IN FRATERNAM MEAM: ON THE DEATH OF THE POPE

IN FRATERNAM MEAM

Saturday, April 02, 2005

ON THE DEATH OF THE POPE

I hope I can still remember what we have studied when I was still in the seminary studying for the priesthood, regarding the death of the Pope.

*** When the Pope dies, the Camerlengo will be the one to announce the death of the Pope to the entire world. He,the Camerlengo will be the one to direct on the day to day administration of the Holy See during the period of the death, until a new one gets elected. The Camerlengo will also be the ones to call in for the cardinals from all over the world to come to Rome for the Conclave or the election of the new Pope.(These includes the Cardinals in the Philippines)

*** When the death has been announced, the huge bell at the Campo della Campanille will strike, in slow strike successions, then it will be followed by the other bells from the Campanille of the other churches in Rome, the whole Italy and then the whole world of the Christendom.

*** When the death has been announced, the Camerlengo will then hand over the Pope's death to the doctors and notaries, for them to give their formal signatures on the death certificiates.

*** The Pope's ring will then be defaced and will be destroyed by the Camerlengo at the Pontifical chambers, infront and witnessed by the Cardinals.

*** Then the body will be handed over to the Pontifical embalmers, and the body will be prepared for the viewing of the faithful.

*** The Pope's body will be clothed in full pontifical regalia, with a Mitre on his head.

*** The body will then be laid, for the faithfuls veneration, in between giant candelabra with white candles, while the Noble Guards standstill, watching the body, inside the Sistine Chapel, beneath the frescoes of Michaelangelos' the Last Judgement.

*** The Pope's body will lie in state for three days.

*** The Pontifical apartment will then be sealed by the Camerlengo and locked. A red ribbon will be placed, cross wise at the door of the Pontifical chamber, the ribbons sealed by red wax and could only be opened when the next Pope is elected.

*** The Noble guards will stand vigil at the door of the Papal apartment, until a new one gets elected.

*** On the third day, the Pope will be buried, in full Pontifical Regalia. HIS FACE WILL BE COVERED WITH A PURPLE VEIL,A MITRE ON HIS HEAD AND PURPLE BLANKET TO COVER HIM UP.

THEN THE POPE WILL BE PLACED IN THREE TYPES OF COFFINS, ONE OF CYPRESS, THE SECOND ONE WITH LEAD W/HIS DEATH CERTIFICATE, THEN THE THIRD ONE IS ELM.

*** The Pope's death will be given Nine (9)days of Masses and nine (9) days of Absolutions.

(abstracted from my Personal Notes when I was still a seminarian studying for the priesthood)
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The Election Porcess for a new Pope

*** The Camerlengo will call on all the cardinals from all over the world to come to the Sistine Chapel, so that they can convene a CONCLAVE.(To this date it is totalling to 117 cardinal electors, including the Philippines)

The CONCLAVE comes from the Latin word con meaning to say With and clavis, meaning to say Key. This CONCLAVE refers to enclosed meetings of cardinals for the purpose of electing a Pope.

The practise of having the election of the Pope, taking place behind closed and locked doors was initiated by Pope Gregory X in 1274 for the purposes of eliminating any outside interference and also to hasten the process, since a vacancy in the papacy had existed for nearly three years before his own election.

The method of electing a Pope was one that developed throughout the centuries. In 1059 Pope Nicholas II decreed that the cardinals would be the electors of the Pope, this was modified further by the Lateran Council in 1179, which ordered that an election would require a two thirds majority vote of the cardinals.

After the development of the actual CONCLAVE by Pope Gregory X the process remained essentially the same until 1975, when Pope Paul VI instituted several changes in the rules governing papal elections. These changes includes limiting the number of electors to one hundred twenty, excluding those cardinals over the age of eighty (80)and outlining the particular forms of election which are acceptable.

Strict rules has to be followed by the CONCLAVE, which dictate those who can be present, assure freedom from any undue influence or interference, and demands absolute secreacy from all those involved. (No cell fon, no fax, no wireless radios that could communicate outside, to be brought into the CONCLAVE by any Cardinal Electors. There will be surveillance and metal detector that will be checking and sweeping the entire Sistine Chapel prior the start of the CONCLAVE to insure secrecy)

CONCLAVES traditionally takes place in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel,and one of the best known customs is the burning of the ballots, producing the WHITE SMOKE which indicates that the a new Supreme Pontiff has been elected, when the ballots are burned,mixed with wet straw, there will be BLACK SMOKE coming outside the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, which indicates that there is no Pope elected yet.

(abstracted from the CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA)

posted by infraternam meam @ 12:14 AM

1 Comments:

At 4:41 AM, infraternam meam said…

peter tongco,
yes, i studied for the priesthood and i got married...not "you're currently married". i am not a priest yet when i got married, i was studying to be one. sorry to disappoint you. i cannot tell you "what happened". that is a personal question that is between me and God.