Tag: pope

Popes who belonged to religious orders

Pope Gregory XVI made gambling on papal electi...

Pope Gregory XVI, a Benedictine monk, made gambling on papal elections punishable by excommunication.

When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the 266th Roman Pontiff he was listed among a rather small and elite group of men who had their intellectual and spiritual formation in religious life. Bergoglio is a member of the Society of Jesus. But who are the others?

The Benedictine monks have 17
Gregory I, Boniface IV, Adeodatus II, Leo IV, John IX, Leo VII, Stephen IX, Gregory VII, Victor, III, Urban II, Paschal II, Gelasius, II, Celestine V, Clement VI, Urban V, Pius VII, Gregory XVI
The Augustine canons and friars have 6
Honorius II, Innocent II, Lucius II, Adrian IV, Gregory VIII, Eugene IV
The Franciscans friars have 4
Nicholas IV, Sixtus IV, Sixtus V, Clement XIV
Secular Franciscans have 2
Pius IX, Leo XIII
The Dominicans friars have 4
Innocent V, Benedict XI, Pius V, Benedict XIII
The Cistercian monks have 2
Eugene III, Benedict XII
The Theatine clerks regular have 
 
Paul IV
 
The Jesuit clerks regular have 1
Francis
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Cardinals take oath

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After a brief introduction and prayer in the Pauline Chapel, the cardinals walking in order of seniority beginning from the junior cardinal deacon to the cardinal bishops, walked to the Sistine Chapel. Once in their assigned places in the Sistine Chapel, the senior Cardinal, Giovanni Battista Re, read aloud the following formula of the oath prescribed by the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis:

“In conformity with the provisions of No. 52 of the Apostolic constitution Univesi Dominici Gregis, 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 favor 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.”

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Then, one-by-one, each of the Cardinal electors, according to seniority, then personally took the oath according to the following formula:

“And I, N. Cardinal N., do so promise, pledge and swear. So help me God and these Holy Gospels which I touch with my hand.”


After all not required to be in the Conclave are asked to depart, Prospero Cardinal Grech, OSA, (a non-electing cardinal) will give a meditation.


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New pope elected … for the Coptic Orthodox Church

boy and acting pope.jpegThe electors, nearly 2,406 people, in the Coptic Orthodox Church selected the 118th successor to Saint Mark, Tawadros II. The new pope is the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa. Until now, Tawadros has been an auxiliary bishop to the Archbishop Pachomius who’s been serving as the acting pope. Tawadros studied pharmaceutical sciences and was ordained a bishop in 1997. 

Bishop Tawadros received 1623 votes, or about 25% of the votes.
Each of the electors, asking God to provide for them a good shepherd, were blindfold in casting their ballot for three of five previously vetted candidates. The three names were placed in a ceremonial box, then the Divine Liturgy was celebrated before a blindfolded child selected one of the three names to be the next pope. The new pope succeeds Pope Shenounda III who died at the age of 88 in March, after serving since 1971.

Pope Tawadros II, 60, will be installed on November 18.

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Christians in Egypt number about 10% of the 83 million population. The Coptic Orthodox Church is the largest Christian Church in Egypt.
So far, the key Muslim groups have offered their hands in friendship upon Pope Tawadros announcement.
Vatican Radio has an informative piece to read and to listen.

Oriental Orthodox Churches face elections

Christ in Coptic Art.jpgThe Coptic and Ethiopic Churches face the elections of new popes in the coming  weeks. Pope Shenouda III died in March 2012 after serving as pope of his Church for 40 years. Yesterday, the patriarch of the Ethiopic Church Abune Paulos died at the age of 76. Shenouda had health issues and Paolus apparently died of a heart attack (there’s some controversy on the reason for the death).

The Coptics are preparing to elect the 118th successor of Saint Mark. The list of 17 possible choices is being scrutinized now; the more than 2500 electors have been gleaned from the clergy and laity alike.
The New Jersey eparchy (diocese) for the Coptic Orthodox has introductory material to read. The US doesn’t have a large group of Coptic Orthodox in comparison to the Greek Orthodox Church or Catholicism –let alone the Coptic Catholics, for that matter– but the Church is growing. Worldwide there are 18 million adherents. In the Tri-State area there are some 19 communities of the Coptic Orthodox faithful. For example, the Copts purchased the former Benedictine abbey of Corpus Christi in Texas for a monastery of their own.
Catholics have a keen interest in the Coptic Church because of the role she has played in the forming Catholic faith across the many centuries.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church will also have to elect a new leader, the 6th patriarch, with the death of Abune Paulos yesterday. He served as head of his Church since 1992.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church Church established themselves as separate from the Coptic Church in 1959 and claims 45 million faithful.
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Pope speaks with new British Ambassador to the Holy See

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This morning Pope Benedict XVI received the new Ambassador of Great Britain to the Holy See, Nigel Marcus Baker in an audeince where the new ambassador presented his credentials to the Pope.


Ambassador Nigel Marcus Baker, 45, succeeds Francis Campbell who moved after a term of service to the Holy See to another post. The new ambassador has worked with his country’s diplomatic service in Central Europe and in South America; recently he was in Bolivia. Baker has worked in the Private Office of Prince Charles and for two years lived and studied in Italy. He’s married  and has one son.


Today’s address is basically diplo-speak, but there are a few points made by Benedict which are worth thinking about today. I am especially focussing on the Pope’s mention of charity, values, relativism, ecomony, and education. In part, the Pope spoke of the UK stituation of government but what he said has implications in the US:

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The Black Nobility and the Pope

Principe.jpgBet you didn’t know the Church had black nobility. Do you know the difference between the white and the black nobility? Not many good Catholics can anymore. AND certainly not many on this side of the pond. For most Americans the idea of nobility is foolish. Especially given our history of rejecting the monarchy. American interest in things monarchical is kept to a quiet interest in Britain’s queen and perhaps to one or two other royal personages of northern Europe. And if you watch 60 Minutes you’d be familiar with the Sultan in Bahrain.

Few would recall the “nobility” of Italy these days much less nobility of the Holy See. A few years ago the Bachelor show featured a “prince” looking for a bride. In reality the guy wasn’t a “real” prince but “royal” figure created by the papacy for the Borghese family, most of whom now live in the US, and some here in NY. 
UK’s Catholic Herald ran Edward Pentin’s piece today, “The Black Nobility Still Serves St Peter,” on the ancient, now past, noble servants of the pope.

Popery can be so much fun, fun, fun…

46th Anniversary of Blessed Pope John XXIII’s death

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Today we observe the 46th anniversary of the death of a
great Father of the Church, Blessed John XXIII (known in history as Angelo Giuseppi
Roncalli). Many will remember him as the “smiling pope”. He was the
pope of senior age who called the Second Vatican Council.

In the course of time the Church has recognized this pope’s holiness and he was declared a “blessed” by Pope John Paul II. Blessed John’s liturgical memorial is observed on 11 October
and he is the patron of papal delegations.

Pope John Paul II thoughts of Pope John are a fantastic summary of John’s beauty:

Everyone remembers the image of Pope John’s smiling face and
two outstretched arms embracing the whole world. How many people were won over
by his simplicity of heart, combined with a broad experience of people and
things! The breath of newness he brought certainly did not concern doctrine,
but rather the way to explain it; his style of speaking and acting was new, as
was his friendly approach to ordinary people and to the powerful of the world.
It was in this spirit that he called the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council,
thereby turning a new page in the Church’s history Christians heard themselves
called to proclaim the Gospel with renewed courage and greater attentiveness to
the “signs” of the times. The Council was a truly prophetic insight of this
elderly Pontiff who, even amid many difficulties, opened a season of hope for
Christians and for humanity. In the last moments of his earthly life, he
entrusted his testament to the Church: “What counts the most in life is blessed
Jesus Christ, his holy Church, his Gospel, truth and goodness”

God our Father, you reward all who believe in You. May Your servant, John XXIII, our Pope, vicar of Peter, and shepherd of Your Church, who faithfully administered the mysteries of Your forgiveness and love on earth, rejoice with You for ever in heaven.

 

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Born: 25 November 1881

Professed as a Secular Franciscan: 23 May 1897

Ordained priest: 10 August 1904

Appointed Apostolic Visitator in Bulgaria: 3 March 1925

Ordained bishop: 19 March 1925

Appointed Apostolic Delegate in Turkey & Greece: 12
January 1935

Appointed Nuncio in France: 23 December 1944

Created cardinal & Patriarch of Venice: 12 & 15
January 1953

Elected pope: 28 October 1958

Died: 3 June 1963

Beatified: 3 September 2000