The Philippine Fishwrap!

To animal rights activists.....

We meant no harm or insult to the dead fish...

What to expect at today's Mass of the Inauguration to the Petrine Ministry

Yup, that is the official name of that Mass.

This is a lengthy one.  Bear with me.


The video says "The Vatican is expecting at least 200 faithful to attend."

Wha?!

Just 200?

LOL!

***

Vatican City, 18 March 2013 (VIS) – In the press conference held today, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of the Press Office of the Holy See, focused on two themes: Pope Francis' first audiences and details of the Mass inaugurating the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome.

First, Fr. Lombardi relayed the information that the Holy Father was, at the moment, having lunch with the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, whom he received at the Domus Sanctae Marthae “in a private meeting that lasted around 20 minutes, afterwards greeting the other members of the Argentine delegation”. Also this morning, at 10:00am, Francis received in audience Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B. Yesterday afternoon he had two very cordial audiences, one with the Bishop of Albano, Italy, and the other with the Superior General of the Jesuits, Fr. Adolfo Nicolas Pachon.  [He is now doing what a head of state and the Bishop of Rome does.]

The main part of the press conference was dedicated to how the Mass inaugurating the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome will be celebrated. “The correct term for the ceremony,” Fr. Lombardi clarified, “is not enthronement but inauguration. As successor of Peter, the Pope is Bishop of Rome and the Church of Rome 'presides in love' over the others. Also, it is a celebration rich with symbols that recall the Pope's tie to St. Peter, beginning with the place where, according to tradition, Peter was martyred.”

The Press Office Director also explained where those participating in and attending the Mass will be located. “On the left-hand side of the 'Sagrato' (porch of the Basilica) will be seated bishops and archbishops (around 250 are expected), ecclesiastics, and delegations from other Churches and Christian confessions. On the right-hand side of the 'Sagrato' will be delegations from various countries lead by heads of state, ministers, etc. On the St. Peter’s statue side of the piazza will be seated Jews, Muslims, and members of other religions, then around 1200 priests and seminarians. On the St. Paul’s statue side of the piazza will be seated the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See and other civil authorities. The rest of the piazza will be standing-room for all those without tickets. A large number is expected to attend.”

Between 8:45 and 8:50am the Pope will depart the Domus Sanctae Marthae and start to move through the crowd in the various sections of the piazza—either in the Jeep or the Popemobile—and greet those gathered. He will return to the Sacristy, via the Pietà side, around 9:15am. Mass is planned to begin at 9:30am.  [about 4PM Manila time.]

Regarding the beginning of the ceremony, the Pope, once having entered the Basilica, will head to the Confession (St. Peter’s tomb under the high altar) while trumpets will announce the “Tu es Petrus”. The Pope will venerate the tomb of St. Peter, together with the Patriarchs and Major Archbishops of the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches (ten in number, four of whom are cardinals). He will then be presented with the Pallium, Ring, and Book of the Gospels that were placed at St. Peter’s tomb the night before.

The Holy Father will then come back up from the Confession to the main floor of the Basilica, from which the procession continues. The “Laudes Regiae” (Christ is King) will be chanted, with some invocations taken from the Vatican II document on the Church, “Lumen Gentium”. In the Litany of Saints are particularly to be noted, after the Apostles, the Holy Roman Pontiffs who have been canonized up to the most recent: St. Pius X. Fr. Lombardi clarified that these are only the pontiffs who have been named as saints, not those who have been beatified. The procession will then make its entrance into the square.

Fr. Lombardi listed who will be concelebrating the Mass with Francis: all the cardinals present in Rome, joined by the Patriarchs and Major Eastern Rite Archbishops (6); the Secretary of the College of Cardinals; and two Superior Generals (that of the Order of Friars Minor, Jose Rodriguez Carballo and that of the Jesuits, Adolfo Nicolas Pachon, respectively President and Vice-President of the Union of Superior Generals). In total about 180 are expected to concelebrate and they will be seated at the left (that is, in front of the ecclesiastics, not the national delegations).

Before the Mass begins there are the rites specific to the beginning of the Bishop of Rome's Petrine Ministry. These include:

The Imposition of the Pallium:
Made of lamb’s wool and sheep’s wool, the Pallium is placed on the Pope's shoulders recalling the Good Shepherd who carries the lost sheep on his shoulders. The Pope’s Pallium has five red crosses while the Metropolitans’ Palliums have five black crosses. The one used by Francis is the same one that Benedict XVI used. It is placed on the Pope’s shoulders by Cardinal proto-deacon Tauran and, after the imposition, there is a prayer recited by Cardinal proto-presbyter Daneels.

The Fisherman’s Ring:
Peter is the fisherman Apostle, called to be a “fisher of men”. The ring is presented to the Pope by Cardinal Deacon Sodano (first of the Order of Bishops). It bears the image of St. Peter with the keys. It was designed by Enrico Manfrini The ring was in the possession of Archbishop Macchi, Pope Paul VI's personal secretary, and then Msgr. Malnati, who proposed it to Pope Francis through Cardinal Re. It is made of silver and gold.

The Fisherman's Ring of Pope Francis showing St. Peter casting his net while holding the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Western Media calls it "simple".  Eh.....it ain't simple to me.  Almost looks the same as Benedict's.  Expect the media to keep spinning the word "simple" and "humble" for the duration of this pontificate, just to take a swipe at Benedict.

The “Obedience”:
Six cardinals, two from each order, among the first of those present approach the Pope to make an act of obedience. Note that all the Cardinal electors already made an act of obedience in the Sistine Chapel at the end of the Conclave and that all the cardinals were able to meet the Pope in the following day’s audience in the Clementine Hall. Also, at the moment of “taking possession” of the Cathedral of Rome—St. John Lateran—it is expected that the act of obedience will be made by representatives of the various members of the People of God.

The Mass will be that of the Solemnity of St. Joseph, [today!] which has its own readings (therefore they are not directly related to the rite of the Inauguration of the Pontificate). The Gospel will be proclaimed in Greek, as at the highest solemnities, to show that the universal Church is made up of the great traditions of the East and the West. “Latin,” Fr. Lombardi said, “is already abundantly present in the other prayers and Mass parts.”

The Pope will give his homily in Italian and, as is his style, it probably will not follow the written text strictly, but will contain improvisations.

Fr. Lombardi said that the Master of Celebrations [is it still Msgr. Guido Marini?] expects that the ceremony will not last much more than two hours and, always with the intention of simplification and not making the rite overly long, there will not be an Offertory procession. [Which I personally do not prefer and which, FYI, is NOT in the TLM.  Hmmmm...Simplicity gravitating towards the TLM?  Hehehe.  Wishful thinking.  But who knows!] The Eucharistic gifts will be brought to the altar by the ministers who prepare the altar. Also, the Pope will not distribute Communion, which will be done by the deacons on the “Sagrato” and, in the various areas of the piazza, by priests.  [Why............not?]

Regarding the music for the ceremony, several moments are notable. When the Pope enters the Basilica silver trumpets will ring out the “Tu es Petrus”. The Laudes Regiae will be chanted during the procession from St. Peter’s tomb to the “Sagrato”. A 14 piece brass ensemble will play at various moments of the celebration. During the Offertory the “Tu es pastor ovium” (You Are the Shepherd of the Sheep) motet composed by Pierluigi da Palestrina precisely for the Inauguration of the Pontificate will be sung. At the conclusion, the “Te Deum” will be sung with verses alternating between Gregorian chant and a melody by Tomas Luis de Victoria. As it will not be held on a Sunday, there will be no Angelus after the Mass.

At the end of the celebration, and after removing the Liturgical vestments, the Pope will go to the Basilica’s high altar, [In Benedict's case, he wore the mozzetta and state stole when he greeted the delegations.  I do not expect Pope Francis to wear these.] before which he will greet the heads of the official delegations from various countries who will pass before him. He will then go to the Domus Sanctae Marthae for lunch.

Other delegations staying in Rome can meet with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., secretary of State of His Holiness, and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States the following day, Wednesday (for example, the President of Brazil in light of the upcoming World Youth Day). As is known, the Pope will receive delegations of the Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities and of other religions in audience on Wednesday.

At the present moment, the main delegations that are expected to attend are:
- 33 delegations representing Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities (14 Oriental; 10 Western; 3 Christian organizations; others). Among these will be present: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I; Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians Karekin II; Metropolitan Hilarion of the Patriarchate of Moscow; many metropolitans; Anglican Archbishop Sentamu; Secretary of the World Council of Churches Fykse Tveit; etc.

- 16 members of important Jewish delegations including: the Jewish community of Rome; international Jewish committees; the Chief Rabbinate of Israel; the World Jewish Congress; the Anti-Defamation League, etc.

- As well as delegations of Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jainists, etc.

To date, delegations of various sizes and levels from 132 countries have confirmed their attendance.

“The delegations,” Fr. Lombardi emphasized, “are coming to Rome following information of the event made public by the Secretary of State. There were no 'invitations' sent out. All who wish to come are warmly welcomed. It must be made clear that no one has privileged status or will be refused. The order will depend on protocol and the level of the delegation.”

Naturally, the most important delegations will be those from Argentina, led by President Cristina Kirchner and Italy, led by President Napolitano and Prime Minister Monti with presidents of the Italian Senate, House, and Constitutional Court.

Also expected are six reigning sovereigns (Belgium, Monaco…); 31 heads of state (Austria, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Canada, Poland, Portugal, European Union…); three crown princes (Spain, Holland, Bahrain); 11 heads of government (Germany, France, the Vice President of the United States, …); and delegations led by: first ladies, vice presidents, vice prime ministers, parliament presidents, ministers, ambassadors, and other dignitaries.

Papal Coat of Arms:
The last topic that Fr. Lombardi covered was the now pontiff's papal coat of arms and motto. These are the same that he used as bishop. The shield has a bright blue background, at the centre top of which is a yellow radiant sun with the IHS christogram on it representing Jesus (it is also the Jesuit logo). The IHS monogram, as well as a cross that pierces the H, are in red with three black nails directly under them. Under that, to the left, is a star representing Mary, Mother of Christ and the Church. To the right of the star is a nard flower representing Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church. With these symbols the Pope demonstrates his love for the Holy Family.

What distinguishes his coat of arms as pontiff is that, instead of the wide-brimmed, red cardinal's hat atop the shield, it is now crowned by the papal tiara and crossed keys.

[So it won't be this one after all!]

According to Fr. Lombardi, this is NOT the papal crest!

[Then...what is he holding here???]

[Geewhiz!  There is really something wrong with the Vatican Information Service, no?]


His motto—“miserando atque eligendo” (because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him)—is taken from the Venerable Bede's homily on the Gospel account of the call of Matthew. It holds special meaning for the Pope because—when he was only 17-years-old, after going to confession on the Feast of St. Matthew in 1953—he perceived God's mercy in his life and felt the call to the priesthood, following the example of St. Ignatius of Loyola.


***

I'll be watching via EWTN Live streaming or via the Centro Televisivo Vaticano.

Where the Catholics are...

The latest statistics are out!

The largest number of Catholics are in the new Pope's continent, Latin America!

But the fastest growing number of Catholics is in Africa and Asia!  The number of priests and religious are also growing in these two continents.

Asia ordained 1695 priests in 2010 while Africa added 761. The Americas, meaning both North and South America, where the Pope came from, only added 40!  40!  Just 40 for the entire continent... while Europe was down 905, or it lost 905!

WOW!!!

Hmmm...Isn't it the same continents where the United Nations is vigorously campaigning for contraception and abortion?

And where is "Christian" Europe?

Pope Francis is simple...

Of course he doesn't need to ride the bus.  His office is a few steps away from his apartment, that is if he decides to stay in the papal apartments.

But he maybe too simple for comfort...


I think I agree with a friend.

He is a head of state.  He cannot do this all the time.

He has to remember what happened to John Paul II...

And to Benedict XVI...

The Vatican's Swiss Guards and Genadarmiere need to double up their work.

Pray for the Holy Father, Francis!

It means something...

If this were the Carnival?  Then what the heck is this?

A cheap production of the "Swan Lake"?

***

Why is the papal mozzetta colored red?  Why is the papal shoes colored red?  Why is the pope's stole in choir colored red?

All meaning that the pope must be ready to spill his blood for Christ.

It is not the color of the carnival!

I guess you know what I am talking about.

It is the alleged quip of His Holiness to the Papal Master of Ceremonies why he does not want to use the

The trappings of the papal office may be too much for the "simple and humble" pope but these must not be used as an occasion to describe or equate these vestments with worldly events like the Carnival!  (No, Jimmy.  It is not the Coney Island or Disneyland thing.  It is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday)

And surprisingly, there are gullible people, sadly one of them a priest, who jumps into the bandwagon of "hoorahing" the simplicity of the pope.  And what I find mind-boggling is how he was able to say that the Masses of Benedict and Francis were the same???

WHAT?!?!

Francis does not chant.  Benedict does!

Shall I add more???

Sistine Chapel.  Ad orientem altar.  New one placed instead of using the altar at the chapel?\

Still the same???

Ugh.

Don't get me wrong.  I am for simplicity.  But why use derogatory terms, like Carnival?

Carnival?  What now?  The mozzetta and the state stole are used by harlequins???

St. Francis of Assisi and St. John Marie Vianney lived simplicity.  In fact, they breathed simplicity! BUT!

They did not shun away sacred vestments that are "too triumphalistic" or something that will "turn off the poor"!

No, my dear people.  St. Francis and the Cure of Ars still wore splendid vestments when at Mass.

They in fact encouraged it!

Here is my post about St. John Mary Vianney.

And here is the post of Fr. Z about St. Francis of Assisi.  And here is another from the New Liturgical Movement.

So, is going too simple even in the liturgy with the wishes of the saints?

No, it doesn't.

I hope that report from the BBC is not true.  I am hoping it is not.  But judging from the looks of it...it might be.

Do we just throw things away because they are too beautiful that they are not meant for the poor?

I don't think so.  These precious things have meanings and these "things", these precious vestments and vessels and liturgical paraphernalia are meant not for the rich but for everyone!

Using ugly vestments and other liturgical items simply because you want to be in "solidarity with the poor" is in fact insulting to the poor.  You think because they are poor they do not have any right for beautiful things?  They do not have any right to enjoy worshiping in splendid churches and call it "OUR" church???

I guess the priest turned a blind eye on that one, too, eh.

Pope Francis may have abandoned some of the papal regalia, but let us see in the Installation Mass tomorrow if his simplicity goes towards "over simplifying" the Mass...

And let the tag "Secret SSPX" on The Pinoy Catholic begin!!!


PS:  Did anyone here brand the late Fr. Chupungco disobedient to the Holy Father for his public attacks against Benedict XVI???

With that out of the way, ok, go ahead.  COMMENT.

What say you?....

Quo vadis?

Don't ask.  I'm trying to make sense of what just happened.  Really I am.

What the Jesuits must be saying with the election of Pope Francis

The FSSP and the SSPX and CBCP and heads of state have sent in their message in relation to the election of Pope Francis, the first Jesuit Pope... BUT! Can't see anything from his Jesuit brothers. They must be thinking this... (of course, except Fr. Mitch and Fr. Tim...)

The only reaction I got is from an American Jesuit who said that his confreres in the Society "don't like him one bit."

Well, after the no-wearing of the choir dress for the pope, at least that is some comforting thing for you traddies out there, no?

PS:  Where are these loud-mouths when you need them to make some noise, huh?

I think the pro-RH lobbyists don't cover the expenses for the press release for the new Pope, who happens to be a Jesuit.

Let the Jesuit jokes begin!

The best joke of the day when a new Pope is elected!

Reporting the Sede Vacante and the Conclave

and we have Korina Sanchez reporting live from Rome.

And as usual, she is pathetic and did an awful job.

Any of my Facebook friends can substitute for her and still they'll do a wonderful job compared to this loud mouth!

She is pathetic. Period.

Why you might ask.

Because she said the resignation of Benedict XVI is the "first in history".

Yup!  She said it.  And twice!

Read about it here.

Really pathetic!

The myth of the papabili list

The Western media is always ready to put their dirty fingers into the affairs of the Church when it suits them right.

From issues against clerical sex abuse, to calls for equality in the role of women in the Church most specifically in issues of women ordination and altar girls...

The Western media will talk about the Catholic Church when it suits their taste.  You'll never see them whip up an article praising the encyclicals or apostolic constitutions.  They'll be quick to attach the Church and even quicker to say who is likely to be pope.

And some lay Catholics are not far from this attitude of the MSM.

Notice how a so-called list of papabile, cardinals who are likely to be elected pope always comes out before a conclave.  With only a matter of hours before the famous "extra omnes" is said by the papal Master of Ceremonies, Msgr. Guido Marini, most look at the list written by men who couldn't care less at the Church but cares that a cardinal which the MSM thinks thinks like them...

And so let us go back in 2005 when we had the conclave that elected Benedict XVI...

In this post at Rorate Coeli, we notice how a list that Vaticanista John Allen who writes for the National Schismatic Reporter missed out the cardinal who became pope.

 Ennio Antonelli, 68, Italy; Francis Arinze, 72, Nigeria; Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 68, Argentina; Dario Castrillón Hoyos, 75, Colombia; Godfried Danneels, 71, Belgium; Julius Darmaatmadja, 70, Indonesia; Ivan Dias, 69, India; Claudio Hummes, 70, Brazil; Lubomyr Husar, 72, Ukraine; Walter Kasper, 72, Germany; Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez, 68, Dominican Republic; Wilfrid Fox Napier, 64, South Africa; Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, 68, Cuba; Marc Ouellet, 60, Canada; Giovanni Battista Re, 71, Italy; Norberto Rivera Carrera, 62, Mexico; Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, 62, Honduras; Christoph Schönborn, 60, Austria; Angelo Scola, 63, Italy; Dionigi Tettamanzi, 71, Italy.

No Ratzinger, eh?  Honestly, I don't like Allen at all.

Now even famed Vaticanista Sandro Magister who always had a scoop about the Vatican, gave a list that included Joseph Ratzinger as a papabile, albeit with hesitation because as he wrote, "the indication of Ratzinger as the next pope is perhaps more symbolic than real."  Whatever that meant!

The Pope Blog, who monitored the 2005 Conclave and is monitoring this year's conclave, posted this list of papabili often mentioned by the MSM:

Cláudio Hummes, Archbishop of São Paulo (Age 70)
Miloslav Vlk, Archbishop of Prague (Age 72)
Ivan Dias, Archbishop of Mumbai (Age 69)
Francis Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament (Age 72)
Geraldo Majella Agnelo, Archbishop of Salvador, Brazil (Age 71)
Godfried Danneels, Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels (Age 72)
Giovanni Battista Re, Cardinal Bishop, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops (Age 71) -
Dionigi Tettamanzi, Archbishop of Milan (Age 71)
Oscar Andrés Rodríguez, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras (Age 62)
Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna (Age 60)
Angelo Scola, Patriarch of Venice (Age 63)
Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Archbishop of Cape Coast (Age 56)
Angelo Sodano, Cardinal Bishop, Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals (Age 77)
Alfonso López Trujillo, Cardinal Bishop, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family (Age 69)
Norberto Rivera Carrera, Archbishop of Mexico City (Age 62)
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster (Age 72)
Lubomyr Husar, Ukrainian Rite Major-Archbishop of Lviv (Age 72)
Tarcisio Bertone, Archbishop of Genoa (Age 70)
Dario Castrillón Hoyos, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy (Age 75)
Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (Age 61)
Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity (Age 72)
Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, Archbishop of Lima (Age 61)
José da Cruz Policarpo, Patriarch of Lisbon (Age 69)
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires (Age 68)

Still, no mention of Ratzinger.

Catholic News Service also ran an article about the papabili in the 2005 Conclave.  He was described as "the dominant personality among the electors" but the article also adds that Ratzinger "may be perceived as too old for the rigors of the papacy. He has a history of heart problems which, while mild in themselves, are enough to heighten that concern.

More important, Cardinal Ratzinger has been a lightning-rod for controversy both within the Church (because of his disciplinary action against wayward theologians) and outside (because of his insistence that Christ is the sole means to salvation). His public image as the authoritarian Panzerkardinal, although it is completely at odds with his mild personality, would make him the target of vitriolic attacks by secular liberals.

Until recent weeks, those obvious drawbacks seemed to be enough to eliminate Cardinal Ratzinger from serious consideration as a candidate for the papacy. Yet as the cardinals gathered in Rome, their thoughts turned toward him. As they begin their deliberations, the cardinals will all face the same initial question: whether to vote for, or against, Cardinal Ratzinger. No other prelate commands nearly the same consideration. Even if he is not the 265th Pontiff, his support could be crucial to the conclave's eventual choice."

I wouldn't call that piece betting on the next pope, but look what happened in 2005!

Moral of the story?  A man who comes into conclave a Pope, comes out....

No, not that one.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.. (Is. 55:8) For what person knows a man's thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. (1Cor 2:11)

Whoever thinks they know what the cardinals are thinking right now, are definitely out of their minds and think they are more cardinatial than those in the red robes themselves!

The list is nothing but pure conjecture.

So for the LOVE OF GOD!!!

JUST PRAY, WILL YOU?

And just like what Pope Benedict XVI said in his last Audience in Paul VI hall in February 14...

WE ARE NOT A CHURCH OF THE MEDIA!  WE ARE THE CHURCH OF GOD!