical
Celebrations, Msgr. Guido Marini; two members each of the Colleges of
Protonotaries Apostolic de Numero Participantium, of the Prelate
Auditors of the Roman Rota, and of the Prelate Clerics of the
Apostolic Camera; the secretary of the cardinal who will preside over
the the Conclave; the pontifical masters of ceremonies; and members
of the Pontifical Sistine Chapel choir.
At
the entrance of the Sistine Chapel they were welcomed by: Archbishop
Giovanni Angelo Becciu, substitute of the Secretariat of State;
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States;
Archbishop Georg Ganswein, Prefect of the Prefecture of the Papal
Household; religious who supervise the pontifical sacristy; religious
charged with hearing confessions; Colonel Daniel Rudolf Anrig,
commander of the Swiss Guard; and authorized auxiliary personnel.
Members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard guarded the Chapel's doors.
Each
of the cardinals took their cherry-wood seats, which are arranged in
the order of hierarchical precedence: first those of the
Cardinal-bishops, then the Cardinal-priests, and finally the
Cardinal-deacons. Together they chanted the “Veni Creator
Spiritus”. On concluding, Cardinal Re invited them to take the oath
of secrecy, pronouncing in Latin the following common form in front
of all present, the others reading along with him:
“We,
the Cardinal electors present in this election of the Supreme Pontiff
promise, pledge and swear, as individuals and as a group, to observe
faithfully and scrupulously the prescriptions contained in the
Apostolic Constitution of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, 'Universi
Dominici Gregis', published on 22 February 1996. We likewise promise,
pledge and swear that whichever of us by divine disposition is
elected Roman Pontiff will commit himself faithfully to carrying out
the 'munus Petrinum' of Pastor of the Universal Church and will not
fail to affirm and defend strenuously the spiritual and temporal
rights and the liberty of the Holy See. In a particular way, we
promise and swear to observe with the greatest fidelity and with all
persons, clerical or lay, secrecy regarding everything that in any
way relates to the election of the Roman Pontiff and regarding what
occurs in the place of the election, directly or indirectly related
to the results of the voting; we promise and swear not to break this
secret in any way, either during or after the election of the new
Pontiff, unless explicit authorization is granted by the same
Pontiff; and never to lend support or favour to any interference,
opposition or any other form of intervention, whereby secular
authorities of whatever order and degree or any group of people or
individuals might wish to intervene in the election of the Roman
Pontiff.”
Each
Cardinal elector then, still following the hierarchical order of
precedence, individually swore this shorter form of the oath, again
in Latin, placing their right hand on the Book of Gospels opened in
the centre of the Sistine Chapel:
“And
I, [first name] Cardinal [last name], do so promise, pledge and
swear. So help me God and these Holy Gospels which I touch with my
hand.”
When
Cardinal James Michael Harvey, the last of the Cardinal electors to
take the oath, finished, the Master of Ceremonies, Msgr. Guido Marini
spoke the phrase “Extra omnes” and all those not directly
participating in the Conclave left the Sistine Chapel. The doors of
the Chapel were shut at 5:35pm.
Along
with the Cardinal electors within the Sistine Chapel remain the
Master of Ceremonies and Cardinal Prosper Grech, O.S.A., who will
give the meditation concerning the grave duty incumbent on them and
thus on the need to act with right intention for the good of the
Universal Church prescribed in No. 52 of the Apostolic Constitution
“Universi Dominici Gregis”.
After
that exhortation, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will propose to the
electors to begin with, if they so desire, the first ballot of the
Conclave, which is optional in the first session.
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