Remembering Last Days of Benedict XVI and the Sede Vacante

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“The Church is in the world but not of the world and it is a living body,” therefore it is not an institution designed and conceived according to pre-set plans, but is of God. -Benedict XVI speaking to the Cardinals for the last time as pope full text below

The process of transition to a new pope was lived through by all the members of the church and we have now passed one year with our new Pope Francis and a Pope emeritus Benedict XVI. I wish today to remember with gratitude our beloved Benedict XVI, now known as "pontiff emeritus,"  who after leaving the Vatican spent the next few weeks at the hilltop Castel Gandolfo until the new Pope had taken office and now resides in a former convent in the Vatican gardens, he said before he left office that he would live out his days "hidden from the world" in prayer and isolation. He has been photographed only a few times since then.

Indeed, he is far from the world but he is present in the Church. His mission now, as he once said, is to help the Church and his successor, Pope Francis, through prayer. This is his first and most important task.

Benedict XVI 

Last Words and Blessing 
 as Pope from Castel Gandolfo

"Thank you, thank you all! Dear friends I am happy to be with you...your friendship does me a lot of good....Thank you for your friendship and affection...I am not any longer the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church- until 8pm I am, but then, no longer. I am simply a pilgrim who is beginning his last stage of pilgrimage on this earth. I would still like to, with my heart, love, prayer, and reflection, with all my interior strength, work for the common good, for the good of the Church and of humanity, and I feel very sustained by your love. Let us go ahead together with the Lord for the good of the Church and of the world. Grazie! I extend to you now, with all my heart, my blessing....grazie! Good night! Thank you all!  

Click for Video of Pope Benedict XVI giving his last blessing as pope at Castel Gandolfo 

Fr. Federico Lombardi said that His symbolic Fisherman's Ring and papal seal will  likely be "destroyed" by means of making scratch marks so that they can no longer be used to seal documents. 

Benedict XVI First Pope to Tweet Ended Pontificate  With 3 Million Twitter Followers 

Benedict's final  Twitter tweet was sent at 11 a.m. ET from his @Pontifex account, and read: "Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives."

The nine @pontifex Twitter accounts reached over three million followers just before 8 pm on Thursday, when the accounts were officially made inactive as the Sede Vacante started. The account will remain dormant until the next pope decides whether he wants to use it, the Vatican said. 

 Benedict XVI Gives
Last Talk to the Cardinals
Who will elect the new pope

 
Dear beloved brothers,

I welcome you all with great joy and cordially greet each one of you. I thank Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who as always, has been able to convey the sentiments of the College, Cor ad cor loquitur. Thank you, Your Eminence from my heart.
 
And referring to the disciples of Emmaus, I would like to say to you all that it has also been a joy for me to walk with you over the years in light of the presence of the Risen Lord. As I said yesterday, in front of thousands of people who filled St. Peter's Square, your closeness, your advice, have been a great help to me in my ministry.

In these 8 years we have experienced in faith beautiful moments of radiant light in the Churches’ journey along with times when clouds have darkened the sky. We have tried to serve Christ and his Church with deep and total love which is the soul of our ministry.

We have gifted hope that comes from Christ alone, and which alone can illuminate our path. Together we can thank the Lord who has helped us grow in communion, to pray to together, to help you to continue to grow in this deep unity so that the College of Cardinals is like an orchestra, where diversity, an expression of the universal Church, always contributes to a superior harmony of concord. 

I would like to leave you with a simple thought that is close to my heart, a thought on the Church, Her mystery, which is for all of us, we can say, the reason and the passion of our lives. I am helped by an expression of Romano Guardini’s, written in the year in which the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council approved the Constitution Lumen Gentium, his last with a personal dedication to me, so the words of this book are particularly dear to me .

Guardini says: "The Church is not an institution devised and built at table, but a living reality. She lives along the course of time by transforming Herself, like any living being, yet Her nature remains the same. At Her heart is Christ."

This was our experience yesterday, I think, in the square. We could see that the Church is a living body, animated by the Holy Spirit, and truly lives by the power of God, She is in the world but not of the world. She is of God, of Christ, of the Spirit, as we saw yesterday.

This is why another eloquent expression of Guardini’s is also true: "The Church is awakening in souls." The Church lives, grows and awakens in those souls which like the Virgin Mary accept and conceive the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. They offer to God their flesh and in their own poverty and humility become capable of giving birth to Christ in the world today.

Cardinal Burke speaks with Benedict XVI  photo by @GuadalupeShrine

Through the Church the mystery of the Incarnation remains present forever. Christ continues to walk through all times in all places. Let us remain united, dear brothers, to this mystery, in prayer, especially in daily Eucharist, and thus serve the Church and all humanity. This is our joy that no one can take from us.

Prior to bidding farewell to each of you personally, I want to tell you that I will continue to be close to you in prayer, especially in the next few days, so that you may all be fully docile to the action of the Holy Spirit in election of the new Pope. May the Lord show you what is willed by Him. And among you, among the College of Cardinals, there is also the future Pope, to whom, here to today, I already promise my unconditional reverence and obedience. For all this, with affection and gratitude, I cordially impart upon you my Apostolic Blessing"  (From Vatican Radio)

Gatias, Grazie, Thank You, Benedict XVI
We pray for you and our new Pope Francis
Ora pro nobis, Pray for us!

  

Habemus Papam! Pope Francis elected 3/13/13-The Fatima Message Embraces the Holy Father with prayer!

Pope Francis elected the 266th pope on 3/13/13. We thank God & Our Lady of Fatima for you! Our prayers will always be with you that God will always strengthen you to carry the burden of the church militant on your shoulders as you, follow St Francis to help Jesus "rebuild his Church"!

 

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected after two days of conclave meetings, with five rounds of voting. The voting is confidential but Francis received at least 77 votes, which is the minimum two-thirds required to become pope. There were 115 cardinals eligible to vote in the conclave. All were under 80 before Benedict's retirement, as required by Vatican rules.
Pope Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first pope from the Southern Hemisphere and the first pope from the Americas. Indeed, he is the first non-European pope in over 1,200 years; the last non-European pope, St. Gregory III, was born in Syria and reigned from 733 to 741. Francis is also the first pope since Pope John Paul I to take a previously unused papal name From 1998 until his election as pope, he served as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, and was elevated to cardinal in 2001 and was a member of the following congregations:

• Member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
• Member of the Congregation for the Clergy.
• Member of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
• Member of the Pontifical Council for the Family

 

Pope's First address "Urbi et Orbi"

To the city (Rome) and to the World

Brothers and sisters, good evening!  You know that it was the duty of the Conclave to give Rome a Bishop.  It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone to the ends of the earth to get one... but here we are... I thank you for your welcome.  The diocesan community of Rome now has its Bishop.  Thank you!     

And first of all, I would like to offer a prayer for our Bishop Emeritus, Benedict XVI.  Let us pray together for him, that the Lord may bless him and that Our Lady may keep him.  Our Father...Hail Mary...Glory Be... 

And now, we take up this journey:  Bishop and People.This journey of the Church of Rome which presides in charity over all the Churches.  A journey of fraternity, of love, of trust among us.  Let us always pray for one another.  Let us pray for the whole world, that there may be a great spirit of fraternity.  It is my hope for you that this journey of the Church, which we start today, and in which my Cardinal Vicar, here present, will assist me, will be fruitful for the evangelization of this most beautiful city. 

 The First Apostolic Blessing 

And now I would like to give the blessing, but first - first I ask a favour of you: before the Bishop blesses his people, I ask you to pray to the Lord that he will bless me: the prayer of the people asking the blessing for their Bishop.Let us make, in silence, this prayer:  your prayer over me.  

Now I will give the Blessing to you and to the whole world, to all men and women of good will.[Blessing] 

Brothers and sisters, I leave you now.  Thank you for your welcome.  Pray for me and until we meet again.  We will see each other soon.  Tomorrow I wish to go and pray to Our Lady, that she may watch over all of Rome.  Good night and sleep well!

As a cardinal, Pope Francis became known for his personal humility, doctrinal conservatism and commitment to social justice. A simple lifestyle contributed to his reputation for humility. He lived in a small apartment, rather than in the palatial bishop's residence. He gave up his chauffeured limousine in favor of public transportation, and he reportedly cooked his own meals. He has invited his clergy and laity to oppose abortion euthanasia and Homosexuality.

 
When affirming church teaching on homosexuality, he also taught the importance of respecting individuals who are homosexual. He strongly opposed legislation introduced in 2010 by the Argentine Government to allow same-sex marriage, calling it a "real and dire anthropological throwback". In a letter to the monasteries of Buenos Aires, he wrote: "Let's not be naive, we're not talking about a simple political battle; it is a destructive pretension against the plan of God. We are not talking about a mere bill, but rather a machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God." He has also insisted that adoption by homosexuals is a form of discrimination against children. This position received a rebuke from Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who said the church's tone was reminiscent of "medieval times and the Inquisition".

My sister, is a Franciscan Religious, and is in Rome for these historic moments residing only 2 blocks from the Vatican. She said that it rained off and on during the conclave. Once the white smoke came it stopped raining sort of like the miracle at Fatima. There were also white birds, pigeons or gulls present that hovered around the smoke stack off and on during the conclave and stole the show for the news media waiting for news. One nested right near the smoke stack for quite sometime. I was reminded of the white pigeons or doves at Fatima that follow Our Lady's statue during the major processions on the 13th of each month from May-October. I heard a press reporter comment on the internet live feed; "What about the birds in the picture, I did not know they had a press pass too!! These little events suggesting hopefully Our Lady's intervention for the church! Let us follow the advice of Bl. Jacinta of Fatima who said; "We must pray very much for the Holy Father!" Let us pray the Rosary every day so that the new Pope Francis will lead us to the Triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart!

Fatima Message Embraces Holy Father with Prayer & Sacrifice!

 "We must Pray very much for the Holy Father"

-Bl. Jacinta

"I saw the Holy Father!" Jacinta continued. "He was in a very big house, kneeling by a table, with his head buried in his hands, and he was weeping. Outside the house, there were many people. Some of them were throwing stones, others were cursing him and using bad language. Poor Holy Father, we must pray very much for him."
 
Some experts believed that this mysterious vision applied to Pope Pius XII. But it is more probable that this prophetic vision also concerned the future popes. In particular I believe Benedict XVI. Unprecedented Media Attacks on the papacy since 2010
 
Also see: At Fatima Heaven reclaims #13 from pagan worship to a sacred number You will find this heading at the very end of this post on the Anniversary of the death of Sr. Lucia who died at 96 years of age on 2/13/2005.

Sede Vacante Day #12 Cardinal Electors Vow to keep Conclave Proceedings Secret!

  Prayer for Election of New Pope            

F.E. Lasance, Prayer-Book for Religious (New York: Benziger Brothers, 1934), p. 1061

With humble hearts, we pray to Thee, O Lord, that, in Thy goodness, Thou wouldst grant to the Holy Roman Church a Sovereign Pontiff who shall be ever pleasing in Thy sight, on account of his tender solicitude for us, and ever reverenced by Thy people, on account of his salutary rule unto the glory of Thy name. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

          

For all those who can watch the Mass on television or  internet, at 10 am March 12th, Rome time, and also for all those who are merely able to spare a thought & prayer for what is going on in Rome, please  pray for the 115 men who during the next few days will have the task of discerning the will of the Holy Spirit for the Church in electing our next Pope, and also for that man – whoever he may be – who will take on this superhuman burden for the sake of God and humankind. More Details....   

In the late afternoon the cardinals will then make their way into the Pauline Chapel and from there in procession to the Sistine Chapel singing the Litany of All the Saints! Click Video Litany of Saints 2005 Conclave


After they process to the Sistine chapel  we will wait, maybe several days, until the Cardinal Protodeacon Jean-Louis Tauran (unless he is elected himself) appears on the balcony to proclaim to the city and the world:"Habemous Papam: We have a pope! 



Daily Schedule for 2013 Conclave

From Rome Reports: The Cadinal's set schedule will officially begin on Tuesday at 7 a.m., when the cardinals are required to move in to Domus Santae Marthae for the duration of the conclave, and will end until a new Pope is chosen.

 Next Full-day schedule for the Conclave:
6:30 a.m.: Breakfast for one hour
7:45 a.m.: Depart from Hotel to Apostolic
Palace
8:15 a.m.: Hour-long Mass at Pauline Chapel
9:30 a.m.: First two rounds of voting inside
Sistine Chapel
12:30 p.m.: Return to Santa Marta
1:00 p.m.: Lunch
4:00 p.m.: Depart from Hotel to Apostolic Palace
4:50 p.m.: Remaining two rounds of voting
inside Sistine Chapel
7:15 p.m.: Vespers (prayer) at Sistine Chapel
7:30 p.m.: Return to Santa Marta
8:00 p.m.: Dinner

Asking St Joseph to Help

Cardinals Elect New Pope

St Joseph the protector and guardian of Our Lord and Our Lady, is also invoked as the Patron of the Universal Church in recognition of his strength and fortitude. God the father gave St. Joseph the most exalted duty of protecting the Sacred Humanity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who would redeem mankind and endow it with the most perfect and ultimate gift of Eternal Life through His Passion death and resurrection. To fulfill His Divine mission, God the Father entrusted His Son to the paternal care of St. Joseph.  St. Joseph is the epitome of a pure man: pure in thought, pure in heart; pure in body and soul – destined to be the most chaste spouse of Mary Most Holy conceived without sin. 

 The Catholic Church, born from the water that gushed forth from Jesus' side, and nurtured by the maternal love of Our Lady, sought comfort and protection from the snares and malice of Satan and his followers in the hands of St. Joseph, the terror of demons! We can expect that God also endowed him with an equally proportional grace to carry out such a mission in life. And certainly we can picture him as an icon of manliness and a pillar of strength that would sow fear among the powers of darkness.  Given the noble task under his watch.In recognition of this special place, the Church honors him with the highest veneration next to Mary.  More on St Joseph  the 3rd secret and the Fatima Message

In a post from his blog on Wednesday, Cardinal Dolan said that he would be beginning a novena to St. Joseph on Monday, March 11th, nine days before St. Joseph's March 19th feast. He invited the faithful to join him in praying for discernment in for the Cardinals in the election of the new
pope.

      Novena to Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph, you are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. I have special confidence in you. You are powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me, to your intercession. By the love you have for Jesus and Mary, do not abandon me during life, and assist me at the hour of my death.


O Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the immaculate Virgin, Foster-father of Jesus Christ, obtain for me a pure, humble, and charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the Divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.




Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: (Mention your request Help for Cardinals to elect a Holy Pope). Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I am confident that your prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God.
          Adopt a Cardinal & Pray 

During the Conclave

You now have the opportunity to actively be part of this conclave  by having a Cardinal assigned to you, who you will support through your prayer and intercession during the coming weeks before and during the conclave and for three days following the election.When you participate, you are given "adoption papers" with the picture of a cardinal for whom you will pray! Click the "Adopt" button now! Currently over 517,177 people have adopted a Cardinal! What about you?

Pope: Farewell discourse to College of Cardinals
          From Adopt a Cardinal

  

Dear Spera Rose,Ocds-- Congratulations!

You have adopted this Cardinal:

Jean-Claude Turcotte,

from Canada, born 1936-6-26.
He's been a Cardinal since 1994-11-26  
he is: Archbishop emeritus of Montreal, Canada

Let us Keep Vigil in prayer together until we hear "Habemus Papam!"

Habemous Papam: We have a pope! The announcement given in Latin by the Cardinal Protodeacon, the senior Cardinal Deacon, upon the election of a new pope. The announcement is given from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

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