THE CONCHO PADRE POST

Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, held a briefing for reporters on February 14, providing more information about plans for the retirement of Pope Benedict and the election of his successor. He revealed:

•Archbishop Georg Ganswein, who has served for years as the private secretary to Benedict XVI, will continue to live with the Pontiff after his retirement. However the archbishop, who was recently appointed as prefect of the pontifical household, will continue to serve in that role as well. The new Pontiff could, if he wished, select a replacement.

The Vatican will continue to provide security for the former Pontiff in his retirement. His household will still be served by members of the Memores Domini lay movement.

•Pope Benedict did suffer a minor injury to his head during his trip to Mexico last year. (This announcement was a confirmation of rumors that had circulated among Vatican-watchers for some time. It followed the disclosure a day earlier that the Pontiff had surgery to replace the battery in his pacemaker—again a confirmation of rumors.) However the injury was not serious, Father Lombardi said. It did not affect the Pope’s schedule during that foreign trip, and was not a factor in his decision to resign.

•The world’s cardinals will gather in Rome on March 1, the day after the Pope’s resignation becomes effective, to begin discussions on the future needs of the Church. All cardinals–including those who are over 80 and ineligible to vote in a papal election–can join in these discussions. Among other things, these early meetings will set a date for the conclave.

•Barring a death in the College of Cardinals, there will be 117 cardinal-electors eligible to vote in the papal conclave. There are currently 118 cardinal-electors, but one—Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, the retired Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, will celebrate his 80th birthday on February 26, and thus become ineligible to participate in the conclave. Two other cardinals could turn 80 before the conclave begins sometime in mid-March, but the rules of the conclave stipulate that a cardinal becomes ineligible only if he turns 80 before the papacy becomes vacant. Thus Cardinal Walter Kasper, the former president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, who will be 80 on March 5; and Cardinal Severino Poletto, former Archbishop of Turin, whose 80th birthday is on March 18, will be eligible to vote.

Vatican Information Service

Wednesday, Feb. 13, Ash Wednesday, also saw the Holy Father at a General Audience. During that time he explained to the faithful present his decision to resign from the Petrine office on Feb. 28, at 8:00 p.m. Rome time.

The Holy Father will have one more General Audience on Wed., Feb. 27. Next week he and the entire Vatican curia will be on Lenten Retreat. It is expected that most of the Cardinals will be present for his final General Audience.

Wednesday evening at St. Peter’s Basilica the Pope presided at the Ash Wednesday services. They were transferred from the usual venue of a procession from San Anselmo to Santa Sabina because of the large numbers of people expected due to the announcement of the Pope’s resignation.

In his homily, he spoke of humility and unity.

This constitutued the last public liturgical act of Benedict XVI.

Today, the Thursday after Ash Wednesday, the Holy Father met with the priests of the Diocese of Rome. This is an annual event, but this year also was an occasion for the priests of his diocese to bid the Holy Father good-bye. By all reports it was a very emotional meeting, and the Holy Father was a given a standing ovation several times during the visit. The Cardinal Vicar of Rome spoke on behalf of all the priests in wishing the Holy Father well, and in assuring him of their love, prayers and thanks for his pontificate. The Holy Father also assured the priests that they would be constantly remembered in his prayers after he leaves the Throne of Peter.

Altogether a difficult time for everyone — a time of sadness, but also a time of joy and thanksgiving.

We shall wait to see what comes next.

The Concho Padre

Luke 9:22-25

Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected
by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

Then he said to all,
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?”

The Roman Missal

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

Grant, O Lord,
that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service,
so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils,
we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.

The Roman Missal