Sede Vacante MMXIII

How many days to wait for a Pope?

Here is the list of 

Past Sede Vacante periods 

1799 - 2005.

1799:  Pius VI - Pius VII ~207 days (longest)

1823:  Pius VII - Leo XII ~39 days

1829:  Leo XII - Pius VIII ~49 days

1830:  Pius VIII - Gregory XVI ~63 days

1846:  Gregory XVI - Pius IX ~15 days

1878:  Pius IX - Leo XIII ~13 days (shortest)

1903:  Leo XIII - Pius X ~15 days

1914:  Pius X - Benedict XV ~14 days

1922:  Benedict XV - Pius XI ~15 days

1939:  Pius XI - Pius XII ~20 days

1958:  Pius XII - John XXIII ~19 days

1963:  John XXIII - Paul VI ~18 days

1978:  Paul VI - John Paul I ~20 days

1978:  John Paul I - John Paul II ~18 days

2005:  John Paul II - Benedict XVI ~17 days

2013:  Benedict XVI -  ~? days

"Pope Emeritus"

The Pope wearing the white mozetta or shoulder cape.

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

 wearing the simple white cassock without the white mozetta.

It was announced today,

that after his retirement

the Holy Father will wear a simple white cassock

without the mozetta (the shoulder cape). 

He will not wear the red papal shoes. 

His official address will be: 

"His Holiness Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus"

or

"His Holiness Benedict XVI Pontiff Emeritus"

not "Bishop Ereritus of Rome".

In illo tempore: Assumpsit Jesus Petrum....

In illo tempore: Assumpsit Jesus Petrum....

At that time, Jesus took Peter...

(Gospel, II Sunday of Lent, 2013)

Communiqué on the Conclave

Days of silence ...

'...to pray for Pope Benedict, 

to pray that the Holy Spirit enlighten the College of Cardinals, 

to pray for the future Pope, 

trusting that the fate of the barque of St. Peter 

is in the hands of God.'

A Vatican Radio translation 

of a Secretary of State communiqué on conclave, 

issued Saturday, 23 February, 2013:

Communiqué of the Secretariat of State

“The freedom of the College of Cardinals, which alone, under the law, is responsible for the election of the Roman Pontiff, has always been strongly defended by the Holy See, as a guarantee of a choice based on evaluations solely for the good of the Church.

“Over the centuries, the Cardinals have faced multiple forms of pressure exerted on the individual voters and the same College, with the aim of conditioning decisions, to bend them to a political or worldly logic.

“If in the past it was the so-called superpowers, namely States, that sought to condition the election of the Pope in their favour, today there is an attempt to apply the weight of public opinion, often on the basis of assessments that fail to capture the spiritual aspect of this moment in the life of the Church.

“It is regrettable that, as we draw near to the beginning of the Conclave when Cardinal electors shall be bound in conscience and before God, to freely express their choice, news reports abound which are often unverified or unverifiable, or completely false, provoking damage to people and institutions.

“It is in moments such as these, that Catholics are called to focus on what is essential: to pray for Pope Benedict, to pray that the Holy Spirit enlighten the College of Cardinals, to pray for the future Pope, trusting that the fate of the barque of St. Peter is in the hands of God."

 Here is the same text in the original Italian, for those of you who would like to check the one against the other:

COMUNICATO DELLA SEGRETERIA DI STATO

His Eminence Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone

The Secretary of State.

La libertà del Collegio Cardinalizio, al quale spetta di provvedere, a norma del diritto, all'elezione del Romano Pontefice, è sempre stata strenuamente difesa dalla Santa Sede, quale garanzia di una scelta che fosse basata su valutazioni rivolte unicamente al bene della Chiesa.
Nel corso dei secoli i Cardinali hanno dovuto far fronte a molteplici forme di pressione, esercitate sui singoli elettori e sullo stesso Collegio, che avevano come fine quello di condizionarne le decisioni, piegandole a logiche di tipo politico o mondano.
Se in passato sono state le cosiddette potenze, cioè gli Stati, a cercare di far valere il proprio condizionamento nell'elezione del Papa, oggi si tenta di mettere in gioco il peso dell'opinione pubblica, spesso sulla base di valutazioni che non colgono l'aspetto tipicamente spirituale del momento che la Chiesa sta vivendo.
È deplorevole che, con l'approssimarsi del tempo in cui avrà inizio il Conclave e i Cardinali elettori saranno tenuti, in coscienza e davanti a Dio, ad esprimere in piena libertà la propria scelta, si moltiplichi la diffusione di notizie spesso non verificate, o non verificabili, o addirittura false, anche con grave danno di persone e istituzioni.
Mai come in questi momenti, i cattolici si concentrano su ciò che è essenziale: pregano per Papa Benedetto, pregano affinché lo Spirito Santo illumini il Collegio dei Cardinali, pregano per il futuro Pontefice, fiduciosi che le sorti della barca di Pietro sono nelle mani di Dio.

Link: http://press.catholica.va/news_services/bulletin/news/30540.php?index=30540&lang=it

Thanks to Dr. Robert Moynihan

"His Holiness, Benedict XVI, Bishop Emeritus of Rome."

Still a while, our Holy Father.

As for millions of others in the world today,

the day stopped still even before midday.

Thoughts focused on the lovable person of our Holy Father.

It was like hearing of his sudden death.

With sorrow and acceptance dueling with each other;

with the grace of his pontificate fast approaching its close,

I found consolation in knowing that we obeyed

when he called us back to unity with him.

Our Congregation's consolation

is that we listened to his Motu proprio of 7 July 2007.

We may have been the only SSPX group that committed itself to action,

by returning to the heart of the Church in response to his request,

but in what concerns his person:

that we responded to his invitation, is our chief consolation

at this time, when he is leaving us.

Without his appeal to us and the grace that went with it

~the voice of Christ speaking through Benedict ~

without that call to life,

we would be in spiritual misery today.

If only all had answered!

We were not a great catch for the Fisher of Souls

we were but some little fish in the net of his pastoral charity;

just a few strays that heard the Shepherd's voice:

and he carried us on his shoulders!

He carried us on his shoulders!

Thank you Holy Father for all that you did for us;

Our Fisherman, our Shepherd, our Father

you have a great place in our hearts.

Soon then, our beloved Benedict will leave us.

The retired Pope retires to the monastic mountain

to pray for us as yet another Moses.

Have we lost?

Humanly we sorrow;

supernaturally we gain.

It is God's Will.

In His Will is our peace.

The Abdication of the Holy Father

The Holy Father

took everybody by surprise when he announced his abdication today:

Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. 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. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, 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 bark 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.

For this reason, 

and well aware of the seriousness of this act, 

with full freedom I declare 

that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, 

entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, 

in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, 

the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant 

and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff 

will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.

Forthcoming Ordinations to the Priesthood

ANNOUNCEMENT

The Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer

has the joy of announcing the forthcoming ordinations to the Priesthood

of

Rev. Brother Yousef Marie, F.SS.R.

and

Rev. Brother Magdala Maria, F.SS.R.

The Ordinations will take place on 22 June, 2013

in the church of the Fraternity of St Peter, 

the 

Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini,

36 Via dei Pettinari 

00153 Rome.

Further details will be made closer to the date.

We thank our Ordinary

His Lordship the Right Reverend Hugh Gilbert, O.S.B.

Bishop of Aberdeen 

and

the Very Reverend Fr John M. Berg F.S.S.P.

Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter

for the privilege of receiving sacred ordinations 

within the Eternal City

near our Holy Father

and 

close to the Chair of St Peter.

Redefining Marriage: Impact on schools.