Pope Francis' First Activities
Pope Francis Inauguration Mass
will be held
On Tuesday, 19 March, at 9:30am
in St. Peter's Square.
No tickets will be issued for that Mass.
All who wish may attend.
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Vatican City, 14 March 2013 (VIS) – During the course of this afternoon's press conference, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office, repeated the information for the upcoming papal events after this afternoon's Mass in the Sistine Chapel with the Cardinal electors. Pope Francis I First Activities will be with the following:
The Feast of St. Joseph, patron of the Church— Inauguration Mass for the new papacy will be held at 9:30 AM in St. Peter's Square. No tickets will be issued for that Mass. Everyone is welcome to attend for those of who all wish to attend this Inauguration Mass for the new papacy. According to Vatican Radio, dated March 14, 2013, Pope Francis surprised the Romans on the very first morning of his pontificate by visiting, at 8.15 am one of Rome's Major Basilicas, Saint Mary Major. The Pope came bearing a floral homage. The Pope was accompanied by Prefect of the Papal Household, Msgr. George Gaenswein and Vice Prefect Leonardo Sapienza. Pope Francis also served Cardinal closing mass ceremony with cardinal.
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CATHOLIC CARDINALS
Elected Cardinal Bergoglio as Pope Francis I
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Cardinal Bergoglio was elected Pope on 13 March 2013, the second day of the 2013 Papal conclave, taking the regnal name Francis. According to New York Times, dated March 13, 2013, VATICAN CITY — With a puff of white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and to the cheers of thousands of rain-soaked faithful, a gathering of Catholic cardinals picked a new pope from among their midst on Wednesday — choosing the cardinal from Argentina, the first South American to ever lead the church. The new pope, 76, Jorge Mario Bergoglio (pronounced Ber-GOAL-io) will be called Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. He is also the first non-European leader of the church in more than 1,000 years.
“Habemus papam!,” members of the crowd shouted in Latin, waving umbrellas and flags. “We have a pope!” Others cried “Viva il Papa!” “It was like waiting for the birth of a baby, only better, " said a Roman man. A child sitting atop his father’s shoulders waved a crucifix. Francis, who had been the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, is the first pope not born in Europe since Columbus alighted in the New World. In choosing him, the cardinals sent a powerful message that the future of the Church lies in the Global South, home to the bulk of the world’s Catholics. Formerly the head of the church’s influential Jesuit order, Frances was born to Italian immigrant parents and was raised in the Argentine capital. The new pope inherits a church wrestling with an array of challenges that intensified during his predecessor, Benedict XVI — from a priest shortage and growing competition from evangelical churches in the Southern Hemisphere, to a sexual abuse crisis that has undermined the church’s moral authority in the West, to difficulties governing the Vatican itself. Cardinal Bergoglio is the first Jesuit priest chosen to be pope. He is the first Pope to have been born in the Americas and is the first non-European Pope in over 1,200 years; the last non-European Pope, St. Gregory III, was born in Syria and reigned from 731 to 741. The first non-European pope was Peter, the very first pope. Francis I is the 266th and current pope of the Catholic Church, elected on 13 March 2013. He is the first jesuit Pope, the first Pope born in the Americas, and the first Pope from the Southern Hemisphere. From 1998 to 2013, he served as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, and was made cardinal in 2001. Pope Francis I, Jorge Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, one of the five children of an Italian railway worker and his wife. He received a master's degree in chemistry at the University of Buenos Aires, then studied at the seminary in Villa Devoto. He entered the Society of Jesus on 11 March 1958. Bergoglio obtained a licentiate in philosophy from the Colegio Máximo San José in San Miguel, and then taught literature and psychology at the Colegio de la Inmaculada in Santa Fe, and the Colegio del Salvador in Buenos Aires. Bergoglio succeeded Cardinal Quarracino on 28 February 1998. He was concurrently named ordinary for Eastern Catholics in Argentina, who lacked their own prelate. Pope John Paul II summoned the newly named archbishop to the consistory of 21 February 2001 in Vatican City and elevated Bergoglio with the papal honors of a cardinal. He was named to the Cardinal-Priest of Saint Robert Bellarmino. Pope Francis I named after St. Francis of Assisi (Italian: San Francesco d'Assisi, baptized Giovanni, born Francesco di Pietro di Bernardone; 1181/1182 – October 3, 1226) was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher, deacon, confessor, and religious founder. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the Third Order of Saint Francis for men and women not able to live the lives of itinerant preachers followed by the early members of the Order of Friars Minor or the monastic lives of the Poor Clares. Though he was never ordained to the Catholic priesthood, Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history. Francis was the son of Pietro Bernardone dei Moriconi, who controlled a trading empire in wool, fine cloth, salt and grain stretching from England to Egypt and to Constantinople. He lived the high-spirited life typical of a wealthy young man, even fighting as a soldier for Assisi. While going off to war in 1204, Francis had a vision that directed him back to Assisi, where he lost his taste for his worldly life. he joined the poor in begging at St. Peter's Basilica during a pilgrimage to Rome. The experience moved him to live in poverty. Francis returned home, began preaching on the streets, and soon amassed a following. His Order was authorized by Pope Innocent III in 1210. He then founded the Order of Poor Clares, which became an enclosed religious order for women, as well as the Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance (commonly called the Third Order). He even was attempt to convert the Sultan in 1219. By this point, the Franciscan Order had grown to such an extent that its primitive organizational structure was no longer sufficient. He returned to Italy to organize the Order. Once his community was authorized by the Pope, he withdrew increasingly from external affairs. In 1223, Francis arranged for the first Christmas manger scene. In 1224, he received the stigmata, making him the first recorded person to bear the wounds of Christ's Passion. He died during the evening hours of October 3, 1226, while listening to a reading he had requested of Psalm 141.
Pope Francis I named after with legacy of St Fransis Assisi who loved poors and hunger. The former head of the World Jewish Congress, Israel Singer, reported that he worked with Pope Fransis (Bergoglio) in the early 2000s, distributing aid to the poor as part of a joint Jewish-Catholic program called "Tzedaka" who had numerous other actions in support of the Jewish community included his co-hosting a Kristallnacht memorial ceremony at the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral in 2012. Meanwhile, United States of America President Barak Obama has sent warm wishes:
Also USA Vice President Joe Viden is sending warm wishes. U.S.A President Barack Obama delegated Vice President to attend to Rome for Holy Father, Pope Francis I Inaugural Mass in Rome.
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White Smoke at Saint Peter's Square
March 13, 2013 (Vatican Radio) It’s official: white smoke pouring out of the Sistine Chapel chimney signals that we have a new Pope! The billowing white smoke began spilling out of the chimney at approximately 7:06 p.m. local time, indicating the Cardinals had reached consensus on a candidate in the second round of balloting Wednesday afternoon. This means that at least two thirds, or 77 of the 115 cardinals gathered in conclave since Tuesday afternoon are united in their support for the candidate who has now become the 265th successor of St Peter.
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CATHOLIC CARDINALS
PREPARE FOR IMMINENT CONCLAVE
Black Smoke at Saint Peter's Square
March 13, 2013
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Vatican City, 13 March 2013: (Vatican Radio ): The smoke was black on Tuesday evening, so black one could see it in the dark. So what have the cardinals in conclave been doing since. Well they began their day with mass in the Pauline Chapel at 8.15 am. and then crossed the Sala Regia to the nearby Sistine Chapel. Their morning began with prayer and the morning session ended with black smoke once again. Crowds meanwhile have gathered in Saint Peter's Square carrying their umbrellas and keeping a careful eye on the chimney perched on the roof of the Sistine Chapel in case smoke should billow out . There were votes in the morning beginning at 9.30 am there will be another two in the afternoon beginning at 4.50 pm. The scrutineers are replaced morning and afternoon. --------------------------------------------- When the ballots are counted and bound together, they are burned in a special stove erected in the Sistine Chapel, with the smoke escaping through a small chimney visible from St. Peter's Square. The smoke was black on Tuesday evening, so black one could see it in the dark which means that the ballots from an unsuccessful vote are burned along with a chemical compound to create black smoke, or fumata nera. If the conclave vote is successful, the ballots will be burned alone which will be sending white smoke (fumata bianca) through the chimney and announcing to the world the election of a new pope although many are waiting and praying to see the white smoke for the calling by God and selected Pope by the Cardinal electors: When the conclave elected a new Pope, church bells will be also ring to signal that a new pope had been chosen. Conclave means a room which is closed with a key the reason so called due to the cardinal electors are theoretically locked in, cum clave, i.e., with key, until they elect a new pope. Meanwhile, Many churches and the Cardinals together continue to pray for the future Pope will continue this ongoing work worldwide.
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Vatican City, 9 March 2013 (VIS) – “The first order of business of the eighth General Congregation, which met yesterday evening and in which 145 cardinals participated, was to vote on the date to begin the Conclave. Cardinal Dean Angelo Sodano, expressing the wishes of all and after having consulted with the Cardinal Carmelengo Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., regarding the preparations at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, proposed the date of Tuesday, 12 March. The overwhelming majority immediately voted in agreement,” reported Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office. “There was no difference of opinion between the cardinals and the percentage of votes in favour of to those against was around 10 to one. Moreover,” Fr. Lombardi added, “the full complement of Cardinal electors was already reached and it was no longer considered necessary to wait further, as they already had time to reflect on their decision.” Fifteen cardinals intervened during the course of the Congregation and two newly arrived cardinals were sworn in, neither of which is a Cardinal elector: Cardinal Miguel Obando Bravo, S.D.B., archbishop emeritus of Managua, Nicaragua, and Cardinal Gaudencio Borbon Rosales, archbishop emeritus of Manila, Philippines. During the ninth General Congregation that met this morning, the cardinals spoke about moving into the Domus Sanctae Marthae, which will be their residence for the duration of the Conclave. “It was agreed by majority that the move will take place on Tuesday morning, beginning from 7:00am, that is, the same day that the Conclave begins. A “Pro eligendo Romano Pontifice” Mass will be celebrated by the Cardinal Dean at 10:00am that morning in St. Peter's Square. Rooms were also assigned, by lot.” “This morning 17 cardinals intervened, speaking on the same general themes that have been previously reported, including: expectations regarding the new Pope, activities of the Holy See and its Dicasteries, and improving the Curia. In total, there have been 133 interventions in the General Congregations and, keeping in mind those scheduled for Monday, that number will probably reach 150.” At the end of the press conference, the schedule for the sessions of the Conclave was presented. On Tuesday at 3:45pm, the cardinals will move from the Domus Sanctae Marthae to the Pauline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace. At 4:30pm, the cardinals will process from the Pauline Chapel to the Sistine Chapel and, after they have all taken the oath, the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations will give the order “Extra omnes” for all those not taking part in the Conclave to leave the Sistine Chapel. The cardinals will listen to a meditation given by Cardinal Grech, concerning the grave duty incumbent on them and thus on the need to act with right intention for the good of the Universal Church, after which they will proceed to the first vote. At 7:00pm they will pray Vespers and, at 7:30pm, will return to the Domus Sanctae Marthae. Beginning on Wednesday, 13 March, the cardinals will move from the Domus Sanctae Marthae to the Pauline Chapel at 7:45am where, at 8:15am, they will celebrate Mass. At 9:30am they will enter the Sistine Chapel, pray the Liturgy of the Hours, and proceed to the voting process. Around 12:00pm they will return to the Domus Sanctae Marthae and, after lunch there, will go back to the Sistine Chapel at 4:00pm where they will pray briefly and resume the voting procedure until 7:00pm. Since there are two votes each morning and afternoon, Fr. Lombardi stated that the 'fumata' (smoke signalling the election or non-election of a pontiff) that is produced from the burning of the ballots from those two voting processes could be expected around 12:00pm, in the case of the morning, or 7:00pm, in the case of the evening, unless the first of the two votes produces an election. In such an instance, the “fumata” would obviously take place earlier. The Director of the Holy See Press Office also recalled the procedure in the case that a pontiff is not elected in the first four days of voting. In such an instance the cardinals will take a pause on the fifth day in order to pray, speak freely among themselves, and listen to a brief exhortation given by the senior cardinal in the Order of Deacons. The scrutinies will proceed in a similar fashion—two days of voting with every third day taken to pause for prayer—until the 34th vote on the afternoon of the eleventh day. In such an event, No. 75 of the Apostolic Constitution "Universi Dominici Gregis" modified by Benedict XVI's recent "Motu Proprio" would apply, which states: “If the balloting mentioned in Nos. 72, 73, and 74 of the aforementioned Constitution does not result in an election, one day shall be dedicated to prayer, reflection and dialogue; in the successive balloting, observing the order established in No. 74 of the same Constitution, only the two names which received the greatest number of votes in the previous scrutiny, will have passive voice. There can be no waiving of the requirement that, in these ballots too, for a valid election to take place there must be a clear majority of at least two thirds of the votes of the Cardinals present and voting. In these ballots the two names having passive voice do not have active voice.” That is, the two candidates with the greatest number of votes will be voted for and cannot themselves cast a vote. Fr. Lombardi reported that the commission that, under the direction of the Camerlengo, is responsible for sealing the entrances to the areas of the Conclave and carrying out the other operations necessary for the safeguarding of the Conclave was established. It is led by the Cardinal Camerlengo and among its members are the Substitute of the Secretariat of State, the Commandant of the Swiss Guards, members of the Gendarmerie, and notaries. Finally he reported that the Pope's Fisherman's Ring—which exists in two forms, the ring itself and as a stamp used to seal documents—as well as two stamps—a larger and a smaller one—and the master lead seal of the pontificate were all destroyed, the images scratched out in the form of a cross to render them useless. The next Pope's ring will bear the same image of Peter casting his net but, naturally, will have the new pontiff's name inscribed above the image. It
was also communicated that tomorrow, Sunday, 10 March, various cardinals will
celebrate Mass at their titular churches, inviting the faithful to pray for the
Church and for the election of the new pontif ============================================== The Carninals will be busy proceeding the sessions of the Conclave untill the final vote is completed with the following schedule:
Meanwhile many church members are waiting and faithful praying for the success session of the Conclave and for the election of the new pontif even in Washington state, USA.
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Pope Benedict XVI announces February 11, 2013
Pope Benedict XVI on Monday said he plans on resigning the papal office on February 28th. Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is. Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer. From the Vatican, 10 February 2013 BENEDICTUS PP XVI ------------------------------------ (Vatican Radio ) In a surprise announcement Benedict XVI on Monday said he plans to resign from the papal office on February 28th at 8 pm. From then on one can speak about there being a so called " sede vacante". After this date the Pope himself will reside at his residence at Castelgandolfo until the conclave . Five years into this pontificate historian Norman Tanner granted Veronica Scarisbrick an interview focusing on this lapse of time. In the interview Professor Tanner describes the Pope as: "... a man of prayer , a man of deep Christian life, a man who is open to every dimension of human existence, the intellectual , the personal , the humorous too". A leader of the Catholic Church, Benedict XVI born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger; 16 April 1927) is the 265th Pope, a position in which he serves dual roles as Sovereign of the Vatican City State and leader of the Catholic Church. On 11 February 2013, Benedict XVI announced that he would resign the papacy, effective 28 February, due to age and ill health, becoming the first pope to resign since 1415, and the first to do so voluntarily since 1294. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was elected as the successor to Pope John Paul II on April 19th 2005. On April 24th, 2005 he celebrated the Papal Inauguration Mass in St. Peter’s Square, during which he was invested with the Pallium and the Ring of the Fisherman and took possession of his cathedral, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, on 7 May 2005. A native of Bavaria, Pope Benedict XVI has both German and Vatican citizenship. During his Papacy Pope Benedict XVIth has undertaken 24 apostolic journeys abroad. The first was to Cologne in Germany in occasion of the 20th World Youth Day in August 2005. The most recent to Lebanon in September 2012. He has travelled to countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, to the USA and has been welcomed as a guest at the United Nations in New York. He has also undertaken 30 apostolic visits within Italy. His 1st Encyclical, “Deus Caritas Est”, was release on December 25th 2005. The 2nd, “Spe Salvi” on November 2nd 2007; and the 3rd, “Caritas in Veritate” on June 29th 2009. Pope Benedict XVIth published books and completed “Jesus of Nazareth” trilogy on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ in November 2012. The second volume of the trilogy is the first book authored by Benedict after his ascension to the papacy, and it was published in 2007. Pope Benedict XVI has written four Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortations: “Sacramentum Caritatis”, an Exhortation on the Eucharist as the Source and Summit on the Church’s Life and Mission in February 2007; “Verbum Domini”, an Exhortation on the Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church in September 2010; “Africae Munus” on the Church in Africa in Service to Reconciliation, Justice and Peace in November 2011; “Ecclesia in Medio Oriente” on the Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness in September 2012. It was a surprise announcement this morning via media that Pope Benedict XVI on Monday said he plans to resign from the papal office on February 28th at 8 pm. Pope Benedict XVI says that "Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects." Many are Hope and prayers for his comfort and peaceful reside at his residence at Castelgandolfo including U.S.A President Obama remembers his meeting with the Holy Father in 2009 and he appreciated Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI's work together over for last four years which President Obama sincerely expresses that The Church plays a critical role in the United States and the world.
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