Note to readers of this blog: I will continue to use this blog page to post news from the Vatican Information Service until a new Pope is selected.
Summary
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SERENE, CONSTRUCTIVE, POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE IN FIRST OF CONGREGATIONS
OF CARDINALS
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SEDE VACANTE: CARDINAL CAMERLENGO AND APOSTOLIC CAMERA
______________________________________
SERENE,
CONSTRUCTIVE, POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE IN FIRST OF CONGREGATIONS OF
CARDINALS
Vatican
City, 4 March 2013 (VIS) – Early this afternoon Fr. Federico
Lombardi, S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office, informed
reporters on the proceedings of the first of the General
Congregations of the College of Cardinals. The cardinals' meeting
took place this morning at 9:30am in the Synod Hall, which is located
above the Paul VI Audience Hall in the Vatican building created by
the Italian architect Pier Luigi Nervi.
The
Congregation was headed by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the
College, accompanied by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., camerlengo
of the Apostolic Camera, and Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary
of the Congregation for Bishops. The members of the College took
their places following the hierarchical order of precedence: first
those belonging to the order of Cardinal-bishops, then the
Cardinal-priests, and finally the Cardinal-deacons. Each cardinal has
an assigned seat to facilitate the process of voting.
After
the opening prayer, “Veni Sancte Spiritus”, followed by the
“Adsumus” prayer, Cardinal Sodano greeted those present in
Italian, informing them of the procedures related to the Sede Vacante
and how the Congregations, regulated by the Apostolic Constitution
“Universi Dominici Gregis”, will operate. Following that,
technical guidance on the use of microphones and the voting
apparatuses was given. The proceedings are being simultaneously
translated in five languages: Italian, French, German, Spanish, and
English.
There
were 142 of the total 207 cardinals present this morning; 103 of
those present were Cardinal electors. Expected to arrive this
afternoon and tomorrow, therefore, are 63 others including the
remaining 12 Cardinal electors. This number—115 Cardinal
electors—takes into account the two cardinals who have already
indicated that they will not be attending: the archbishop emeritus of
Jakarta, Indonesia and the archbishop emeritus of St. Andrews and
Edinburgh, Scotland.
The
gathered cardinals swore to keep secret the deliberations for the
election of the future Pope, after which the Cardinal dean, Angleo
Sodano, read the oath in Latin, everyone present reciting along with
him. After that, each cardinal, according to their order of
precedence came forward and took the oath before a Crucifix and with
their hand on the Gospels. This process occupied a good portion of
the meeting's time.
Three
assistants to the camerlengo were also drawn by lot from the Cardinal
electors of each of the orders. As established in No. 7 of “Universi
Dominici Gregis”, these three will assist the Cardinal camerlengo
for the first three days of the Congregations. Chosen were Cardinal
Giovanni Battista Re from the order of bishops, Cardinal Crescenzio
Sepe from the order of priests, and Cardinal Franc Rode from the
order of deacons. After being chosen these three also took their
places next to the Camerlengo at the head table.
According
to tradition, it is expected that the preacher of the Pontifical
Household, Fr. Raniero Catalamessa, O.F.M. Cap, will give the first
meditation to the College of Cardinals early this afternoon.
“During
the course of the meeting,” Fr. Lombardi added, “Dean Sodano
proposed to the cardinals that, if they sent a message to the Pope
emeritus, he would give a written response for one of the following
meetings.” The Holy See Press Office Director also commented that
the atmosphere was very friendly and that the cardinals took a
45-minute break for coffee and to exchange thoughts.
From
11:45am until 12:30pm, 13 cardinals took the floor to address issues
mainly related to the process of the proceedings and the questions to
be faced, also bearing in mind the results of the latest Synod of
Bishops on the New Evangelization.
“You
could define this initial encounter,” Fr. Lombardi concluded, “as
serene, constructive, and positive.”
SEDE
VACANTE: CARDINAL CAMERLENGO AND APOSTOLIC CAMERA
Vatican
City, 4 March 2013 (VIS) – A student of the history of the Roman
Curia, in particular the office called the Apostolic Camera, will
find that, as early as the 11th century, the term "camera
thesauraria" (treasure chamber) appeared, describing an office
set up to administer the finances of the Roman Curia and the temporal
goods of the Holy See. Today it performs the latter task only in the
period of "sede vacante" or vacant see.
In
the 12th century, the head of that office was known as the
"camerarius," or camerlengo (chamberlain) - a title which
carries over to today. That same century saw the former offices of
viceroy, treasurer and wardrobe guardian incorporated into this
single department. In the 13th and 14th centuries it acquired
judicial functions in fiscal matters as well as certain penal and
civil cases.
The
camerlengo of Holy Roman Church (to be distinguished from the
camerlengo of the College of Cardinals) was often a cardinal, but
this became mandatory only in the 15th century. Then – as now –
he was assisted by a vice-camerlengo, a general auditor and chamber
clerks, called Cleric Prelates. Today there is also a notary.
In
the early centuries the camerlengo, individual clerks, and chamber
auditor had acquired specific competencies and presided over special
tribunals, though the "camera plena" or full chamber
functioned as a collegial court. Throughout the 19th century the
Camera was above all a tribunal for the pontifical state. With his
Apostolic Constitution "Sapienti Consilio" of 29 June 1908,
Pope St. Pius X confirmed the Apostolic Camera in its functions of
temporal power which it had exercised in the past.
Paul
VI's Apostolic Constitution "Regimini Ecclesiae Universae"
of 15 August 1967 preserved the Apostolic Camera, presided over by
the Camerlengo of Holy Roman Church or, if he is impeded, by the
vice-camerlengo. It thus maintains the function of caring for and
administering the temporal goods and rights of the Holy See during
the period of Sede Vacante, that is, between the end of the reign of
one Pope and the election of his successor.
A
reconfirmation of these special duties was given in John Paul II's
Apostolic Constitution "Pastor Bonus" of 28 June 1988.
As
confirmed by Pope John Paul II in the Apostolic Constitution
"Universi Dominici Gregis" of February 1996, the camerlengo
of Holy Roman Church and the penitentiary major are the only two
heads of curial offices whose functions do not cease during the Sede
Vacante. In fact, those of the camerlengo actually increase during
this period.
The
current camerlengo of Holy Roman Church is Cardinal Tarcisio Pietro
Evasio Bertone, S.D.B. The cardinal was born on 2 December 1934 in
Romano Canavese, Piedmont, Italy and was ordained in 1960. He holds a
doctorate in canon law and was the rector of the Pontifical Salesian
University in Rome in 1989. He received episcopal ordination as
archbishop of Vercelli, Italy in 1991. In 1995 Blessed John Paul II
appointed him secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, whose prefect at the time was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. In
2002 he was named metropolitan archbishop of Genoa, Italy and on 21
October 2003 he was created a cardinal. On 22 June 2006, Benedict XVI
appointed him as secretary of State and on 4 April 2007, as
camerlengo.
On
1 March 2013, the complete Apostolic Camera met for the beginning of
the period of the Sede Vacante resulting from His Holiness Benedict
XVI's renunciation of the Petrine ministry in effect from 8:00pm the
previous day, 28 February. The Apostolic Camera currently consists
of: Camerlengo Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B.; Vice-camerlengo
Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata; Auditor General Bishop Giuseppe
Sciacca; and the College of Clerics: Msgr. Assunto Scotti; Msgr.
Paolo Luca Braida; Msgr. Philip James Whitmore; Msgr. Winfried Konig;
Msgr. Osvaldo Neves de Almeida; Msgr. Krzysztof Jozef Nykiel; Msgr.
Lucio Bonora, and; Msgr. Antonio Lazzaro.
You
can find more information at: www.visnews.org
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news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used,
in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
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