SUMMARY:
-
CARDINALS SEND TELEGRAM OF GRATITUDE TO BENEDICT XVI
- NEW
CHALICE-URNS FOR ELECTION OF POPE
______________________________________
CARDINALS
SEND TELEGRAM OF GRATITUDE TO BENEDICT XVI
Vatican
City, 5 March 2013 (VIS) – Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of
the Holy See Press Office, in this afternoon's press conference, gave
updated information on the development of the General Congregations.
“On
Monday afternoon from 5:00pm until 7:00pm,” he said, “the second
General Congregation of the College of Cardinals took place, during
which Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap., preacher of the Pontifical
Household, gave the first of the meditations provided for by the
Apostolic Constitution.”
“Additionally,
a further five Cardinal electors who had arrived in Rome swore the
oath: Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, O.M.M., patriarch of Antioch of
the Maronites, Lebanon; Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of
Cologne, Germany; Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, archbishop of Berlin,
Germany; Cardinal Théodore-Adrien Sarr, archbishop of Dakar,
Senegal; and Cardinal Dominik Jaroslav Duka, O.P., archbishop of
Prague, Czech Republic.”
The
cardinals are free to address the gathering, having only to sign up
and then presenting in the order that they have signed in. Nine
cardinals spoke and it was also decided that, on Tuesday and
Wednesday, the Congregations will only be held in the morning.
Referring
to the third Congregation that took place this morning from 9:30am
until 12:40pm, Fr. Lombardi reported that two Cardinal
electors—Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, archbishop of Madrid
and Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect emeritus of the Congregation
for Catholic Education—and five cardinals who are over the age of
80 arrived and swore the oath. In total there were 148 cardinals
present.
There
were 11 speeches given by cardinals representing each of the
continents and the topics discussed were: activities of the Holy See
and its relations with bishops throughout the world; Church renewal
in light of Vatican Council II; the Church's position and the need
for the New Evangelization in today's world with its diverse cultural
environments. Number 37 of Benedict XVI's Motu Proprio concerning the
beginning of the Conclave was presented to the prelates but no
decision regarding its date was made.
There was
also a proposal, endorsed by the Particular Congregation, to dedicate
tomorrow afternoon to prayer in St. Peter's Basilica. The Cardinal
Dean, Angelo Sodano, will lead the prayers. This initiative will also
serve as an invitation to the entire Church to pray at this important
moment. The ceremony is open to the public so any faithful who so
desire may attend.
In
conclusion, the text of a telegram for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,
which was signed by Cardinal Dean Sodano, was approved. It reads: “To
His Holiness, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Castel Gandolfo.”
“The
Cardinal Fathers, gathered at the Vatican for the General
Congregations in view of the next conclave, send you their devoted
greetings and express their renewed gratitude for all your
illustrious Petrine ministry and for your example of generous
pastoral care for the good of the Church and of the world. With their
gratitude they hope to represent the recognition of the entire Church
for your tireless work in the vineyard of the Lord. In conclusion,
the members of the College of Cardinals trust in your prayers for
them, as well as for the whole Church.”
Fr.
Lombardi reported that the preparations for the Conclave have begun
in the Sistine Chapel so it is now closed to visitors. He also
presented data on the media coverage of the events of the Holy See in
these days: 4,432 temporarily accredited journalists have joined the
600 permanently accredited journalists. The more than 5,000
journalists represent 1,004 news outlets, 65 nations, and 24
languages.
NEW
CHALICE-URNS FOR ELECTION OF POPE
Vatican
City, 5 March 2013 (VIS) – On a tapestry hanging in the eponymous
gallery of the Vatican Museums, we find one of the oldest witnesses
of the chalice-urns that served to gather the ballots of the
cardinals voting in the election of a new pontiff.
The
tapestry relates an episode narrated in the chronicles of the
election of Pope Urban VIII (1623-1644). In the final scrutiny,
during the counting of the ballots, one ballot was missing. On the
right-hand side of the tapestry, one can see a scrutineer who is
looking inside a large chalice with attention and interest, as if to
verify the presence of the lost ballot.
A chalice
that is very similar to the one seen in the tapestry and a pyx
(ciborium) are preserved in the pontifical sacristy of the Sistine
Chapel. This chalice and pyx have been used to gather the voting
ballots in the conclaves of the last century, up to the election of
John Paul II.
With the
promulgation of the Apostolic Constitution "Universi Dominici
Gregis" concerning the period of Sede Vacante of the Apostolic
See and the election of the Roman Pontiff (John Paul II, 22 February
1996), the need arose to adapt the urns to the new norms. It was
necessary to add a new urn to the chalice and pyx called for in
previous regulations, in order to receive the votes of any cardinals
having the right to vote but who were impeded through illness from
leaving their room to be present for the voting process in the
Sistine Chapel. Rather than creating another urn, three new ones were
designed during John Paul II's pontificate, principally to make them
more functional for the intended use, but also to make them uniform.
The
function of the urns is described in Chapter V of the Constitution,
which also speaks of a plate to be placed on top of the first urn.
Every cardinal, in fact, must "place his ballot on the plate,
with which he drops it into the receptacle beneath." The second
urn will be used only in the case of the presence in the Conclave of
cardinals impeded by illness from leaving their rooms and the third
urn will be used to gather the ballots after the scrutiny, before
they are burned to produce the traditional smoke announcing to the
faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square either the non-election
(black smoke) or the election (white smoke) of the new Pontiff.
The urns
are the work of the Italian sculptor Cecco Bonanotte, already known
for the new entrance doors of the Vatican Museums that were
inaugurated on the occasion of the Jubilee Year 2000. They are made
of silver and gilded bronze and their iconography is linked to two
fundamental symbols: the first is that of the Good Shepherd and the
second of charity. The symbols chosen by the artist for the three
urns—a shepherd and his sheep along with more subtle birds, grapes,
and ears of grain—are united in a simple and direct way to the
meaning that the person of the Pope has in the Church: the shepherd,
indeed the Good Shepherd who, in the name of Christ, has the duty of
"confirming his brothers" (Luke 22:31) in the faith.
The
symbolism of the Good Shepherd, however, also underlines the style of
exercising this primacy, which is indissolubly linked to charity.
This idea is clearly expressed in the Gospel of John (21:15-25) where
"feeding" the flock is joined inseparably to loving care:
"Simon of John, do you love me?..." Peter tells him: "Lord,
you know everything, you know that I love you: "Feed my lambs."
The relationship of love between Jesus and Peter, and as a
consequence between the Pope and the Church, is emphasized in the
other symbols used to decorate the urns: the birds, grapes, and the
ears of grain. Eucharistic bread and wine, which are Christ,
accentuate the idea of charity underlined by the sharing of this very
bread and the chalice.
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