SEDE VACANTE AUC MMDCCLXXVIII

Today, the 2778th anniversary of the foundation of the City of Rome, on Easter Monday, died Pope Francis; of your charity, pray for the repose of his soul:

Deus, qui inter summos Sacerdótes fámulum tuum Francíscum ineffábili tua dispositióne connumerári voluísti: præsta, quǽsumus; ut, qui unigéniti Fílii tui vices in terris gerébat, sanctórum tuórum Pontíficum consórtio perpétuo aggregétur. Per eúmdem Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum, Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum. Amen. 

(O God, who didst will in thine unspeakable disposition to number thy servant Francis amongst the high Priests: grant, we beg, that he, who ruled as vicar of thy Son on earth, may be aggregated to the fellowship of thy holy Pontiffs. Through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who with thee liveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.) 

Pray also that Christ the Lord may speedily grant his beloved Bride, the Catholic Church, a worthy Catholic to be his Vicar on earth, that the next Pope may rule wisely and well, for the salvation of souls and the greater glory of God:

Súpplici, Dómine, humilitáte depóscimus: ut sacrosánctæ Románæ Ecclésiæ concédat Pontíficem illum tua imménsa píetas; qui et pio in nos stúdio semper tibi plácitus, et tuo pópulo pro salúbri regímine sit assídue ad glóriam tui nóminis reveréndus. Per Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum, Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum. Amen. 

(In suppliant humility, O Lord, we pray earnestly, that thy boundless piety may grant to the most holy Roman Church that Pontiff, who may both by pious zeal for us ever be pleasing unto thee, and to the glory of thy name assiduously be respected by thy people on account of his beneficial rule. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who with thee liveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.)

Pray for Cardinal Sarah

A priest whom I am honoured to count as a friend told me a year ago or more that he prays an Ave daily that Cardinal Sarah be elected as the next Pope (and I believe he received this advice from a good bishop). I humbly commend the same excellent prayer intention to all readers.

Transtulit austrum de cælo et induxit in virtute sua africum.
(Ps. 77, 26) 

Vale, Pater Sanctissime

I made sure I sat up on Sunday night to watch the Pope's last Angelus address live. (When actually in Rome, I never made it to the Angelus, since the High Mass at Santissima Trinità clashed.) As I type, I have the Pope's last General Audience – held in St Peter's square – streaming live (he spoke in English just a little earlier); at least I did go to one of those when in Rome, though it was held indoors. Indeed, I was also able to attend one of his public Masses, including his consecration of three bishops at St Peter's; I recall being in the vast congregation close to the statue of St Philip Neri, seeing him at the high altar, celebrating the Divine Mysteries...

Having watched the Angelus, I replayed footage of the 2005 Habemus Papam announcement, and His Holiness' first appearance on the loggia, to impart the Papal Blessing Urbi et Orbi. How happy I was eight years ago, being awoken to the joyful news of his election at 3 am, and rushing to the chapel to say a glad Te Deum!  Where have the years gone?  "Time, like an ever rolling stream, / Bears all its sons away..." – having reviewed what then came to pass, I felt quite sad to be at the end of his pontificate, whose outset was such a marvel.

What a dear Pope, and how much I shall miss him! I do wish somehow, impossibly, that he decides not to abdicate after all – but, whatever I may think, he is Pope, and he is judged of none; and his acts as the Vicar of Christ are those of the Lord's Plenipotentiary on earth, effective non autem consensu Ecclesiæ.  Indeed, Roma locuta est, causa finita est.

My cat has just arrived on my lap, and how fitting that she may soon receive the Papal Blessing via television as I will; after all, the Pope loves cats, and (as St Bernard wrote) "Love me, love my dog"! – she mustn't have liked that last phrase, fickle creature, for she's gone off purring elsewhere...

The good Pope, having spoken at length in Italian, and then more briefly (in response to respectful addresses of successive prelates) in French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic, now gives his last paternal greetings in Croatian... in Czech... in Slovak... in Romanian... again he is addressed and then speaks in Italian...

I sing along with the plainchant Pater noster, chant reply to the versicles Sit nomen Domini and Adjutorium nostrum, and kneel to receive – as I am taught is truly imparted even via audiovisual transmissions – the Apostolic Blessing.

Most Holy Father, may God reward and keep you ad multos annos, ad vitam æternam. Amen.

Names...

Benedict XVII? (A most suitable gesture, signifying deep respect and a pledge of continuity, but perhaps confusing, given "ex-Benedict" would be living in a granny flat in the garden.)

John Paul III? (Many, apart from curmudgeonly traddies, would like it; at WYD, the young could chant "J. P. III, we love thee!")

John XXIV? (Good Pope John was just that, in every respect; pity about that Council, but, well, good intentions...)

Paul VII? (Yuck. The wreckage he's responsible for will take centuries to clear. Luckily, among moderates or whatever less traditional types may call themselves, the sixth of that name still hasn't lived down that encyclical of 1968 – eminently true, orthodox and indeed prophetic as it is.)

Pius XIII? (Inevitably, a name inspiring or terrifying, implying some such sobriquet as "the Excommunicator" – unlikely, and titillating only to SSPXers and perfervid trad bloggers...)

Leo XIV? (My personal favourite: no baggage attaches, and it nicely breaks up the repetitiveness of recent papal names.)

Gregory XVII? (We haven't had one since 1846.)

Clement XV? (That name hasn't been used since before the French Revolution; and so for all the rest.)

I predict: Scola, to be known as Benedict XVII, or John Paul III, or John XXIV.

(How about a triple-barrelled moniker: John Paul Benedict? – of course, a wag would suggest Peter Paul Mary!)

His Holiness to Resign!

I feel quite unable to believe it, but it is true – His Holiness Benedict XVI has staggered all, by announcing that he freely renounces the Papacy, on the grounds of ill-health, effective as of 8 pm Rome time on Friday 28th February. A conclave will then be held to elect his successor.

Pray, pray for the Holy Roman Church, that she be not long bereaved of an earthly pastor, but that the Cardinals may elect a worthy successor to this most humble Supreme Pontiff, the first since St Celestine V to resign the Papal throne, and, like him, doing so conscious of his frailty, and intent upon henceforth devoting himself to a life of prayer.

Benedict and Konrad

So far as I know, no one* has compared the pontificate of Benedict XVI to the chancellorship of Konrad Adenauer, but it struck me this morning that such a comparison is a fruitful one.

[* I discovered late yester-day that my insight is not a new one: Bruce Walker discussed this seven years ago!]

To start with, both men are devout Catholics! - one from Bavaria, one from the Rhineland.  Secondly, both men endured the Nazi dictatorship - Benedict as a young man, Adenauer as a man in his late fifties and sixties.

Thirdly, both men came to high office somewhat unexpectedly, and late in life, after their earlier careers - Benedict had been a university professor prior to his appointment as Archbishop aged 52, followed by his transfer to Rome and lastly his election as Pope aged 78, something quite unexpected (and hardly dared hoped for by many); Adenauer, having had a long career as Mayor of Cologne, could have been expected to enjoy his retirement when Hitler fell (he'd spent the twelve years of the Third Reich narrowly avoiding execution), but instead formed the CDU, chaired the constitutional convention, and then, aged 73, became the first Chancellor of post-war (West) Germany, a post he held until he retired, aged 87.

Adenauer was famously known as Der Alte, "the Old"; he presided over the rebuilding of a shattered nation, and the "economic miracle" that transformed Germany - her economy continues strong to-day.  Many have commented on the grandfatherly quality of our dear Pope; none I've heard have named him Der Alte, but they would be right in saying it, with all the specifically German connotations attached: for Konrad Adenauer remains the best-regarded Chancellor, given all his achievements.

We already see Benedict referred to as the Pope of Christian Unity, given his initiatives to bring back "groups of Anglicans" and, please God, the SSPX.  May Pope Benedict "repair what is shattered, for it sways" (Ps 59(60):4b), that is, rebuild Mother Church, broken as she is by the misdeeds of the past decades: God send him new saints such as St Francis and St Ignatius to assist him.