THE CONCHO PADRE POST

O God, who reward the merits of the just
and offer pardon to sinners who do penance,
have mercy, we pray, on those who call upon you,
that the admission of our guilt
may serve to obtain your pardon for our sins.
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.

Vatican City, 12 March 2013 (VIS) – This afternoon, 115 cardinals entered the Conclave to elect Pope emeritus 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 PULJIĆ, 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 BAČKIS, 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 BOZANIĆ, Archbishop of Zagreb, Croatia

Jean-Baptiste PHAM MINH MÂN, Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Philippe BARBARIN, Archbishop of Lyon, France

Péter ERDŐ, 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

Stanisław 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

Stanisław RYŁKO, 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

Vatican Information Service

(Vatican Radio) The Missa pro eligendo romano pontifice, the Mass for the election of a Roman Pontiff, is being concelebrated by members of the College of Cardinals under the presidency of their Dean, Cardinal Angelo Sodano.
The Mass is the final liturgical act of the College before entering into Conclave later this afternoon for the election of a new Bishop of Rome.
Below is a translation of the Homily given by Cardinal Angelo Sodono

Dear Concelebrants, Distinct Authorities,
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“Forever I will sing the mercies of the Lord” is the hymn that resounds once again near the tomb of the Apostle Peter in this important hour of the history of the Holy Church of Christ. These are the words of Psalm 88 that have flowed from our lips to adore, give thanks and beg the Father who is in heaven. “Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo”: is the beautiful Latin text that has introduced us into contemplation of the One who always watches over his Church with love, sustaining her on her journey down through the ages, and giving her life through his Holy Spirit.

Such an interior attitude is ours today as we wish to offer ourselves with Christ to the Father who is in heaven, to thank him for the loving assistance that he always reserves for the Holy Church, and in particular for the brilliant Pontificate that he granted to us through the life and work of the 265th Successor of Peter, the beloved and venerable Pontiff Benedict XVI, to whom we renew in this moment all of our gratitude.

At the same time today, we implore the Lord, that through the pastoral sollicitude of the Cardinal Fathers, He may soon grant another Good Shepherd to his Holy Church. In this hour, faith in the promise of Christ sustains us in the indefectible character of the church. Indeed Jesus said to Peter: “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her.” (Mt. 16:18).

My brothers, the readings of the World of God that we have just heard can help us better understand the mission that Christ has entrusted to Peter and to his successors.

The Message of Love

The first reading has offered us once again a well-known messianic oracle from the second part of the book of Isaiah that is known as “the book of consolation” (Isaiah 40-66). It is a prophecy addressed to the people of Israel who are in exile in Babylon. Through this prophecy, God announces that he will send a Messiah full of mercy, a Messiah who would say: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me… he has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the wounds of broken hearts, to proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to prisoners, and to announce a year of mercy of the Lord” (Isaiah 61:1-3).
The fulfilment of such a prophecy is fully realized in Jesus, who came into the world to make present the love of the Father for all people. It is a love which is especially felt in contact with suffering, injustice, poverty and all human frailty, both physical and moral. It is especially found in the well known encyclical of Pope John Paul II, “Dives in Misericordia” where we read: “It is precisely the mode and sphere in which love manifests itself that in biblical language is called “mercy” (n. 3).

This mission of mercy has been entrusted by Christ to the pastors of his Church. It is a mission that must be embraced by every priest and bishop, but is especially entrusted to the Bishop of Rome, Shepherd of the universal Church. It is infact to Peter that Jesus said: “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?… Feed my lambs (John 21:15). In his commentary on these words, St. Augustine wrote: “May it be therefore the task of love to feed the flock of the Lord” (In Iohannis Evangelium, 123, 5; PL 35, 1967).

It is indeed this love that urges the Pastors of the Church to undertake their mission of service of the people of every age, from immediate charitable work even to the highest form of service, that of offering to every person the light of the Gospel and the strength of grace.

This is what Benedict XVI wrote in his Lenten Message for this year (#3). “Sometimes we tend, in fact, to reduce the term “charity” to solidarity or simply humanitarian aid. It is important, however, to remember that the greatest work of charity is evangelization, which is the “ministry of the word”. There is no action more beneficial – and therefore more charitable – towards one’s neighbour than to break the bread of the word of God, to share with him the Good News of the Gospel, to introduce him to a relationship with God: evangelization is the highest and the most integral promotion of the human person. As the Servant of God Pope Paul VI wrote in the Encyclical Populorum Progressio, the proclamation of Christ is the first and principal contributor to development (cf. n. 16).”

The message of unity

The second reading is taken from the letter to the Ephesians., written by the Apostle Paul in this very city of Rome during his first imprisonment (62-63 A.D.) It is a sublime letter in which Paul presents the mystery of Christ and his Church. While the first part is doctrinal (ch.1-3), the second part, from which today’s reading is taken, has a much more pastoral tone (ch. 4-6). In this part Paul teaches the practical consequences of the doctrine that was previously presented and begins with a strong appeal for church unity: “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Eph 4,1-3).

St. Paul then explains that in the unity of the Church, there is a diversity of gifts, according to the manifold grace of Christ, but this diversity is in function of the building up of the one body of Christ. “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (Eph 4:11-12).
In our text, St. Paul teaches that each of us must work to build up the unity of the Church, so that “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work (Eph 4:16). Each of us is therefore called to cooperate with the Successor of Peter, the visible foundation of such an ecclesial unity.

The Mission of the Pope

Brothers and sisters in Christ today’s Gospel takes us back to the Last Supper, when the Lord said to his Apostles: “This is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). The text is linked to the first reading from the Messiah’s actions in the first reading from the prophet Isaiah, reminding us that the fundamental attitude of the Pastors of the Church is love. It is this love that urges us to offer our own lives for our brothers and sisters. Jesus himself tells us: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:12).

The basic attitude of every Shepherd is therefore to lay down one’s life for his sheep (John 10:15). This also applies to the Successor of Peter, Pastor of the Universal Church. As high and universal the pastoral office, so much greater must be the charity of the Shepherd. In the heart of every Successor of Peter, the words spoken one day by the Divine Master to the humble fisherman of Galilee have resounded: “Diligis me plus his? Pasce agnos meos… pasce oves meas”; “Do you love me more than these? Feed my lambs… feed my sheep!” (John 21:15-17)

In the wake of this service of love toward the Church and towards all of humanity, the last popes have been builders of so many good initiatives for people and for the international community, tirelessly promoting justice and peace. Let us pray that the future Pope may continue this unceasing work on the world level.

Moreover, this service of charity is part of the intimate nature of the Church. Pope Benedict XVI reminded us of this fact when he said: “The service of charity is also a constitutive element of the Church’s mission and an indispensable expression of her very being; (Apostolic Letter in the form of a Motu Proprio Intima Ecclesiae natura, November 11, 2012, introduction; cf. Deus caritas est, n. 25).

It is a mission of charity that is proper to the Church, and in a particular way is proper to the Church of Rome, that in the beautiful expression of St. Ignatius of Antioch, is the Church that “presides in charity” “praesidet caritati” (cf. Ad Romanos (preface).; Lumen Gentium, n. 13).

My brothers, let us pray that the Lord will grant us a Pontiff who will embrace this noble mission with a generous heart. We ask this of the Lord, through the intercession of Mary most holy, Queen of the Apostles and of all the Martyrs and Saints, who through the course of history, made this Church of Rome glorious through the ages. Amen.

Translation from Vatican Radio

May the venerable exercises of holy devotion
shape the hearts of your faithful, O Lord,
to welcome worthily the Paschal Mystery
and proclaim the praises of your salvation.
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

Here is a brief chronology of Conclaves in recent centuries along with interesting facts that occurred during each, provided by the Vatican Information Service.

In the entire history of the Church, the longest papal election—taking place in Viterbo, Italy in 1268 and ending with the election of Gregory X—lasted for over two years. It was as a result of this instance that the modern papal Conclave was instituted.

In modern history, the longest Conclave was that of 1740. It lasted from 18 February until 17 August, 181 days. Fifty-one cardinals participated in the final ballot, four cardinals having died during the proceedings.

In 1758, the Conclave that elected Clement XIII lasted from 15 May until 6 July, 53 days. Forty-five cardinals participated, but one was absent at the final ballot, having left the Conclave because of illness.

In 1769, Clement XIV was elected after 94 days, from 15 February until 19 May. Forty-six cardinals participated in the vote.

Beginning in 1774, the Conclave that elected Pius VI lasted 133 days, from 5 October of that year until 15 February 1775. Forty-six cardinals entered in the Conclave but two of them died during the proceedings.

The Conclave that elected Pius VII took place in Valencia, Spain, since Rome was under occupation by Napoleon’s troops. It lasted from 1 December 1799 until 14 March 1800, 105 days. It was the last Conclave held outside of Rome and 34 cardinals participated.

In 1823, Leo XII was elected after 27 days, 2 September until 28 September, and 49 cardinals participated.

In 1829, the Conclave that elected Pius VIII lasted 36 days, 24 February until 31 March, and 50 cardinals participated.

At the Conclave that began in 1831, the last cardinal not to be bishop was elected Pope, Gregory XVI. The Conclave that elected him lasted 51 days, from 14 December 1830 until 2 February of the following year and 45 cardinals participated.

“Short” Conclaves began to take place from 1846, with the election of Blessed Pius IX. Fifty cardinals elected him Pope in a conclave lasting three days, from 14 to 16 June of that year.

After the longest papal reign, which lasted more than thirty years, the following Conclave also lasted three days, from 18 to 20 February in 1878. Sixty-one cardinals participated in the vote to elect Leo XIII. It’s interesting to note that, as his reign was the third longest in papal history, lasting over 25 years, only four of the cardinals that elected him participated in another Conclave. Another interesting fact from this Conclave is that the first American to be created cardinal, Cardinal John McCloskey, archbishop of New York, would have been the first non-European to take part in a papal election but he arrived too late to participate. That honour was to go to Cardinal James Gibbons, archbishop of Baltimore, Maryland at the next Conclave.

In 1903 St. Pius X was elected Pope by 64 cardinals in a Conclave that lasted five days, from 31 July until 4 August, and had 7 ballots. It was the last time that the “Jus Exclusivae” (“right of exclusion” or right to veto a candidate for the papacy claimed by the Catholic monarchs of Europe) was exercised. The Italian Cardinal Mariano Rampolla was vetoed by Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary. After his election, St. Pius X abolished the right of heads of state to exercise a veto.

In 1914, the Conclave that elected Benedict XV lasted four days, from 31 August until 3 September. The 57 participating cardinals had 10 ballots. Three North American Cardinals were locked out of the Sistine Chapel, having arrived too late to enter but it was the first time that a Latin American cardinal participated, Cardinal Joaquim Arcoverde de Albuquerque Cavalcanti, archbishop of Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In 1922, during the Conclave that elected Pius XI, 53 cardinals held 7 ballots over five days, from 2 to 6 February. Two American and one Canadian cardinal were again left out of the Conclave for having arrived too late. After his election, Pius XI established a period of 15 days from the beginning of the Sede Vacante to entering into Conclave in order to allow cardinals enough time to travel to Rome.

In the 1939 Conclave that elected Pius XII, the first patriarch of an Eastern rite participated in the election: His Beatitude Mar Ignatius Gabriel I Tappouni, patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Syrians. The Conclave, the shortest of the twentieth century, lasted just two days, from 1 to 2 March. The 62 cardinals held 3 ballots.

In the Conclave of 1958 that elected Blessed John XXIII, cardinals from China, India, and Africa participated for the first time. The Conclave lasted four days, from 25 to 28 October and the 51 cardinals held 11 ballots.

In 1963, the Conclave lasted three days, from 19 to 21 June. The 80 cardinals elected Paul VI after 11 ballots.

In 1978, the Conclave that elected John Paul I was the first in which cardinals over the age of 80 did not participate. The Conclave lasted two days, 25 to 26 August. The 111 Cardinal electors held four ballots.

In the second Conclave celebrated that year—the reign of John Paul I lasting just 33 days, resulting in the most recent “Year of Three Popes”—Blessed John Paul II was elected by the same 111 Cardinal electors after eight ballots held over three days 14 to 16 October.

In 2005, Benedict XVI was elected Pope in the fourth ballot of the Conclave that lasted two days, from 18 to 19 April. The largest number of Cardinal electors ever took part in that election: 115.

The Conclave that begins tomorrow, 12 March 2013, will be the first one since 1829 to be held during Lent. One hundred fifteen Cardinal electors will participate.

Vatican Information Service