Since AD 313 -the Red Shoes of the Fisherman

I am happy to share an image that was sent to me, 

since it seems that people don't understand that 

the Papal red shoes go back through all the Popes 

to just after the Church of the Catacombs. 

It is wrong for people to target 

His Holiness Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI 

as if they were his personal choice
from vanity or contempt for the poor.

All the Popes since AD 313 have worn
the red papal shoes of the Fisherman. 

The Holy Father of 2013 has chosen to lay them aside. 

That is his decision which we respect 

but Pope Francis' decision should not be used
to reflect badly 

upon His Holiness our beloved Emeritus Pope.

First Sunday Mass as Pope

The Pope offered Mass this morning in the parish of St Anne, Vatican City.

The Pope stepped out of a plain black car and 

immediately began shaking hands and blessing babies.

The small church was packed and many were unable to find seats.

At the end of the Mass, Francis did the unexpected.

He walked to the podium again, 

and talked about a priest from Uruguay 

whom he had spotted among the faithful attending the Mass. 

The priest, Don Gonsalvo 

stood up while Francis was talking about his work 

with street children and drug-addicts for whom he built a school.

  (Source: The Telegraph)

The Papa.

This morning, Pope Francis stopped by the Vatican-owned residence where he routinely stays during visits to Rome and where he stayed before the start of the conclave to pick up his luggage and pay the bill.

The Rev. Pawel Rytel-Andrianek, who teaches at the nearby Pontifical Holy Cross University and is staying at the residence, said he didn't just come to get his luggage, noting that anyone could have come to get his suitcases.

"He wanted to come here because he wanted to thank the personnel, people who work in this house," he said. Francis met with the staff in the dining room. "He greeted them one by one, no rush, the whole staff, one by one," Rytel-Andrianek said, noting that the pope knew everyone by name.

Official Statement

Official Statement on elevation of 

His Holiness Pope Francis

to the See of Rome

The most small institute of the Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer rejoice in the election of our Holy Father Pope Francis.
We recognise in him the person of our highest Superior whom, by vow, we have willingly bound ourselves to obey. We pledge him our humble and filial charity.
This morning the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered to God in thanksgiving for his election.  

God bless our Pope!

Edifying photograph of great beauty:
Pope Francis as a Cardinal, 
washing the feet of twelve AIDS victims.

May The Lord preserve him and give him life, 

and make him blessed upon the earth : 

and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. 

The Most Small Institute.

Habemus Papam!

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum;

habemus Papam;

Eminentissium ac Reverendissium Dominum,

Dominum 

Georgium Marium

Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae 

Cardinalem Bergoglio

Qui sibi nomen imposuit 

Franciscum.

I announce to you with great joy;

We have a Pope;

The most eminent and most reverend Lord

Lord George Mario

Cardinal of Holy Roman Church Bergoglio

Who has taken the name

 Francis.

Live Watch: Papal Conclave

The Gregorian Conclave

The Conclave 

to elect the successor of St Peter

is to begin on 

the Feast of 

Pope St Gregory the Great,

Tuesday, 12 March, 2013.

Oratio.
Deus, qui animae famuli tui Gregorii
aeternae beatitudinis praemia contulisti:
concede propitius;
ut, qui peccatorum nostrorum pondere premimur,
eius apud te precibus sublevemur.
Per Dominum.

O God who hast conferred
the rewards of everlasting happiness
upon the soul of Thy servant Gregory,
mercifully grant that we,
who are oppressed by the burden of our sins,
may be relieved by his prayers with Thee.
Through our Lord.

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.