Subject: VISnews130211
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
--Boundary_(ID_KsWL5aZmYDDdps04tpgJew)
Content-type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
body, html { font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;
color: #000000; }
.txt { font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; color:
#000000; }
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXIII - N° 29
DATE 11-02-2013
Summary:
- POPE RENOUNCES PAPAL THRONE
- CARDINAL SODANO EXPRESSES COLLEGE OF CARDINALS' NEARNESS TO POPE
- DIRECTOR OF HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE ON POPE'S RESIGNATION
- DAY BENEDICT XVI WAS ELECTED
- COMPOSITION OF THE CONCLAVE
___________________________________________________________
POPE RENOUNCES PAPAL THRONE
Vatican City, 11 February 2013 (VIS) – The Holy Father, at the end of
today's consistory for causes for canonization, announced his resignation from
ministry as Bishop of Rome to the College of Cardinals. Following is the Holy
Father's complete
declaration, which he read in Latin:
"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 fulfil 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."
___________________________________________________________
CARDINAL SODANO EXPRESSES COLLEGE OF CARDINALS' NEARNESS TO POPE
Vatican City, 11 February 2013 (VIS) - Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the
College of Cardinals, on hearing the news of the Pope's resignation from the
Petrine ministry, expressed his nearness, and that of all the cardinals, to
Benedict XVI.
"We have heard you," he said, "with a sense of loss and almost disbelief. In
your words we see the great affection that you have always had for God's Holy
Church, for this Church that you have loved so much. Now, let me say, on
behalf of this apostolic
cenacle?the College of Cardinals?on behalf of your beloved collaborators,
allow me to say that we are closer than ever to you, as we have been during
these almost eight luminous years of your pontificate. On 19 April 2005, if I
remember correctly, at
the end of the conclave I asked … 'Do you accept your canonical
election as Supreme Pontiff?' And you did not hesitate, although moved with
emotion, to answer that you accepted, trusting in the Lord's grace and the
maternal intercession of Mary,
Mother of the Church. Like Mary on that day she gave her 'yes', and your
luminous pontificate began, following in the wake of continuity, in that
continuity with your 265 predecessors in the Chair of Peter, over two thousand
years of
history from the Apostle Peter, the humble Galilean fisherman, to the great
popes of the last century from St. Pius X to Blessed John Paul II."
"Holy Father, before 28 February, the day that, as you have said, you wish to
place the word 'end' to your pontifical service, conducted with so much love
and so humbly, before 28 February, we will be able to better express our
feelings. So too will the
many pastors and faithful throughout the world, so too all those of good will
together with the authorities of many countries. … Also, still this
month, we will have the joy of listening to your voice as pastor: Ash
Wednesday, Thursday with the
clergy of Rome, in the Sunday Angelus, and the Wednesday general audiences, we
will still have many occasions to hear your paternal voice. … Your
mission, however, will continue. You have said that you will always be near us
with your witness and
your prayer. Of course, the stars always continue to shine and so will the
star of your pontificate always shine among us. We are near to you, Holy
Father, and we ask you to bless us."
___________________________________________________________
DIRECTOR OF HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE ON POPE'S RESIGNATION
Vatican City, 11 February 2013 (VIS) – Fr. Federico Lombardi, director
of the Holy See Press Office, commented there and on Vatican Radio on Benedict
XVI's resignation of the papacy. "Among the reasons for the Pope's
resignation, as he noted in
his own words," he said, "are the circumstances of today's world that, in
relation to the past, are particularly difficult, both because of the speed as
well as the number of events and problems that arise that, therefore, need a
vigour, perhaps
stronger than in the past. It is a vigour that the Pope says he has felt
diminish in him in recent months."
He continued, "The phrase: '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,' is very significant This is the formal declaration,
which is important from a
juridical point of view. In paragrapgh 2 of canon 332 of the Code of Canon
Law, we read: 'Should it happen that the Roman Pontiff resigns from his
office, it is required for validity that the resignation be freely made and
properly manifested, but it is
not necessary that it be accepted by anyone.' The two fundamental points are,
therefore, freedom and due manifestation. Freedom and public manifestation,
and the consistory in which the Pope manifested his will is public."
"Benedict XVI will continue to fully carry out his functions and his service
until 28 February at 8:00pm. From that moment on the situation of Sede Vacante
will begin, regulated, from a legal and canonical standpoint, by the texts
referring to Sede
Vacante in the Code of Canon Law and the Apostolic Constitution 'Universi
dominici gregis' by John Paul II, regarding the Sede Vacante of the Apostolic
See."
"The Pope's announcement is consistent with what he declared in the book
'Light of the World' by Peter Seewald, based on interviews with Benedict XVI.
Seewald posed two precise questions on the hypothesis of resignation. In the
first, he asked the Holy
Father whether, in difficult situations that weigh on the pontificate in
progress, the Pope would consider resigning. Benedict's response was: 'When
the danger is great, one cannot escape. For this reason, surely, this would
not be the time to resign'
(he was referring to the question of sexual abuse, etc.). Moments like this
are the times when one has to be strong and face the difficult situation. This
is what I think. One can resign in a time of peace, or when one simply no
longer has the strength,
but one cannot escape in a moment of danger saying 'someone else take care of
it'. In any case, the Pope said that the difficulties would not be, for him, a
motive for resignation; rather, they would be a reason not to. Seewald's s
econd
question was: 'Well then, can you imagine a situation in which you would think
that a Pope could resign?' The Holy Father responded: 'When a Pope realizes
clearly that he is no longer physically, mentally, and spiritually capable of
carrying out his
role, then there is legally the possibility, and also the obligation, to
resign.'"
The Director of the Holy See's Press Office explained that the Holy Father
"will move to Castel Gandolfo on 28 February, and, once he has finished the
tasks he has in progress, he will take up residence in the former cloistered
monastery in the Vatican.
The process for the election of a new Pope will begin on1 March. We do not yet
know the exact date of the conclave, but obviously there will be no need to
wait the normal eight days of mourning (novendali) after the death of the
Pope. Thus, in two
weeks, during the month of March, in time for Easter, we will have a new Pope
... Benedict XVI will have no role in next March's conclave, nor in the
running of the Church during the time between popes, the time of Sede Vacante.
The Apostolic
Constitution gives no role in this transition to a pope who resigns."
"Personally," he concluded, "I received the announcement of the Pope's
resignation with great admiration, for its great valour, for the Holy Father's
freedom of spirit and great concern for the responsibility of his ministry.
Benedict XVI has offered us
a great witness of spiritual freedom, of great wisdom in regard to Church
government in today's world."
___________________________________________________________
DAY BENEDICT XVI WAS ELECTED
VATICAN CITY, 11 February 2013 (VIS) – It will soon be eight years since
19 April 2013, the day that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, dean of the College of
Cardinals, was elected as Supreme Pontiff, the 264th successor of Peter, and
chose the name
Benedict XVI.
The cardinal proto-deacon, Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez, made the solemn
announcement to the people at 6:43pm from the external loggia of the Hall of
Blessings of the Vatican Basilica following the white smoke which occurred at
5:50pm.
Following are the words of Cardinal Medina Estevez:
Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum;
habemus Papam;
Eminentissium ac Reverendissium Dominum,
Dominum Josephum
Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Ratzinger
Qui sibi nomen imposuit Benedictum XVI
(I announce to you with great joy;
We have a Pope;
The most eminent and most reverend Lord,
Lord Joseph
Cardinal of Holy Roman Church Ratzinger
Who has taken the name Benedict XVI)
The conclave that led to the election of Benedict XVI began on Monday, 18
April 2005, in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, with the
"extra omnes" pronounced at 5:25pm by Archbishop Piero Marini, master of the
Liturgical Celebrations of
the Supreme Pontiff, following the taking of the oath by the 115 cardinal
electors.
The first black smoke took place at 8:04pm the same day.
On Tuesday, April 19, there was black smoke at 11:52am.
On Tuesday, April 19, there was white smoke at 5:50pm.
At 6:48pm, the Holy Father Benedict XVI, preceded by the Cross, appeared on
the external loggia to greet the people and to impart the Apostolic Blessing
"Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and to the world).
Prior to the blessing, the new Pontiff addressed the faithful with the
following words:
"Dear Brothers and Sisters,"
"After the great Pope John Paul II, the Lord Cardinals have elected me, a
simple and humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord. I am consoled by the
fact that the Lord knows how to act, even with inadequate instruments and
above all I entrust myself to
your prayers. In the joy of the Risen Lord, trusting in His permanent help, as
we go forward the Lord will help us, and His Mother, Mary Most Holy, will be
at our side. Thank you."
___________________________________________________________
COMPOSITION OF THE CONCLAVE
Vatican City, 11 February 2013 (VIS) – The conclave to elect the
successor of Benedict XVI will be regulated by the "Ordo Rituum Conclavis"
established by John Paul II's apostolic constitution "Universi Dominici
Gregis", para. 27. The Cardinal
Camerlengo, who has a fundamental role during the Sede Vacante period, is
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, appointed by Benedict XVI on 4 April 2007.
The Cardinal electors, by their continents of provenance, will be 61
Europeans, 19 Latin Americans, 14 North Americans, 11 Africans, 11 Asians, and
1 from Oceania. These figures may vary depending on the date that the conclave
opens: for example,
Cardinal Walter Kasper will turn 80 on 5 March. The country with the greatest
number of Cardinal electors is Italy, with 21. Sixty-seven of the electors
were created by Benedict XVI and the remaining 50 by John Paul II.
One of John Paul II's innovations regarding the period of conclave is that the
Cardinal electors?of whom there will be 117 on 28 February?will be housed in
the Vatican residence Casa Santa Marta, which is independent from the place
where they vote, the
Sistine Chapel.
The Cardinal electors must remain in the Vatican during the entire period of
conclave, and no one can approach them when they move from the Sistine Chapel
to their place of residence or vice versa. All forms of communication with the
outside world are
prohibited. As in the past, the Sistine Chapel stove will be used to burn the
ballots after each vote.
___________________________________________________________
Per ulteriori informazioni e per la ricerca di documenti consultare il
sito: www.wisnews.org e www.vatican.va
Il servizio del VIS viene inviato soltanto agli indirizzi di posta
elettronica che ne hanno fatto richiesta. Se per qualunque motivo
non si desidera continuare a riceverlo, si prega di visitare nostra pagina
dinizio:
http://212.77.1.245/news_services/press/vis/italinde.php
Copyright (VIS): Le notizie contenute nei servizi del Vatican
Information Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente
citando la fonte: V.I.S. - Vatican Information Service.
--Boundary_(ID_KsWL5aZmYDDdps04tpgJew)
Content-type: text/html; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
VISnews130211
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE YEAR XXIII - N° 29DATE 11-02-2013
Summary: - POPE RENOUNCES PAPAL THRONE - CARDINAL SODANO EXPRESSES
COLLEGE OF CARDINALS' NEARNESS TO POPE - DIRECTOR OF HOLY SEE PRESS
OFFICE ON POPE'S RESIGNATION - DAY BENEDICT XVI WAS ELECTED -
COMPOSITION OF THE CONCLAVE
Vatican City, 11 February 2013 (VIS) – The Holy Father, at the end of
today's consistory for causes for canonization, announced his resignation from
ministry as Bishop of Rome to the College of Cardinals. Following is the Holy
Father's complete
declaration, which he read in Latin:
"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 fulfil 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."
CARDINAL SODANO EXPRESSES COLLEGE OF CARDINALS' NEARNESS TO POPE
Vatican City, 11 February 2013 (VIS) - Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the
College of Cardinals, on hearing the news of the Pope's resignation from the
Petrine ministry, expressed his nearness, and that of all the cardinals, to
Benedict XVI.
"We have heard you," he said, "with a sense of loss and almost disbelief.
In your words we see the great affection that you have always had for God's
Holy Church, for this Church that you have loved so much. Now, let me say, on
behalf of this
apostolic cenacle?the College of Cardinals?on behalf of your beloved
collaborators, allow me to say that we are closer than ever to you, as we have
been during these almost eight luminous years of your pontificate. On 19 April
2005, if I remember
correctly, at the end of the conclave I asked … 'Do you accept your
canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?' And you did not hesitate, although
moved with emotion, to answer that you accepted, trusting in the Lord's grace
and the maternal
intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church. Like Mary on that day she gave her
'yes', and your luminous pontificate began, following in the wake of
continuity, in that continuity with your 265
predecessors in the Chair of Peter, over two thousand years of history from
the Apostle Peter, the humble Galilean fisherman, to the great popes of the
last century from St. Pius X to Blessed John Paul II."
"Holy Father, before 28 February, the day that, as you have said, you wish
to place the word 'end' to your pontifical service, conducted with so much
love and so humbly, before 28 February, we will be able to better express our
feelings. So too will
the many pastors and faithful throughout the world, so too all those of good
will together with the authorities of many countries. … Also, still
this month, we will have the joy of listening to your voice as pastor: Ash
Wednesday, Thursday with
the clergy of Rome, in the Sunday Angelus, and the Wednesday general
audiences, we will still have many occasions to hear your paternal voice.
… Your mission, however, will continue. You have said that you will
always be near us with your witness
and your prayer. Of course, the stars always continue to shine and so will the
star of your pontificate always shine among us. We are near to you, Holy
Father, and we ask you to bless us."
DIRECTOR OF HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE ON POPE'S RESIGNATION
Vatican City, 11 February 2013 (VIS) – Fr. Federico Lombardi,
director of the Holy See Press Office, commented there and on Vatican Radio on
Benedict XVI's resignation of the papacy. "Among the reasons for the Pope's
resignation, as he noted in
his own words," he said, "are the circumstances of today's world that, in
relation to the past, are particularly difficult, both because of the speed as
well as the number of events and problems that arise that, therefore, need a
vigour, perhaps
stronger than in the past. It is a vigour that the Pope says he has felt
diminish in him in recent months."
He continued, "The phrase: '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,' is very significant This is the formal declaration,
which is important from
a juridical point of view. In paragrapgh 2 of canon 332 of the Code of Canon
Law, we read: 'Should it happen that the Roman Pontiff resigns from his
office, it is required for validity that the resignation be freely made and
properly manifested, but it
is not necessary that it be accepted by anyone.' The two fundamental points
are, therefore, freedom and due manifestation. Freedom and public
manifestation, and the consistory in which the Pope manifested his will is
public."
"Benedict XVI will continue to fully carry out his functions and his
service until 28 February at 8:00pm. From that moment on the situation of Sede
Vacante will begin, regulated, from a legal and canonical standpoint, by the
texts referring to Sede
Vacante in the Code of Canon Law and the Apostolic Constitution 'Universi
dominici gregis' by John Paul II, regarding the Sede Vacante of the Apostolic
See."
"The Pope's announcement is consistent with what he declared in the book
'Light of the World' by Peter Seewald, based on interviews with Benedict XVI.
Seewald posed two precise questions on the hypothesis of resignation. In the
first, he asked the
Holy Father whether, in difficult situations that weigh on the pontificate in
progress, the Pope would consider resigning. Benedict's response was: 'When
the danger is great, one cannot escape. For this reason, surely, this would
not be the time to
resign' (he was referring to the question of sexual abuse, etc.). Moments like
this are the times when one has to be strong and face the difficult situation.
This is what I think. One can resign in a time of peace, or when one simply no
longer has the
strength, but one cannot escape in a moment of danger saying 'someone else
take care of it'. In any case, the Pope said that the difficulties would not
be, for him, a motive for resignation;
rather, they would be a reason not to. Seewald's second question was: 'Well
then, can you imagine a situation in which you would think that a Pope could
resign?' The Holy Father responded: 'When a Pope realizes clearly that he is
no longer physically,
mentally, and spiritually capable of carrying out his role, then there is
legally the possibility, and also the obligation, to resign.'"
The Director of the Holy See's Press Office explained that the Holy Father
"will move to Castel Gandolfo on 28 February, and, once he has finished the
tasks he has in progress, he will take up residence in the former cloistered
monastery in the
Vatican. The process for the election of a new Pope will begin on1 March. We
do not yet know the exact date of the conclave, but obviously there will be no
need to wait the normal eight days of mourning (novendali) after the death of
the Pope. Thus, in
two weeks, during the month of March, in time for Easter, we will have a new
Pope ... Benedict XVI will have no role in next March's conclave, nor in the
running of the Church during the time between popes, the time of Sede Vacante.
The Apostolic
Constitution gives no role in this transition to a pope who resigns."
--- NetMgr/2 1.0y+
* Origin: NetMgr+ @ Sursum Corda! BBS Meridian MS USA (1:396/45)
