In the prelude to the funeral of the Pope Francisthe Fourth General Congregation of Cardinals in the Vaticana crucial meeting in which the cardinals assume the Government of the Church while the election of the new Pope is expected after the death of the Argentine Pontiff.
Matteo Brunidirector of the press office of the Holy See, explained that 149 Cardinals participated in the meetingwhich was carried out in the New Classroom of the Vatican Synod. It started around 9 and extended until shortly after noon.
During the day, they were made 33 religious interventions from various parts of the world. In addition, the Apostolic Constitution was read Universi Dominici Gregis and Monsignor Diego Ravelli, a teacher of the papal liturgical celebrations, offered more details about the Pope’s funeral.
Ravelli explained that, following Francisco’s wishes, the protocol this Saturday It will be characterized by its simplicity and austerity. Unlike other papal funerals, the Pope’s body will not be placed in a catafalco or on a high platform.
Instead of the traditional three urns of cypress, lead and oak, a single wooden urn will be used with a zinc box inside. The master of ceremonies stressed that the rite will be “that of a shepherd, not that of a sovereign.”
The funeral will be this Saturday, April 26 at 10 (Rome schedule), that is, in Argentina, the rite begins to the 5 in the morning. Will be given in the San Pedro Square and the exequial liturgy will be chaired by the dean of the Cardinal College, Giovanni Battista Re.
In addition, Bruni said that this Saturday the arrival of more than 130 international delegations is expected, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning sovereigns. Some of these dignitaries, such as the president of Brazil, Lula da Silva, and the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, are already in Rome and participated in the last day of the burning chapel.
Among the Mass attendees are figures such as Argentine President Javier Milei, US former presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden, British leader Keir Starmer and King Felipe VI of Spain. According to the protocol, the dignitaries will be located according to their position, with the Argentine President (Natal Country of the Pope) and the Italians in the first rows, followed by real families and the other presidents, in alphabetical order in French.
Before the conclave: Why do Cardinals General Congregations matter
It is extremely important to highlight how important the General congregations of cardinals, facing the conclave, and what debates are given there.
Days before the voters went to vote in the Sistine Chapel, in March 2013, Jorge Bergoglio delivered a speech with paper in hand in one of that meetings and said: “The Church is called to leave itself and Go to the peripheries, not only the geographical ones, but also the existential ones ”something that was later reflected in his mandate.
Cardinal interventions during these meetings They are usually confidential. The content of this Bergoglio text was known after a request from Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega, said the Italian medium Corriere Della Sera.
In those few lines, Francisco’s pontificate program could already be visualized and there lies the importance of general congregations. In which the voters know each other and thus their plans. On the other hand, the same Cardinal College, in the context of vacant headquarters, lacks “power or jurisdiction on matters that compete for the Supreme Pontiff,” said the environment.
His focus is in the transition and all cardinals – electors and non -electors – participate in general congregations, although those over 80 do not vote in the conclave since they have the right to refrain. In the case of Pope Francis, the First general congregation met on the morning of April 22, the day after his death.
Conclave: The process to choose a new Pope
After the death of Pope Francis, the Vatican automatically activated the protocol “Vacant Headquarters”as part of a process that ends with the choice of a new pontiff. In this context, the Cardinal College assumes the temporary administration of the Catholic Church until all the cardinals meet in a conclave.
In that meeting they define the successor of the Supreme Pontiff, and it is done between the next 15 and 20 days after death. Cardinals under 80 vote in the Sistine Chapel until they reach the two thirds necessary to define a new Pope.
The choice of a leader is announced once the famous white smoke leaves the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. Once the new Pope accepts the position and chooses a name, he proclaims him before the Plaza San Pedro.
Then Balcony of the Basilica of San Pedro comes out and gives its first blessing Urbi et Orbi (from Latin “to the city of Rome and the world”), thus giving the beginning of a new cycle in the Catholic Church.
Source: Ambito
