The Last Words of Bergoglio Before the Conclave

The handwritten notes of his remarks to the cardinals at the congregation of March 9. The intention of electing him pope was strengthened. The outcries against the "spiritual worldliness" that afflicts the Church

by Sandro Magister




ROME, March 27, 2013 – It is a widespread opinion, confirmed by numerous testimonies, that the intention of electing pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio grew substantially among the cardinals on the morning of Saturday, March 9, when the then-archbishop of Buenos Aires spoke at the second to last of the congregations - covered by secrecy - that preceded the conclave.

His words made an impression on many. Bergoglio spoke off the cuff. But we now have the account of those words of his, written by the hand of the author himself.

Bergoglio's remarks in the preconclave were made public by the cardinal of Havana, Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, in the homily of the chrism Mass that he celebrated on Saturday, March 23 in the cathedral of the capital of Cuba, in the presence of the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Bruno Musarò, of the auxiliary bishops Alfredo Petit and Juan de Dios Hernandez, and of the clergy of the diocese.

Cardinal Ortega recounted that after the remarks of Bergoglio in the preconclave, he had approached him to ask if he had a written text that he could keep.

Bergoglio responded that at the moment he did not have one. But the following day - Ortega recounted - "with extreme delicacy” he gave him “the remarks written in his own hand as he recalled them."

Ortega asked him if he could release the text, and Bergoglio said yes.

The cardinal of Havana renewed the request on March 13 after the end of the conclave, when the archbishop of Buenos Aires had been elected to the chair of Peter. And Pope Francis renewed his authorization.

So on March 26, the photocopy of Bergoglio's manuscript and its transcription in Spanish appeared on the website of “Palabra Nueva," the magazine of the archdiocese of Havana.

Bergoglio's notes are presented in their entirety further below.

In them can be recognized some recurrent traits in his initial preaching as pope. “Spiritual worldliness” as “the worst evil of the Church.” The Church's duty to “come out from itself” in order to evangelize the “peripheries, not only geographical, but existential.”

As on other occasions, here as well Bergoglio borrows the expression “spiritual worldliness” from the Jesuit Henri De Lubac, one of the greatest theologians of the twentieth century, made a cardinal in his later years by John Paul II.

In his book “Meditations on the Church,” De Lubac defines spiritual worldliness as “the greatest danger, the most perfidious temptation, that which always reemerges insidiously when all the others have been overcome, even being fostered by these same victories.”

And he continues:

"If this spiritual worldliness were to invade the Church and work to corrupt it by attacking it at its very origin, this would be infinitely more disastrous than any other sort of simply moral worldliness. Even worse than the infamous leprosy that, in certain moments of history, has so cruelly disfigured the beloved Bride [the Church - editor's note] when gratification seemed to bring the scandal into her very sanctuary and, represented by a libertine pope, has obscured the face of Christ under precious stones, makeup and beauty marks. . . A subtle humanism inimical to the living God - and, in secret, no less inimical to man - can establish itself in us through a thousand subterfuges."

This citation from De Lubac is in evidence in an article that Bergoglio wrote in 1991 when he was an ordinary Jesuit priest, republished and given in 2005 to the faithful and to the citizens of Buenos Aires, of which he had become archbishop, and now reappears in the first of the books printed in Italy with the texts of the new pope from before his election, entitled: “Guarire dalla corruzione."

Another significant citation in the notes by Bergoglio is where he points out the dangers to the Church when it ceases to be “mysterium lunae."

The "mystery of the moon” is a formula that the Fathers of the Church repeatedly used beginning in the second century to suggest what might be the true nature of the Church and the action that is appropriate to it: like the moon, “the Church shines not with its own light, but with that of Christ” ("fulget Ecclesia non suo sed Christi lumine"), St. Ambrose says. While for Cyril of Alexandria, “the Church is enveloped in the divine light of Christ, which is the only light in the kingdom of souls. There is therefore a single light: in this one light nonetheless shines also the Church, which is not however Christ himself.”

On this theme and with the title of “Mysterium lunae" a fundamental book was written in 1939 by another Jesuit, Hugo Rahner, a distinguished patrologist.

___________



EVANGELIZING THE PERIPHERIES

by Jorge Mario Bergoglio


Reference has been made to evangelization. This is the Church's reason for being. “The sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing” (Paul VI). It is Jesus Christ himself who, from within, impels us.

1) Evangelizing implies apostolic zeal. Evangelizing presupposes in the Church the “parresia" of coming out from itself. The Church is called to come out from itself and to go to the peripheries, not only geographical, but also existential: those of the mystery of sin, of suffering, of injustice, those of ignorance and of the absence of faith, those of thought, those of every form of misery.

2) When the Church does not come out from itself to evangelize it becomes self-referential and gets sick (one thinks of the woman hunched over upon herself in the Gospel). The evils that, in the passing of time, afflict the ecclesiastical institutions have a root in self-referentiality, in a sort of theological narcissism. In Revelation, Jesus says that he is standing at the threshold and calling. Evidently the text refers to the fact that he stands outside the door and knocks to enter. . . But at times I think that Jesus may be knocking from the inside, that we may let him out. The self-referential Church presumes to keep Jesus Christ within itself and not let him out.

3) The Church, when it is self-referential, without realizing it thinks that it has its own light; it stops being the “mysterium lunae" and gives rise to that evil which is so grave, that of spiritual worldliness (according to De Lubac, the worst evil into which the Church can fall): that of living to give glory to one another. To simplify, there are two images of the Church: the evangelizing Church that goes out from itself; that of the “Dei Verbum religiose audiens et fidenter proclamans" [the Church that devoutly listens to and faithfully proclaims the Word of God - editor's note], or the worldly Church that lives in itself, of itself, for itself. This should illuminate the possible changes and reforms to be realized for the salvation of souls.

4) Thinking of the next Pope: a man who, through the contemplation of Jesus Christ and the adoration of Jesus Christ, may help the Church to go out from itself toward the existential peripheries, that may help it to be the fecund mother who lives “by the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing.”

Rome, March 9, 2013

Can the New Pope face all these Challenges?

 Catholics, numbered over 1,165,714,000 (about 1.2 billion) which is, approximately, one out of every six of the global population. They remain half of the total Christians. In the first Holy Mass Pope Francis invited everyone to be true disciple of Jesus Christ. The Church, of which the real head is Christ, needs a serious guidance of the Vicar of Christ the visible head, according to the principles on which Jesus founded it.

 Before the beginning of the Conclave in March 2013, during the discussion of the General Assembly of the Cardinals, they discussed about the major challenges of the Church of today. ‘Governance’ seems to have been the main theme of this time, whereas at the time of election of Pope Ratzinger, it was ‘continuity’.

 The most important duty of the Vicar of Christ is to confirm everyone in faith. When we look around the globe, it is certain that the Catholic Church faces complex realities. A century ago, 70% Catholics lived in Europe and North America. Today it is just 32%, less than one third of the total. The West always had a significant role in the history of Christianity. But unfortunately, not many baptized Catholics practice their faith though they claim to be believers. Even though in the last years, the theme ‘New Evangelization’ has taken a momentum, tangible results are yet to come out. More than 42% of the Catholics belong to the Latin America. But it is disheartening to see the decrease in the number of the Catholics there because of their migration to the new Pentecostal movements. The sex-scandals have really affected the growth of the Church in North America, Scotland and other parts of the world. Healing the wounds of the affected, bringing the new hope to the depressed, lighting a candle in the darkness caused by the hatred, enkindling the original zeal and enthusiasm would be herculean tasks of the Servant of Servants, who represents the HEALER on earth.

 The major religions with which dialogue is needed, the cultures with which we must engage, the poor and oppressed that require liberation, are the major problems in Asia and Africa. Despite the fact that Asia and Africa represent the fastest-growing Catholic communities in the world, both these continents are yet to come to the main stream of the universal ecclesiastical concerns. For giving them the deserved attention, the New Pontiff will have to toil hard. Among the Asian countries, China needs special attention especially in diplomatic relation to build up friendly atmosphere with the communist government. Though the task in India is much easier compared to other places, All India Jurisdiction and freedom for evangelization of all the three sui iuris Churches would not be less important issues to be solved by the New Pope. Though Christianity got birth in the Middle East of Asia, this minority community struggles for its existence, between the civil wars and oppression from the other religions.  

Just as the Pope is the Successor of Peter, so also the Bishops are the continuation of the twelve Apostles. Together with them in collegiality, he must govern the Church. The Roman Pontiff is the point of reference of unity that will knit the college of Bishops in an ideal manner. Above all, Pope Francis will need a delicate art to govern the Church when there is also the physical presence of the Pope Emeritus.

Governance, shadowed down by Vatileaks and related issues, Pope Francis may have to take extra effort for a transparent and clean administration. Before the conclave, the cardinals reported to have discussed about the activities of the Holy See and its relations with Bishops throughout the world; Collegiality; a better management of the Vatican Curia and of Vatican finances especially the management of the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR). The Assembly also gave amble importance for the themes like the renewal of the Church 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; justice in the world; the importance of the Church proclaiming a positive message of love and mercy, etc. The Church needs to continue with its power and vigour, on the issues on ecumenism, relations with other Christian communities, interreligious dialogue, the Church's charitable efforts, contemporary culture, bioethics, the role of women in the Church, etc with due importance. 

 Among those who do not know the Gospel and the Church, the power and positions lead to misconception that the Church is merely earthly power entrapped with political and financial issues. Taking the lead together with the world religious leaders, to continue to be the moral voice of the humanity, the Pope will need to be clearly communicating the moral principles understanding the needs of the time. Though the title Patriarch of the West is not used from 2005, the Pope, the Symbol of unity will have to bring together all the Catholic and Non-Catholic Eastern Churches as solemnly proclaimed by the Second Vatican Council. World social issues such as poverty, oppression, discrimination, injustice, inequality, destroyed families, live-in relationship, de facto unions, gay marriages, abortion, relativism, secularism, consumerism, materialism and individualism, etc are not trivial issues to be tackled. Celibacy of priests, women priesthood could be also issues from within the Church that the Pope may have to face.

In the world of gains, careers, finances, scandals, showing THE WAY to the younger generation would not be as easy as it appears to be. Leading the men and women to God of Bible is the supreme and fundamental duty of the Servant of Servants. Hence his true mission is to revive the Christian faith where it is almost extinguished and to propagate it where it has not yet arrived.

 Can the New Pope face all these challenges by himself? Everyone looks at him for a node, guidance, encouragement, a good word, correction, direction and decision. He is looked at to be living model of the real Christian faith. It is our ardent prayer and heartfelt wish that the new Pope, a true man of God, be the protagonist of the true colour and image of the church. Sure, the Vicar of Christ is challenged to be like Jesus.  St. Francis Assisi is known to be the second Christ. The follower of Francis Assisi Pope Francis, if rightly accomplish this mission of Christ will emerge to be a ‘third Christ’ or a ‘second Francis Assisi’ in the modern world.

 

Fr. Francis Eluvathingal

Chancellor, Kalyan Diocese

Motto of Pope Francis Explained

The motto of Pope, “Miserando Atque Eligendo” has aroused some people to send me questions. What’s with the Latin? What are those -nd- forms? Are they gerundives? People are getting some things wrong.
“Lowly and chosen”, some have suggested. Noooooo.….
First, as others have noted, this is from Venerable Bede’s sermon on Matthew 9. It is listed in one list as s. 22, and in others as s. 30 In nat. S. Matthaei . For the Latin go here. The lines immediately before provide some context.

Quia Christus Jesus venit in hunc mundum peccatores salvos facere, quorum primus ego sum. Sed ideo misericordiam consecutus sum, ut in me primo ostenderet Christus Jesus omnem patientiam, ad exemplum eorum qui credituri sunt illi in vitam aeternam (I Tim. I).

The Lord came to show mercy.
For the line in question.

“Vidit ergo Iesus publicanum, et quia miserando atque eligendo vidit, ait illi, ‘Sequere me’.
Jesus, therefore, saw the publican, and because he saw by having mercy and by choosing, He said to him, ‘Follow me’”.

What we have here is a fairly straight forward use of ablative gerunds. The ablative conveys the manner or even instrumental dimension of what is being done. We ask, when reading about what Christ did, “How did Jesus come to pick Matthew?” He called Matthew by a) having compassion and b) by making a decision.
So the new Bishop Bergoglio, back in the day, chose a motto to describe how he would go about being a bishop: he would be a bishop by showing compassion and by making decisions… miserando atque eligendo. He was probably thinking about how he felt himself to have been selected by God to follow Him: because God was merciful to Him and because God selected Him. Thus, as a bishop, He would do the same: show mercy and make choices.
A good motto for a reformer.
Let’s find the quote and then the context and sequela, if you will pardon the pun.

Vidit ergo Iesus publicanum, et quia miserando atque eligendo vidit, ait illi, Sequere me. Sequere autem dixit imitare. Sequere dixit non tam incessu pedum, quam executione morum. Qui enim dicit se in Christo manere, debet sicut ille ambulavit, et ipse ambulare: quod est non ambire terrena, non caduca lucra sectari, fugere honores, contemptum mundi omnen pro coelesti gloria libenter amplectio, cunctis prodesse, amare, iniurias nulli inferre, at sibi illatas patienter suffere, sed et inferentibis a Domino veniam postulare, nunnumquam suam, sed conditoris semper gloriam quaerere, quotquot valet secum ad amorem supernorum erigere. Haec est huiusmodi gerere, Christi est vestigia sequi.
Jesus, therefore, saw the publican, and because he saw by having mercy and by choosing, He said to him, ‘Follow me’”. ’Follow’ means to imitate. ‘Follow’, He said, not so much in the pacing of feet, as in the carrying out of morals. For whoever says that he remains in Christ, ought himself to walk as He walked: which means not striving for earthly things, not eagerly pursuing fallen riches, fleeing honors, willingly embracing all the contempt of the world for the sake of heavenly glory, being advantageous to all, loving, occasioning injuries for no one but patiently suffering those caused to oneself, but seeking always the glory of the Creator, as often as one can raise himself up toward the love of those things which are above. This is what acting in that way is, This is following in the footsteps of Christ.

Stunning stuff.
Bottom line.
“By showing compassion and by choosing”.
We can dress this up a little but that’s what the motto really says.

Numbers of Catholics

A century ago, 70 percent of Catholics lived in Europe and North America. Today just 32 percent, less than one third of the total.

More than two thirds of Catholics today therefore live in Latin America, in Africa, in Asia and Oceania.

In Latin America, they have grown in one century from 70 million to 425 million.

In Asia and Oceania from 14 million to 131 million.

The most astonishing increase has been in sub-Saharan Africa. Catholics were just 1 million in 1910. A hundred years later 171 million. In one century they have gone from less than one percent to 16 percent of the population.

The ranking of the countries with the largest number of Catholics has also been revolutionized.

In 1910 the leaders of the pack were France and Italy, with 40 and 35 million Catholics respectively. Brazil followed with 21 million. There were more Catholics in Germany than in Mexico: 16 million versus 14 million.

In 2010 Brazil jumped into the lead with 126 million Catholics, followed by Mexico with 96 million and the Philippines with 75 million. And for the first time one of the top ten was an African country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 31 million Catholics.

Among the countries of Europe and North America, only the United States has seen over the past century a clear percentage increase of Catholics in the overall population. They were 14% in 1910, now they are 24%. In absolute numbers, with 75 million Catholics, the United States today is tied with the Philippines for third place in the general ranking.

In various countries of ancient Christian tradition, including those high in the rankings, Catholics no longer make up almost the whole of the population, as was the case a century ago. For example, in Brazil in 1910 Catholics were 95 percent of the population. Today 65 percent. This reduction has taken place above all in recent decades.

POPE FRANCIS' FIRST ACTIVITIES
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.
On Friday, 15 March, at 11:00am in the Clementine Hall he will meet with the full College of Cardinals, electors and non-electors, in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace. As the Holy See Press Office spokesman noted, this will be a familial gathering, with the Pope personally greeting each of the cardinals.
On Saturday at 11:00am in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope will hold an audience with accredited journalists (permanent and temporary) and those who work in the media.
On Sunday, 17 March at 12:00pm, he will recite the first Angelus of his papacy from the papal apartments overlooking St. Peter's Square, as is customary.
On Tuesday, 19 March—the Feast of St. Joseph, patron of the Church—the Mass to inaugurate the new papacy will be held at 9:30am in St. Peter's Square. No tickets will be issued for that Mass. All who wish may attend.
On Wednesday, 20 March, he will hold an audience with fraternal delegates representing the heads of the various Eastern rite Churches so there will not be a General Audience.

Pope to mark first full day

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis put his humility on display during his first day as pontiff Thursday, stopping by his hotel to pick up his luggage and pay the bill himself in a decidedly different style for the papacy usually ensconced inside the frescoed halls of the Vatican.
The break from the tradition-minded previous pontificate was evident even in Francis' wardrobe choices: He kept the simple pectoral cross of his days as bishop and eschewed the red cape that Benedict XVI wore when he was presented to the world for the first time in 2005 - choosing instead the simple white cassock of the papacy.

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Argentina's Bergoglio elected Pope Francis

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The former archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, began his first day as pope making an early morning visit in a simple Vatican car to a Roman basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary and prayed before an icon of the Madonna.

He had told a crowd of some 100,000 people packed in rain-soaked St. Peter's Square just after his election that he intended to pray to the Madonna "that she may watch over all of Rome."
He also told cardinals he would call on retired Pope Benedict XVI, but the Vatican said the visit wouldn't take place for a few days.
The main item on Francis' agenda Thursday was an inaugural afternoon Mass in the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals on Wednesday elected him leader of the 1.2 billion-strong church in an unusually quick conclave.
Francis might be expected to outline some of his priorities as pope in the homily. It was expected to be delivered in Italian, again another break from the traditional-minded Benedict whose first homily as pope was in Latin.
Francis, the first Jesuit pope and first non-European since the Middle Ages, decided to call himself Francis after St. Francis of Assisi, the humble friar who dedicated his life to helping the poor.
The new pope, known for his work with the poor in Buenos Aires' slums, immediately charmed the crowd in St. Peter's, which roared when his name was announced and roared again when he emerged on the loggia of the basilica with a simple and familiar: "Brothers and sisters, good evening."
Waving shyly, he said the cardinals' job was to find a bishop of Rome. "It seems as if my brother cardinals went to find him from the end of the earth, but here we are. Thank you for the welcome."
The 76-year-old Bergoglio, said to have finished second when Pope Benedict XVI was elected in 2005, was chosen on just the fifth ballot to replace the first pontiff to resign in 600 years.
Francis urged the crowd to pray for Benedict and immediately after his election spoke by phone with the retired pope, who has been living at the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo south of Rome. A visit to Benedict would be significant because Benedict's resignation has raised concerns about potential power conflicts emerging from the peculiar situation of having a reigning pope and a retired one.
Benedict's longtime aide, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, accompanied Francis to the visit Thursday morning at St. Mary Major, the ANSA news agency reported. In addition to being Benedict's secretary, Gaenswein is also the prefect of the papal household and will be arranging the new pope's schedule.
After the visit, Francis also stopped by a Vatican-owned residence in downtown Rome to pick up the luggage that he left behind before moving into the Vatican hotel for the conclave.
He paid the bill "to give a good example," according to the Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi.
It was a remarkable show of simplicity and humility for a man who could easily have dispatched someone to do the job for him.
He displayed that same sense immediately after his election, shunning the special sedan that was to transport him to the hotel so he could ride on the bus with other cardinals, and refusing even an elevated platform from which he would greet them, according to U.S. Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
"He met with us on our own level," Dolan said.
Later, during dinner, the new pope addressed a few words to the cardinals:
"'May God forgive you for what you have done,'" Francis told them, Lombardi said.
Like many Latin American Catholics, Francis has a particular devotion to the Virgin Mary, and his visit to the basilica was a reflection of that. He prayed before a Byzantine icon of Mary and the infant Jesus, the Protectress of the Roman People.
"He had a great devotion to this icon of Mary and every time he comes from Argentina he visits this basilica," said one of the priests at the basilica, the Rev. Elio Montenero. "We were surprised today because did not announce his visit."
He then also went into the main altar area of the basilica and prayed before relics of the manger in Bethlehem where Jesus is said to have been born - an important pilgrimage spot for Jesuits.
Francis' election elated Latin America, home to 40 percent of the world's Catholics which has nevertheless long been underrepresented in the church leadership. On Wednesday, drivers honked their horns in the streets of Buenos Aires and television announcers screamed with elation at the news.
Cardinal Thomas Collins, the archbishop of Toronto, said the cardinals clearly chose Francis because he was simply "the best person to lead the church."
"I can't speak for all the cardinals but I think you see what a wonderful pope he is," he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "He's just a very loving, wonderful guy. We just came to appreciate the tremendous gifts he has. He's much beloved in his diocese in Argentina. He has a great pastoral history of serving people."
The new pontiff brings a common touch. The son of middle-class Italian immigrants, he denied himself the luxuries that previous cardinals in Buenos Aires enjoyed. He lived in a simple apartment, often rode the bus to work, cooked his own meals and regularly visited slums that ring Argentina's capital. "If he brings that same desire for a simple lifestyle to the papal court, I think they are all going to be in shock," said the Rev. Thomas Reese, author of "Inside the Vatican," a must-read book on the Vatican bureaucracy. "This may not be a man who wants to wear silk and furs."
Francis considers social outreach, rather than doctrinal battles, to be the essential business of the church.
"As a champion of the poor and the most vulnerable among us, he carries forth the message of love and compassion that has inspired the world for more than 2,000 years - that in each other, we see the face of God," U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement.
As the 266th pope, Francis inherits a Catholic church in turmoil, beset by the clerical sex abuse scandal, internal divisions and dwindling numbers in parts of the world where Christianity had been strong for centuries.
While Latin America is still very Catholic, it has faced competition from aggressive evangelical churches that have chipped away at strongholds like Brazil, where the number of Catholics has dropped from 74 percent of the population in 2000 to 65 percent today. Like Europe, secularism has also taken hold: more and more people simply no longer identify themselves with any organized religion.
Francis is sure to bring the church closer to the poverty-wracked region, while also introducing the world to a very different type of pope. Reversing the typical order of blessings, he asked the crowd to bow their heads.
"I want you to bless me," Francis said.

Pope Francis I

Biographical notes

 

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ordinary for Eastern-rite faithful in Argentina who lack an Ordinary of their own rite, was born on 17 December 1936 in Buenos Aires. He was ordained for the Jesuits on 13 December 1969 during his theological studies at the Theological Faculty of San Miguel.
He was novice master in San Miguel, where he also taught theology. He was Provincial for Argentina (1973-1979) and rector of the Philosophical and Theological Faculty of San Miguel (1980-1986). After completing his doctoral dissertation in Germany, he served as a confessor and spiritual director in Córdoba.

On 20 May 1992 he was appointed titular Bishop of Auca and Auxiliary of Buenos Aires, receiving episcopal consecration on 27 June. On 3 June 1997 was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Buenos Aires and succeeded Cardinal Antonio Quarracino on 28 February 1998. He is also Ordinary for Eastern-rite faithful in Argentina who lack an Ordinary of their own rite.

Adjunct Relator General of the 10^th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, October 2001.

He served as President of the Bishops' Conference of Argentina from 8 November 2005 until 8 November 2011.

Created and proclaimed Cardinal by the Bl. John Paul II in the consistory of 21 February 2001, of the Title of S. Roberto Bellarmino (St. Robert Bellarmine).

Member of:

• Congregations: for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments; for the Clergy; for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life ;
• Pontifical Council for the Family;
• Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

New pope, Jesuit Bergoglio, was runner-up in 2005 conclave

 

While there are still no tracking polls to establish who's got legs as a papal candidate, the 2013 conclave at least has one objective measure not available in 2005: past performance. Many of the cardinals seen as candidates now were also on offer the last time around, and someone who had traction eight years ago could be a contender again.

By that measure alone, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, at least merits a look.

After the dust settled from the election of Benedict XVI, various reports identified the Argentine Jesuit as the main challenger to then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. One cardinal later said the conclave had been "something of a horse race" between Ratzinger and Bergoglio, and an anonymous conclave diary splashed across the Italian media in September 2005 claimed that Bergoglio received 40 votes on the third ballot, just before Ratzinger crossed the two-thirds threshold and became pope.

Though it's hard to say how seriously one should take the specifics, the general consensus is that Bergoglio was indeed the "runner-up" last time around. He appealed to conservatives in the College of Cardinals as a man who had held the line against liberalizing currents among the Jesuits, and to moderates as a symbol of the church's commitment to the developing world.

Support NCR's coverage of the conclave.

Back in 2005, Bergoglio drew high marks as an accomplished intellectual, having studied theology in Germany. His leading role during the Argentine economic crisis burnished his reputation as a voice of conscience, and made him a potent symbol of the costs globalization can impose on the world's poor.

Bergoglio's reputation for personal simplicity also exercised an undeniable appeal – a Prince of the Church who chose to live in a simple apartment rather than the archbishop's palace, who gave up his chauffeured limousine in favor of taking the bus to work, and who cooked his own meals.

Another measure of Bergoglio's seriousness as a candidate was the negative campaigning that swirled around him eight years ago.

Three days before the 2005 conclave, a human rights lawyer in Argentina filed a complaint charging Bergoglio with complicity in the 1976 kidnapping of two liberal Jesuit priests under the country's military regime, a charge Bergoglio flatly denied. There was also an e-mail campaign, claiming to originate with fellow Jesuits who knew Bergoglio when he was the provincial of the order in Argentina, asserting that "he never smiled."

All of that by way of saying, Bergoglio was definitely on the radar screen. Of course he's eight years older now, and at 76 is probably outside the age window many cardinals would see as ideal. Further, the fact he couldn't get over the hump last time may convince some cardinals there's no point going back to the well.

That said, many of the reasons that led members of the college to take him seriously eight years ago are still in place.

Born in Buenos Aires in 1936, Bergoglio's father was an Italian immigrant and railway worker from the region around Turin, and he has four brothers and sisters. His original plan was to be a chemist, but in 1958 he instead entered the Society of Jesus and began studies for the priesthood. He spent much of his early career teaching literature, psychology and philosophy, and early on he was seen as a rising star. From 1973 to 1979 he served as the Jesuit provincial in Argentina, then in 1980 became the rector of the seminary from which he had graduated.

These were the years of the military junta in Argentina, when many priests, including leading Jesuits, were gravitating towards the progressive liberation theology movement. As the Jesuit provincial, Bergoglio insisted on a more traditional reading of Ignatian spirituality, mandating that Jesuits continue to staff parishes and act as chaplains rather than moving into "base communities" and political activism.

Although Jesuits generally are discouraged from receiving ecclesiastical honors and advancement, especially outside mission countries, Bergoglio was named auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992 and then succeeded the ailing Cardinal Antonio Quarracino in 1998. John Paul II made Bergoglio a cardinal in 2001, assigning him the Roman church named after the legendary Jesuit St. Robert Bellarmino.

Over the years, Bergoglio became close to the Comunione e Liberazione movement founded by Italian Fr. Luigi Giussani, sometimes speaking at its massive annual gathering in Rimini, Italy. He's also presented Giussani's books at literary fairs in Argentina. This occasionally generated consternation within the Jesuits, since the ciellini once upon a time were seen as the main opposition to Bergoglio's fellow Jesuit in Milan, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini.

On the other hand, that's also part of Bergoglio's appeal, someone who personally straddles the divide between the Jesuits and the ciellini, and more broadly, between liberals and conservatives in the church.

Bergoglio has supported the social justice ethos of Latin American Catholicism, including a robust defense of the poor.

"We live in the most unequal part of the world, which has grown the most yet reduced misery the least," Bergoglio said during a gathering of Latin American bishops in 2007. "The unjust distribution of goods persists, creating a situation of social sin that cries out to Heaven and limits the possibilities of a fuller life for so many of our brothers."

At the same time, he has generally tended to accent growth in personal holiness over efforts for structural reform.

Bergoglio is seen an unwaveringly orthodox on matters of sexual morality, staunchly opposing abortion, same-sex marriage, and contraception. In 2010 he asserted that gay adoption is a form of discrimination against children, earning a public rebuke from Argentina's President, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

Nevertheless, he has shown deep compassion for the victims of HIV-AIDS; in 2001, he visited a hospice to kiss and wash the feet of 12 AIDS patients.

Bergoglio also won high marks for his compassionate response to the 1994 bombing in Buenos Aires of a seven-story building housing the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association and the Delegation of the Argentine Jewish Association. It was one of the worst anti-Jewish attacks ever in Latin America, and in 2005 Rabbi Joseph Ehrenkranz of the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, praised Bergoglio's leadership.

"He was very concerned with what happened, Ehrenkranz said. "He's got experience."

Nevertheless, after the conclave of 2005 some cardinals candidly admitted to doubts that Bergoglio really had the steel and "fire in the belly" needed to lead the universal church. Moreover, for most of the non-Latin Americans, Bergoglio was an unknown quantity. A handful remembered his leadership in the 2001 Synod of Bishops, when Bergoglio replaced Cardinal Edward Egan of New York as the relator, or chairman, of the meeting after Egan went home to help New Yorkers cope with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In that setting, Bergoglio left a basically positive but indistinct impression.

Bergoglio may be basically conservative on many issues, but he's no defender of clerical privilege, or insensitive to pastoral realities. In September 2012, he delivered a blistering attack on priests who refuse to baptize children born out of wedlock, calling it a form of "rigorous and hypocritical neo-clericalism."

The case for Bergoglio in 2013 rests on four points.

First and most basically, he had strong support last time around, and some cardinals may think that they're getting another bite at the apple now.

Second, Bergoglio is a candidates who brings together the first world and the developing world in his own person. He's a Latin American with Italian roots, who studied in Germany. As a Jesuit he's a member of a truly international religious community, and his ties to Comunione e Liberazione make him part of another global network.

Third, Bergoglio still has appeal across the usual divides in the church, drawing respect from both conservatives and moderates for his keen pastoral sense, his intelligence, and his personal modesty. He's also seen as a genuinely spiritual soul, and a man of deep prayer.

"Only someone who has encountered mercy, who has been caressed by the tenderness of mercy, is happy and comfortable with the Lord," Bergoglio said in 2001. "I beg the theologians who are present not to turn me in to the Sant'Uffizio or the Inquisition; however, forcing things a bit, I dare to say that the privileged locus of the encounter is the caress of the mercy of Jesus Christ on my sin."

Fourth, he's also seen as a successful evangelist.

"We have to avoid the spiritual sickness of a self-referential church," Bergoglio said recently. "It's true that when you get out into the street, as happens to every man and woman, there can be accidents. However, if the church remains closed in on itself, self-referential, it gets old. Between a church that suffers accidents in the street, and a church that's sick because it's self-referential, I have no doubts about preferring the former."

On the other hand, there are compelling reasons to believe that Bergoglio's window of opportunity to be pope has already closed.

First, he's eight years older than in 2005, and at 76 he would only be two years younger than Benedict XVI was when he became pope. Especially on the heels of a papal resignation on the basis of age and exhaustion, many cardinals may balk at electing someone that old, fearing it would set the church up for another shock to the system.

Second, although Bergoglio was a serious contender in 2005, he couldn't attract sufficient support to get past the two-thirds threshold needed to be elected pope. Especially for the 50 cardinals who were inside the conclave eight years ago, they may be skeptical that the results would be any different this time around.

Third, the doubts that circulated about Bergoglio's toughness eight years ago may arguably be even more damaging now, given that the ability to govern. and to take control of the Vatican bureaucracy, seems to figure even more prominently on many cardinals' wish lists this time. Although Bergoglio is a member of several Vatican departments, including the Congregations for Divine Worship and for Clergy, he's never actually worked inside the Vatican, and there may be concerns about his capacity to take the place in hand.

Fourth, there's the standard ambivalence about Jesuits in high office, both from within the order and among some on the outside. That may have been a factor in slowing Bergoglio's progress last time, and nothing has changed the calculus in the time since.

Whether Bergoglio catches fire again as a candidate remains to be seen; one Italian writer quoted an anonymous cardinal on March 2 as saying, "Four years of Bergoglio would be enough to change things." Given his profile, however, Bergoglio seems destined to plan an important role in this conclave – if not as king, then as a kingmaker.

 

John L. Allen Jr.

WHO IS JORGE MARIO BERGOGLIO?
Vatican City, 13 March 2013 (VIS) – Following is the official biography of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ordinary for Eastern-rite faithful in Argentina who lack an Ordinary of their own rite, was born on 17 December 1936 in Buenos Aires. He studied as and holds a degree as a chemical technician, but then chose the priesthood and entered the seminary of Villa Devoto. On 11 March 1958 he moved to the novitiate of the Company of Jesus where he finished studies in the humanities in Chile. In 1963, on returning to Buenos Aires, he obtained a degree in philosophy at the St. Joseph major seminary of San Miguel.
Between 1964 and 1965 he taught literature and psychology at the Immacolata College in Santa Fe and then in 1966 he taught the same subjects at the University of El Salvador, in Buenos Aires.
From 1967 to 1970 he studied theology at the St. Joseph major seminary of San Miguel where he obtained a degree. On 13 December 1969 he was ordained a priest. From 1970 to 1971 he completed the third probation at Alcala de Henares, Spain, and on 22 April 1973, pronounced his perpetual vows.
He was novice master at Villa Varilari in San Miguel from 1972 to 1973, where he also taught theology. On 31 July 1973 he was elected as Provincial for Argentina, a role he served as for six years.
From 1980 to 1986 he was rector of the Philosophical and Theological Faculty of San Miguel as well as pastor of the Patriarca San Jose parish in the Diocese of San Miguel. In March of 1986 he went to Germany to finish his doctoral thesis. The superiors then sent him to the University of El Salvador and then to Cordoba where he served as a confessor and spiritual director.
On 20 May 1992, John Paul II appointed him titular Bishop of Auca and Auxiliary of Buenos Aires, He received episcopal consecration in the Cathedral of Buenos Aires from Cardinal Antonio Quarracino, Apostolic Nunzio Ubaldo Calabresi, and Bishop Emilio Ognenovich. of Mercedes-Lujan on 27 June of that year.
On 3 June 1997 he was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Buenos Aires and succeeded Cardinal Antonio Quarracino on 28 February 1998.
He was Adjunct Relator General of the 10th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, October 2001.
He served as President of the Bishops' Conference of Argentina from 8 November 2005 until 8 November 2011.
He was created and proclaimed Cardinal by Blessed John Paul II in the consistory of 21 February 2001, of the Title of S. Roberto Bellarmino (St. Robert Bellarmine).
He was a member of:
The Congregations for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments; for the Clergy; and for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life;
the Pontifical Council for the Family; and
the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

CARDINAL BERGOGLIO ELECTED TO PONTIFICATE
Vatican City, 13 March 2013 (VIS) - Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., was elected as Supreme Pontiff, the 265th successor of Peter, and has chosen the name Francis.
The Cardinal proto-deacon Jean-Louis Tauran made the solemn announcement to the people at 8:12pm from the external Loggia of the Hall of Blessings of the Vatican Basilica following the white “fumata” which occurred at 7:06pm.
Following are the words pronounced by Cardinal Tauran:
Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum;
habemus Papam;
Eminentissium ac Reverendissium Dominum,
Dominum Georgium Marium
Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Bergoglio
Qui sibi nomen imposuit Franciscum.
[I announce to you with great joy;
We have a Pope;
The most eminent and most reverend Lord
Lord Mario
Cardinal of Holy Roman Church Bergoglio
Who has taken the name Francis.]
Conclave Notes
The conclave that led to the election of Pope Francis began on Tuesday, 12 March 2013 in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, with the "Extra omnes" pronounced at 5:33pm by Msgr. Guido Marini, master of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, following the taking of the oath by the 115 cardinal electors.
The first black “fumata” took place at 7:42pm the same day.
On Wednesday, 13 March, there was black smoke at 11:40am.
On Wednesday, 13 March, there was white smoke at 7:06pm.
First “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing of the New Holy Father Francis
Before the new Pope appeared at the balcony, an honour guard of Swiss Guards in full military regalia and bearing the pontifical standard marched into the square and took their places under the Loggia followed by a representation of the various Italian armed forces that, since 1929, have paid homage to the Pope on important occasions as a sign of the reconciliation between the Holy See and the Italian State. The Holy See marching band accompanied the wait. As soon as they heard the name of the new pontiff, the crowd began to chant together: “Francesco, Francesco”.
At 8:24pm, the Holy Father Francis, preceded by the Cross, appeared at the Loggia of the brightly lit Vatican Basilica. Before imparting the “Urbi et Orbi” (“to the city and the world) apostolic blessing he greeted the enormous crowd that had been gathering all afternoon in cold and rainy St. Peter's Square saying:
“Dear brothers and sisters,
Good evening. You know that the duty of the Conclave was to give Rome a bishop. It seems that my brother cardinals picked him from almost the ends of the earth. But here we are! I thank you for the warm welcome. The diocesan community of Rome has its bishop. Thank you! First and foremost I would like to say a prayer for our Bishop Emeritus Benedict XVI. Let us pray together for him, that the Lord bless him and the Virgin keep him.”
After leading the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Gloria, Pope Francis again addressed the crowd saying:
“And now let us begin this journey, bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome, which is the one that leads all the churches in charity. A journey of fraternity, of trust between us. Let us always pray for one another. Let us pray for the world so that this might be a great brotherhood. I hope that this journey of the Church that we begin today, and in which my Cardinal Vicar here present will assist me, will be fruitful for the evangelization of this beautiful city.”
“Now I would like to impart the blessing, but first, first I ask a favor of you. Before the bishop blesses the people, I ask that you pray to the Lord that He bless me: the prayer of the people asking a blessing for their bishop. Let us pray in silence, this your prayer for me.”
“Now I will impart the blessing to you and all the world, to all men and women of good will.”
After imparting the apostolic blessing Pope Francis added: “Brothers and sisters, I take my leave. Thank you for your warm welcome. Tomorrow I'm going to pray to the Virgin, that she will safeguard all of Rome. Good night and rest well.”

Francis Has Spoken With Pope Emeritus

And Journalists to Be Among First to Have Papal Audience

VATICAN CITY, March 13, 2013 (Zenit.org) - According to the director of the Vatican press office, Pope Francis has spoken with his predecessor and they hope to meet in the coming days.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi briefed journalists within an hour after Francis gave his first apostolic blessing to the faithful.
Among the information given by Father Lombardi was the news that the Pope had spoken with Benedict XVI and that the two hope to meet in the next few days.
Fr. Lombardi also announced that Francis will meet with the cardinals (electors and non-electors) on Friday morning.
The next day, Saturday morning, he will meet with journalists.
The Mass for the inauguration of his pontificate is scheduled for March 19, next Tuesday, the feast of St. Joseph.

Cardinal Bergoglio Is the 267th Successor of St. Peter
        

1st South American, 1st Jesuit, and 1st to Take Name Francis

 

VATICAN CITY, March 13, 2013 (Zenit.org) - The bells of St. Peter's started ringing and the crowds began cheering just moments after 7 p.m. local time, as white smoke from the Sistine Chapel indicated "Habemus Papam." We have a Pope!
Just over an hour later, the 267th Successor of St. Peter has been announced by the senior cardinal deacon: It is Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, who had been serving as the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
He takes the name Francis.
The crowds in St. Peter's Square near immediately began chanting "Francesco" as they await his arrival on the central balcony for his first "urbi et orbi" blessing.

Pope Francis' 1st Words

        

VATICAN CITY, March 13, 2013 (Zenit.org) - Here is a translation of the brief greeting Pope Francis gave from the central balcony of St. Peter's Square following his election as the Successor of St. Peter.
* * *
Brothers and sisters, good evening!
You know that the duty of the Conclave was to give a bishop to Rome. It seems as though my brother cardinals went almost to the end of the world to get him. But here we are. I thank you for your welcome. The diocesan community of Rome has a bishop. Thank you!
Before all else, I would like to say a prayer for our Bishop Emeritus Benedict XVI. Let us all pray together for him, that the Lord may bless him and that Our Lady may watch over him …
[Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be]
And now let us begin this journey, [together] as bishop and people. This journey of the Church of Rome, which is to preside over all the Churches in charity. It is a journey of fraternity, of love, of trust between us. Let us always pray for one another. Let us pray for the world, so that a great brotherhood may be created. I hope that this journey of the Church, which we begin today and in which my Cardinal Vicar who is present here will assist me, will be fruitful for the Evangelization of this beautiful city.
And now I would like to give you my blessing. But before I do, I would like to ask you a favor: before the bishop blesses the people, I ask you to pray to the Lord that He bless me…. the prayer of the people for a blessing upon their bishop. Let us take a moment of silence for you to offer your prayer for me.”
[Silence … the Holy Father bows]
[Cardinal N. says … “The Holy Father, Francesco …”]
“Now I will give you my blessing and to the whole world, to all men and women of good will.”
[Pope’s blessing]
Brothers and Sisters,
I leave you now. Thank you for your welcome. Pray for me. And we’ll see one another again soon. Tomorrow I want to go and pray to Our Lady, asking her to watch over Rome. Good night and have a good rest.

List of Cardinal Electors

Conclave Begins; 115 to Elect Pope

VATICAN CITY, March 12, 2013 (Zenit.org) - Today, 115 cardinals have entered the Conclave to elect Benedict XVI's successor. The two Cardinal electors who are not participating are Cardinal Julius Riyadi Darmaatmadja, S.J., archbishop emeritus of Jakarta, Indonesia, for health reasons and Cardinal Keith O’Brien, ex-archbishop of Edinburgh, Scotland, for personal reasons.
Categorizing the cardinals from area of origin, the 60 European cardinals come from: Italy: 28. Germany: 6. Spain: 5. Poland: 4. France: 4. Austria: 1. Belgium: 1. Switzerland: 1. Portugal: 2. Netherlands: 1. Ireland: 1. Czech Republic: 1. Bosnia-Herzegovina: 1. Hungary: 1. Lithuania: 1. Croatia:1. and Slovenia: 1.
The 14 Northern American cardinals come from: the United States: 11. and Canada: 3.
The 19 Latin American cardinals are from: Brazil: 5. Mexico: 3. Argentina: 2. Colombia: 1. Chile: 1. Venezuela: 1. the Dominican Republic: 1. Cuba: 1. Honduras: 1. Peru: 1. Bolivia: 1. and Ecuador: 1.
The 11 African cardinals come from: Nigeria: 2. Tanzania: 1. South Africa: 1. Ghana: 1. Sudan: 1. Kenya: 1. Senegal: 1. Egypt: 1. Guinea: 1. and the Democratic Republic of the Congo: 1
The 10 Asian cardenales are from: India: 4. the Philippines: 1. Vietnam: 1. Indonesia: 1. Lebanon: 1. China: 1. and Sri Lanka: 1.
The sole cardinal from Oceania hails from Australia.
Below is the list of Cardinal electors and the roles that they currently serve in, following the Church's hierarchical order of precedence. Please note that the cardinals who serve in the Roman Curia (secretary of State, heads of the Church's congregations and councils, etc.) are listed with their role before the beginning of the period of the Sede Vacante, but at that moment they were automatically relieved of their offices. The two exceptions to this norm are the Cardinal Camerlengo and the Major Penitentiary who continue to perform their previous functions.
ORDER OF BISHOPS
Giovanni Battista RE, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Bishops
Tarcisio BERTONE, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber
Eastern Rite Cardinal Patriarchs
Antonios NAGUIB, Patriarch Emeritus of Alexandria of the Copts, Egypt
Béchara Boutros RAÏ, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon
ORDER OF PRIESTS
Godfried DANNEELS, Archbishop Emeritus of Brussels, Belgium
Joachim MEISNER, Archbishop of Cologne, Germany
Nicolas de Jesús LÓPEZ RODRÍGUEZ, Archbishop of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Roger Michael MAHONY, Archbishop Emeritus of Los Angeles, California, USA
Jaime Lucas ORTEGA Y ALAMINO, Archbishop of San Cristobal de la Habana, Cuba
Jean-Claude TURCOTTE, Archbishop Emeritus of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Vinko PULJI?, Archbishop of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Juan SANDOVAL ÍÑIGUEZ, Archbishop Emeritus of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Antonio María ROUCO VARELA, Archbishop of Madrid, Spain
Dionigi TETTAMANZI, Archbishop Emeritus of Milan, Italy
Polycarp PENGO, Archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
Christoph SCHÖNBORN, Archbishop of Vienna, Austria
Norberto RIVERA CARRERA, Archbishop of Mexico City, Mexico
Francis Eugene GEORGE, Archbishop of Chicago, Illinois, USA
Zenon GROCHOLEWSKI, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education
Crescenzio SEPE, Archbishop of Naples, Italy.
Walter KASPER, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
Ivan DIAS, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
Geraldo Majella AGNELO, Archbishop Emeritus of São Salvador da Bahia, Brazil
Audrys Juozas BA?KIS, Archbishop of Vilnius, Lithuania
Francisco Javier ERRÁZURIZ OSSA, Archbishop Emeritus of Santiago de Chile, Chile
Julio TERRAZAS SANDOVAL, Archbishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Wilfrid Fox NAPIER, Archbishop of Durban, South Africa
Óscar Andrés RODRÍGUEZ MARADIAGA, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Juan Luis CIPRIANI THORNE, Archbishop of Lima, Peru
Cláudio HUMMES, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
Jorge Mario BERGOGLIO, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina
José da Cruz POLICARPO, Patriarch of Lisbon, Portugal
Severino POLETTO, Archbishop Emeritus of Turin, Italy
Karl LEHMANN, Bishop of Mainz, Germany
Angelo SCOLA, Archbishop of Milan, Italy
Anthony Olubunmi OKOGIE, Archbishop Emeritus of Lagos, Nigeria
Gabriel ZUBEIR WAKO, Archbishop of Khartoum, Sudan
Carlos AMIGO VALLEJO, Archbishop Emeritus of Seville, Spain
Justin Francis RIGALI, Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Ennio ANTONELLI, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family
Peter Kodwo Appiah TURKSON, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
Telesphore Placidus TOPPO, Archbishop of Ranchi, India
George PELL, Archbishop of Sydney, Australia
Josip BOZANI?, Archbishop of Zagreb, Croatia
Jean-Baptiste PHAM MINH MÂN, Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Philippe BARBARIN, Archbishop of Lyon, France
Péter ERD?, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary
Marc OUELLET, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Bishops
Agostino VALLINI, Vicar General of His Holiness for Rome, Italy
Jorge Liberato UROSA SAVINO, Archbishop of Caracas, Santiago de Venezuela
Jean-Pierre RICARD, Archbishop of Bordeaux, France
Antonio CAÑIZARES LLOVERA, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
Sean Patrick O'MALLEY, Archbishop of Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Stanis?aw DZIWISZ, Archbishop of Krakow, Poland
Carlo CAFFARRA, Archbishop of Bologna, Italy
Seán Baptist BRADY, Archbishop of Armagh, Ireland
Lluís MARTÍNEZ SISTACH, Archbishop of Barcelona, Spain
André VINGT-TROIS, Archbishop of Paris, France
Angelo BAGNASCO, Archbishop of Genoa, Italy
Théodore-Adrien SARR, Archbishop of Dakar, Senegal
Oswald GRACIAS, Archbishop of Bombay, India
Francisco ROBLES ORTEGA, Archbishop of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Daniel N. DiNARDO, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, Texas, USA
Odilo Pedro SCHERER, Archbishop of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
John NJUE, Archbishop of Nairobi, Kenya
Raúl Eduardo VELA CHIRIBOGA, Archbishop Emeritus of Quito, Ecuador
Laurent MONSENGWO PASINYA, Archbishop of Kinshasa, Congo (Dem. Rep.)
Paolo ROMEO, Archbishop of Palermo, Italy
Donald William WUERL, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., USA
Raymundo DAMASCENO ASSIS, Archbishop of Aparecida, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Kazimierz NYCZ, Archbishop of Warsaw, Poland
Albert Malcolm Ranjith PATABENDIGE DON, Archbishop of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Reinhard MARX, Archbishop of Munich, Germany
George ALENCHERRY, Major Archbishop of Ernakulam Angamaly of the Syro-Malabars, India
Thomas Christopher COLLINS, Archbishop of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Dominik DUKA, Archbishop of Prague, Czech Republic
Willem Jacobus EIJK, Archbishop of Utrecht, Netherlands
Giuseppe BETORI, Archbishop of Florence, Italy
Timothy Michael DOLAN, Archbishop of New York, New York, USA
Rainer Maria WOELKI, Archbishop of Berlin, Germany
John TONG HON, Bishop of Hong Kong, China
Baselios Cleemis THOTTUNKAL, Major Archbishop of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malabars, India
John Olorunfemi ONAIYEKAN, Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria
Rubén SALAZAR GÓMEZ, Archbishop of Bogota, Colombia
Luis Antonio TAGLE, Archbishop of Manila, Philippines
ORDER OF DEACONS
Jean-Louis TAURAN, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
Attilio NICORA, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See
William Joseph LEVADA, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Franc RODÉ, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
Leonardo SANDRI, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
Giovanni LAJOLO, President Emeritus of the Governatorate of Vatican City State
Paul Josef CORDES, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”
Angelo COMASTRI, Archpriest of the Basilica of St. Peter
Stanis?aw RY?KO, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity
Raffaele FARINA, Archivist Emeritus of the Vatican Secret Archives
Angelo AMATO, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
Robert SARAH, President of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”
Francesco MONTERISI, Archpriest Emeritus of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls Basilica
Raymond Leo BURKE, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura
Kurt KOCH, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
Paolo SARDI, Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
Mauro PIACENZA, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
Velasio DE PAOLIS, President Emeritus of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See
Gianfranco RAVASI, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture
Fernando FILONI, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
Manuel MONTEIRO de CASTRO, Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary
Santos ABRIL y CASTELLÓ, Archpriest of Saint Mary Major Basilica
Antonio Maria VEGLIÒ, President of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People
Giuseppe BERTELLO, President of the Governatorate of Vatican City State
Francesco COCCOPALMERIO, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts
João BRAZ de AVIZ, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
Edwin Frederick O'BRIEN, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
Domenico CALCAGNO, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See
Giuseppe VERSALDI, President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See
James Michael HARVEY, Archpriest of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls Basilica

What Will Happen Once the Pope Is Elected?

Proceedings From Election to 1st Apostolic Blessing

VATICAN CITY, March 12, 2013 (Zenit.org) - Drawing from the booklet "Conclave" by Monsignor Charles Burns, the ecclesiastical adviser at the British Embassy to the Holy See, here is a summary of the proceedings that will occur once the cardinals choose a new pope.
* * *
As soon as a cardinal has received two-thirds plus one of the vote (in this case, it will be 77 votes), the junior Cardinal Deacon summons the Secretary of the College and the Master of Papal Liturgical Ceremonies back to the Sistine Chapel. (They leave the cardinals alone during the voting process.)
The dean or the cardinal of highest precedence, in this case it will be Cardinal Re, in the name of the whole College of Electors, will ask the consent of the newly elected with the words: Do you accept our canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?
Having received his assent, the cardinal continues: By what name do you wish to be called?
The Pope declares the name he wishes to assume during his pontificate.
The Master of Liturgical Ceremonies acting as notary, and the two Masters of Ceremonies as witnesses, draw up a document certifying the new Pope’s acceptance and the name he wishes to assume as Pontiff.
After the new Pope declares his name, the ballots are burned so that white smoke is generated.
After his acceptance, the newly elected, provided he is already a bishop, becomes immediately Bishop of Rome, true Pope and Head of the College of Bishops, acquiring full and supreme authority over the Universal Church.
At this juncture, he will be accompanied by the Masters of Ceremonies to a small robing room, (known as the Room of Tears) situated immediately behind the imposing fresco of the ‘Last Judgement’, where they assist him to divest from his scarlet robes as a Cardinal and don the traditional white vesture of a Pope. Three sizes of soutane, large, medium and small, are in readiness to be rapidly adjusted to meet his personal requirements, together with the white moir, silk fascia and skull-cap, the lace rochet, or surplice, the crimson silk mozzetta -- a sort of shoulder cape -- the red morocco leather slippers and the elaborate gold embroidered red velvet stole.
Back in the Sistine Chapel, a small ceremony is held with the reading of Matthew 16:13-19: You are Peter, and on this rock, I shall build my church.
Then one by one in order of rank within each class, the Electors must first pay homage and obedience to the new Pope followed by a solemn act of thanksgiving to God intoning the Latin hymn Te Deum.
This is the moment when the senior Cardinal Deacon, in this case Jean-Louis Tauran, announces from the central balcony of St Peter’s that a canonical election has taken place and proclaims the identity of the newly elect and the pontifical name he intends to adopt. This proclamation is made using the Latin formula: ‘Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam. Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum, Dominum N. Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem N., qui sibi nomen imposuit N. ’, meaning: I announce a great joy to you; we have a Pope! The most Eminent and most Reverend Lord, the Lord N. (baptismal name) Cardinal N. (surname) of the Holy Roman Church, who has taken the name of N. (his choice of pontifical name).
The new Holy Father, meanwhile -- and this is a novelty -- goes to the Cappella Paolina to pray before the Blessed Sacrament.
The new Pope will then make his appearance on the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica and impart from there the first Apostolic Blessing Urbi et Orbi - to the City and to the World.
At Benedict XVI's election, some 45 minutes passed between the smoke and the arrival of the Cardinal Deacon to the balcony. Another 10 minutes passed before Benedict XVI appeared to give his blessing.