Pope Francis (Pastor of Mercy) (6 page)
The former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had developed a reputation for being a disciplinarian because many errors had to be corrected under his tenure. Pope Benedict XVI, however, emerged as a warm, fatherly, and reconciliatory world religious leader, though still viewed with suspicion by the secular media and some progressive theologians. Pope Benedict XVI had lived and breathed the culture of the Vatican for many years and restored some of the older traditional trappings of the papacy, traditions that emphasized dignity and distinction from modern society. He issued three encyclical letters, simple and foundational in their scope, yet amazingly deep and penetrating. He established a place for the pre-Vatican II liturgy along side the current liturgy so that priests could celebrate at will. He insisted unswervingly in teaching the full doctrine of the faith, instructing the faithful to practice charity in truth.
Pope Benedict XVI’s final encyclical, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), reaffirmed and promoted Catholic social teaching, emphasizing the Church’s preferential option for the poor, concern for the environment, and decrying extreme inequalities throughout the world.
Before becoming pope, Cardinal Ratzinger had submitted his resignation as prefect to Pope John Paul II, hoping to spend his retirement in writing and studying. The Holy Father refused to accept his resignation. As the Pope continued his own work, despite his deteriorating physical condition, choosing to be a model of redemptive suffering, the prefect resigned himself to continue in his service as well, at least until the death of Pope John Paul II. Then he was made pope and had to endure many hardships in the years ahead. The sex abuse scandals continued to boil over in the West, and some even accused Pope Benedict of complacency with the issue when he was a bishop.
A quote from the Crusades period from his insightful Regensburg address, which focused primarily on the unity of faith and reason, was taken out of context and broadcast by the media, angering Muslims around the world. Also, some suspected corruption at the Vatican Bank. Corruption was also rampant within the Curia of the Vatican, as highlighted by the ‘Vatileaks’ scandal in 2012 in which the Pope’s butler stole confidential documents of the Vatican City State that revealed misdeeds and cronyism within the Vatican. The documents were leaked to a journalist that later published them in a book. Meanwhile, the Holy Father, who later revealed that he had a pacemaker for his heart condition, was continuing to grow old and felt he lacked the ability to keep up with the obligations of the modern papacy.
In April 2009, Pope Benedict XVI visited the tomb in Aquila, Italy, of hermit and monk Pope St. Celestine V, who resigned the papacy in 1296 after only a few months, after realizing he was suited more for monastic life than the task ahead. St. Celestine had provided the Church legislation for the resignation of a pope prior to his departure. A pope’s resignation must be done in complete freedom, deliberately, and in such a way that his resolve is publicly known. However, St. Celestine ended his days as a prisoner of his successor that feared that he might return. He would repeat to himself, referring to a monk’s cell, “You wanted a cell, Peter, and a cell you have.” In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI revealed to Peter Seewald in his book-length interview, “Light of the World”, that he believed that it is sometimes the duty of a pope to resign. He also revealed that he believed that the work he is meant to do as pope has already been accomplished.
Several major newspapers reported that the Pope Emeritus explained that he was given a mystical experience in which God gave him a strong and sustained desire to pursue a life of prayer, renouncing his office. Father Lombardi, the Vatican press secretary, told journalists that it was ultimately during the Holy Father’s trip to Cuba in March 2012, that he realized his limitations due to his age and Pope Benedict definitively, but secretly, resolved that he would resign. Soon the Holy Father was transported around St. Peter’s on a motorized platform that Pope John Paul II had once used towards his last days.
Pope Benedict called a consistory of cardinals on February 11, 2013, to approve miracles as part of the canonization process of three soon-to-be saints. At the end of the consistory, the frail 85-year-old Pontiff, still seated in his chair, softly delivered an important message in Latin to the cardinals by way of a microphone - his decision to resign his office effective 8 p.m., February 28, 2013. He said, “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.... In today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.... And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ” (as translated in Ch. 1 of Pope Francis by Matthew Bunson).
The eyes of the cardinals met each other, expressing surprise and disbelief. A pope had not resigned since Gregory XII in 1415, in order to end the Great Schism. Pope Benedict had succeeded in keeping his decision a secret; he had only informed a handful of men ahead of time. Pope Benedict’s last public Mass as Bishop of Rome was held on Ash Wednesday. Then at 4:45 p.m. on February 28, 2013, Pope Benedict lifted off from the Vatican by helicopter, the sound of the propellers mixing with that of the tolling bells of the basilica and the cheering of supportive crowds as he flew to Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence.
Landing in the close-knit town built near the shore of beautiful Lake Albano, he gave his final message and blessing as pope: “Thank you... [for] your friendship that does me so much good.... As of 8:00 p.m. I will no longer be the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church. I will simply be a pilgrim who is beginning the last part of his pilgrimage on earth. But with my heart, my love, my prayer, with all my inner strength, I will work for the common good and the good of the Church and all humanity....” At 8:00 p.m., the doors of the palace at Castel Gandolfo were closed, the papal apartment at the Vatican was sealed, and the Ring of the Fisherman was defaced so the seal could not be used again. The historic papal interregnum had begun.
‘Papabili’ is the Italian word for persons that are likely to become pope. Technically speaking, the cardinal-electors of a conclave can elect any baptized Catholic male without impediments as pope (those cardinals who are under the age of 80), but most popes that are elected are cardinals. In 2013, the 76-year-old Cardinal Bergoglio was near the bottom of the list of papabili, mostly because of his age. Since Pope Benedict had referred to the limitations of his advanced age in his resignation speech, people speculated that the cardinals gathering for conclave would be looking for a younger member of their ranks.
One major concern among the cardinals was finding someone capable of reforming the Church in the face of the sex abuse scandals and to provide solid management for the Roman Curia and the Vatican Bank, which had become a source of scandal. They also desired a man of dynamic faith who was a vibrant communicator and evangelizer capable of reaching out to the modern world, such as the youth, the media, people of various countries and situations, and those who have become alienated from the Church. Other factors they considered included the ability to speak a number of popular languages and a level of comfort with communicating through modern technology. Pope Benedict’s Twitter handle ‘@Pontifex,’ by which he would periodically send out inspirational ‘tweets’ on matters of faith, had become quite popular in the online world (Matthew Bunson further explains the cardinals’ concerns and expectations in Ch. 3 of Pope Francis).
Over the past 500 years, popes have typically come from Italy since most of the cardinals appointed were Italian. The trend in modern times, however, changed with the election of Cardinal Wojtyla of Krakow as Pope John Paul II and then Cardinal Ratzinger of Germany as Pope Benedict XVI. The face of the College of Cardinals has also changed over the past decades to better reflect the universality of the Church, hence increasing the probability of newly elected popes being other than Italian. Italy still has the largest number of cardinals, but is now followed by the United States.
Matthew Bunson, in his book, lists the global breakdown of cardinals: 61 from Europe, 17 from North America, 16 from South America, 11 from Africa, 11 from Asia, and 1 from Oceania. Also, while declining in Europe and North America, due to increased secularism, Catholicism is growing considerably in the Southern Hemisphere and Asia, even though the persecution of Christians has become an epidemic in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The vocation crisis plaguing Europe and North America is non-existent in many of these young churches, which now represent the future of the Church. Overall, and thanks to the developing world, the Catholic Church, which literally means ‘Universal Church,’ is growing, and has about 1.3 billion members worldwide.
Cardinal Angelo Scola of the prominent see of Milan, Italy, an excellent communicator and a top theologian, was among the favored papabili. There was also much talk of Cardinal Peter Turkson of Africa, the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. British bookies placed their bets on Cardinal Tarsicio Bertone, the experienced Vatican secretary of state and highest-ranking Vatican official after the pope, despite his involvement with the status quo within the Curia. Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston and Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York were on the top of some lists. However, even the American cardinals noted that regardless of the quality of an American candidate, a pope from the United States might not be ideal in the current world situation, for it may be perceived abroad as another symbol of American world dominance.
The 55-year-old Cardinal Luis Tagle of Manila, a charismatic and youthful figure, was a favorite among some, however his election as pope would likely mean a pontificate even longer than that of Pope John Paul II. Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Canada, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and known for his selection of excellent candidates for the episcopacy, was also mentioned among the papabili. If one is looking for a Latin American candidate, there was Cardinal Odilo Sherer of São Paulo, Brazil, but as the saying goes, “He who enters the conclave as a ‘pope’ leaves it as a cardinal.”
Pope Benedict had given a motu proprio decree allowing for the College of Cardinals to move the beginning of the conclave forward since the Pope had not died and a funeral was not taking place. However, the cardinals settled upon a relatively later date at the urging of American cardinals who wanted to allow for more time for cardinals to get to know each other. This would give a candidate from outside the Roman Curia a better chance of being elected. The cardinals gathered on March 12, 2013, to concelebrate the Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff at St. Peter’s Basilica. The last Mass of this type was presided over by Cardinal Ratzinger. This time, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, preached on the most important quality the next pope should have; a heart like Christ the Shepherd.
The cardinals then processed to the Sistine Chapel, with its famous fresco of the Last Judgment as a reminder to them, and chanted Veni Creator Spiritus (Come Creator Spirit), since it is ultimately the Holy Spirit who guides them in selecting the next Roman Pontiff. Then each of the cardinal-electors took an oath in Latin to secrecy and to obey the guidelines laid down for the conclave. Once this was complete, Cardinal Sodano pronounced the traditional words to indicate that all but the cardinal-electors must leave: “extra omnes” (“all others”). Slowly, he walked down the long aisle between the cardinals to seal the doors shut. The only communication the cardinals would have with the outside world was the color of the smoke they would send through the chimney of the Sistine Chapel - black to indicate a vote shy of the two-thirds majority for electing the Roman Pontiff and white to indicate a successful election.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan explains, in a recent ebook “Praying in Rome”, what it is like being a cardinal at a papal conclave, “At the start of the conclave, three scrutatori, three cardinals who are in charge of the ballots, were chosen by lot. They would do the counting and make sure that there is always an exact number of ballots. No debating or conversation goes on during the conclave. The actual time we spent in the Sistine Chapel was an occasion for silence, prayer, and reflection; it is almost a liturgy, a retreat.” The papabili do not campaign, and they are not allowed to. The cardinals do have plenty of opportunity to discuss candidates and issues over meals. “Inside the Sistine Chapel, there’s immense prayer and deep reflection. But outside of it, when we would leave the Sistine and return for meals and the night to Sanctae Marthae, there were very frank and candid conversations. I would ask brother cardinals, ‘What’s he like?’ or ‘Tell me about him. Is the perception accurate?’”
Black smoke poured out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel four times over two days. A seagull perched on the barren chimney Wednesday afternoon, seemingly waiting with the rest of the world for white smoke. Then, just after 7:00 p.m. of the second day, Wednesday, March 13, white smoke was clearly seen billowing out from the chimney as an ecstatic and growing crowd poured into St. Peter’s Square.
