THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CONCLAVE: PROCESSION FROM ENTRANCE TO ELECTION OF POPE
 

Father Lombardi explains what will take place, starting tomorrow afternoon, the different moments that will bring the long-awaited "Habemus Papam"

City of the Vatican, 11 March 2013 (Zenit.org) Salvatore Cernuzio

On the eve of the conclave, Father Federico Lombardi has spent most of today's briefing with reporters to illustrate the performance and highlights of this event that affects not only the Catholic Church, but the whole world.

The Director of the Press focused in particular on the procession that will see tomorrow at 16:30, the 115 cardinals electors from the Cappella Paolina, after a brief moment of prayer, to finally enter the Sistine Chapel. The procession will follow the detailed provisions of the Ordo Rituum Conclavis.

Then open the procession of the Cross and candlesticks, followed by the singers of the Sistine Chapel to sing sacred songs, some prelates, the Secretary of the Conclave, and the cardinal Maltese Prosper Grech, immediately after the Extra Omnes, or closing the doors of the Sistine Chapel, the cardinals decide meditation.

Behind all the cardinals, in reverse order of the above, or the cardinals who are last in the previously established by the different orders advance to the first: it will, therefore, of the cardinals and Harvey Versaldi. Based on this criterion, close the procession Cardinal Re, the oldest order of bishops, and therefore the first in order of precedence and celebrant of the procession and the oath in the Sistine Chapel. The card. King will be accompanied by the Master of Ceremonies, Msgr. Marini.

The moment of the procession will be made more solemn by singing of the Litany of the Saints, by some invocations and the famous Veni Creator Spiritus, the great hymn of invocation of the Holy Spirit. Singing, the Cardinals then enter the Sistine Chapel and there, each one going to his place, pronounce the oath, as provided for in the Apostolic Constitution.

After the principal celebrant, Cardinal. King, recite a long salutation in Latin, the individual cardinals, then, in the order of precedence, will go to the lectern in the center of the Sistine Chapel, which is placed on the Gospels open. With his hand on the Word of God, the Cardinals pronunzieranno your name and the formula of adherence to the oath.

Soon after, "all out" that follow the Latin formula of the Extra omnes with which the Master of Ceremonies will exit the Sistine all present, with the exception of course of the voters, the cardinal in charge of meditation (Grech) and of himself. Once closed the doors of the chapel will be held meditation, after which voters can choose whether to proceed on the first ballot.

"This vote - said Father Lombardi - being the first, is unlikely to have a positive outcome." The first smoke will almost certainly be black. The Cardinals then completed the first day of the Conclave with the common celebration of Vespers, before returning home in Santa Marta for dinner.

"The Sistine Chapel is already definitely ready," he informed the manager of the Press. Each cardinal will find in its place the Ordo Rituum Conclavis, a copy of the Apostolic Constitution and the book of the Liturgy of the Hours for the different moments of prayer. CTV also monitor live the chimney, both in the morning and the afternoon, so that "no one is caught off guard," started when a smoke.

Father Lombardi went on to explain what will happen when a quorum of 2/3, in this case the 77 votes needed to elect a new Pope to Cardinal, the series of short ceremonies that take place all in the Sistine Chapel. First, the "Rite of Acceptance" the cardinal dean (in this case, the chairman of the meeting, so the card. Re) addresses the elect with the question: "Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?". Follows answer the second question on the name of the candidate has chosen as Pope

This is followed by the burning of cards and, therefore, the long-awaited smoke, which - if white - indicates the acceptance. The new Pope is then the so-called Room of tears - so named because, according to tradition, the newly elected Pope can give vent to his emotions by the task just assumed - where wearing the papal vestments, already prepared by the tailor Gammarelli.

Back then in the Sistine Chapel, where he has another small ceremony with a prayer, the reading of a passage from the Gospel related to the Petrine ministry, and a prayer, in which - Father Lombardi said - "come as the first actors of the Order Deacons, the Order of Prebiteri and the Order of Bishops. " After this, all the cardinals held the act of homage, which they swear allegiance to the new Pope

Considering these different times, according to the director of the Vatican press office, "likely will spend 45 minutes of white smoke, the sound of bells and the announcement of Protodeacon", plus another ten minutes from the Pope

After the singing of the "Te Deum" in the Sistine Chapel, we come to the climax: the Habemus Papam. The Protodeacon out to the Lodge and announced to the crowd of faithful in St. Peter met immediately after the white smoke the name of the new Pope

A new feature this year, the Vatican spokesman, is that the newly elected Pope, leaving the Sistine Chapel before going to the Lodge, stop at the Pauline Chapel, where, before the Blessed Sacrament, prayer will make a "short, personal and silent. " Once overlooking the Lodge, the Pope greeted the people of God and gives the first Urbi et Orbi blessing. On this occasion, the protodeacon also announces the indulgence, as at Easter and Christmas.

A final important information related to Father Lombardi is that the Mass of Inauguration of the Pontificate will be celebrated in weekday. The first celebration of the new Pope, in fact, should not necessarily take place on Sunday, but is linked to the duration of the Conclave and the time given to foreign delegations that want to participate.