Tag Archive for: pope

Cardinal Robert F. Prevost Elected 267th Supreme Pontiff Of Roman Catholic Church

/in /by

VATICAN CITY — Cardinal Robert F. Prevost was elected the 267th supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday by the College of Cardinals during a two-day conclave in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.

He will go by Pope Leo XIV.

The sight of white smoke billowing out from arguably the world’s most famous chimney delighted the crowd of over 45,000 observers keeping vigil in Saint Peter’s Square, which immediately expanded to a global audience of billions as the news broke.

The bells of Saint Peter’s Basilica, which joyously rang to commemorate the Easter Sunday resurrection of Jesus Christ before solemnly announcing the death of Pope Francis, 88, a day later, rang once again to celebrate the newest successor to Saint Peter.

As the senior cardinal deacon participating in the papal conclave, French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, the Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature, announced the ancient “Habemus papam” proclamation from the central loggia (balcony) of the basilica:

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum; | I announce to you a great joy:
habemus Papam: | we have a pope:

Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum, | The most eminent and most reverend lord,
Dominum [first name] | Lord [first name]
Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem [surname] | Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church [surname]
qui sibi nomen imposuit [papal name]. | who has taken the name [papal name].

Moments after the acceptance of the grave responsibility entrusted to him by his colleagues, the new pope announced a Petrine name and moved to an antechamber of the Sistine Chapel, the historic “Room of Tears,” to gather his thoughts and vest for his new ministry. The new Vicar of Christ is then introduced to the cheering crowd of onlookers and the world before offering the tradition Urbi et Orbi (“for the city and for the world”) blessing.

The term “conclave” is derived from the Latin cum (“with”) and clavis (“key”).

After the 1268 papal vacancy continued for a year before the waiting citizens of Viterbo, Italy took matters into their own hands. They locked the then-19 cardinal electors in the Palace of the Popes with only bread and water to pressure them to fill the vacancy; Gregory X was finally elected in 1271. He would later issue Ubi periculum, an Apostolic Constitution to formalize the rules for selecting a pope, which formed the basis for the modern-day, secretive process.

The conclave, which formally began Wednesday, made history as the largest in Church history. Out of the 235 members of the uppermost echelon of Catholic clergy, 133 participated as eligible cardinal electors — under 80 years of age at the time of the death of the reigning pope —which exceeds the previously defined limit of 120. The late Pope Francis created 108, or 80%, of them. To elect his successor required a two-thirds majority, at least 89 votes.

In addition, the cardinal electors represented 71 countries across six continents, making the conclave among the most geographically diverse to convene, another legacy of Pope Francis, who desired a Church which welcomes “everyone, everyone, everyone.” The largest national voting blocs represented Italy (17), the United States (10, which is one fewer than its showing in the 2013 and 2005 conclaves) and Brazil (seven). Europe’s share of the vote, 52, was less than half of the electorate; the representation of Asia (20) and Africa (18) increased from the 2013 conclave by 10 and seven, respectively. Canada sent four cardinals; Mexico sent two. The Catholic Church, however, is not a representative democracy — the papacy is Europe’s last absolute monarchy — with each cardinal considering their own ecclesiastical priorities when voting in the conclave.

Countries enjoying a first-time delegation to the conclave include Bangladesh, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, East Timor, El Salvador, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, South Sudan, Sweden and Tonga, according to Catholic News Agency.

Many of the cardinals had never met, but were able to be introduced to each other — and draw support and influence — over the course of twelve general congregation meetings ahead of the conclave to discuss matters affecting the Church.

The new pope inherits a spiritual flock of 1.39 billion Catholics and will likely need to address an increasingly secularized world, clerical sex abuses of minors and the fallout, as well as global conflicts, both armed and rhetorical.

AUTHOR

Thomas Wong

Associate Weekend Reporter.

RELATED ARTICLES:

SICK: Pope Francis Gifts Popemobile to Gaza

Catholic Church Warns Of ‘Government Overreach’ With New State Law Forcing Priests To Violate Sacrament

New Pope Registered Republican in Illinois; Trump Critic

Cardinal Robert Prevost Becomes First American Pope

Cardinal Prevost, Now Pope Leo XIV, Condemned Abortion

Pro-Life Leader Says New Pope “Holds Strong Pro-Life Convictions”

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Bishop Says Catholic Teaching Does Not Support ‘Open Border Policy’

/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington signaled Friday that Catholic teachings support President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement.

Pope Francis and several bishops have previously taken stances against the president, calling Trump’s mass deportation plans a “disgrace” and stating that Catholic teaching requires countries to be open to migrants. Burbidge stated that although Catholics should affirm the dignity of migrants, nations also have a duty to uphold the rule of law and common good for its citizens.

“As the United States government revises its immigration policies, and after prayerful discernment and consultation, I offer pastoral encouragement to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, Congressional leaders, elected officials, and all Catholics and people of goodwill to consider the common good of our country with the light of faith,” Burbidge wrote. “The Church teaches, as does our Constitution, that a political community exists to protect the family and human dignity. We always defend and protect the most vulnerable, even as we defend the rights and duties of nations to govern themselves and to safeguard the common good.”

“As principles of Catholic social teaching, human dignity and the common good must not be brought into conflict,” Burbidge continued. “As Catholics, we understand the common good as inclusive of the individual good of each and every member of society. We also understand that the rule of law is to defend and promote the common good. For this reason, I have confidence that comprehensive immigration reform need not harm the dignity of any person. Even when immigration reform includes repatriation of those persons who have committed violent crimes, or who otherwise violate the terms of a right to remain, human dignity can be respected. We must not presume a conflict between human dignity and the rule of law.”

Pope Francis has frequently been at odds with Trump, reportedly appointing a liberal bishop to the Archdiocese of Washington as an intentional roadblock to the president after he appointed Brian Burch, president of the advocacy organization CatholicVote and avid supporter of Trump’s immigration policies, to the position of Vatican ambassador. Prior to the November election, the Pope implied that Trump’s stance on immigration was level with former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ limitless pro-abortion stance.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has also taken a stand against the president’s immigration policy, disagreeing that Church teachings support limits on immigration.

“The use of sweeping generalizations to denigrate any group, such as describing all undocumented immigrants as ‘criminals’ or ‘invaders,’ to deprive them of protection under the law, is an affront to God, who has created each of us in his own image,” USCCB wrote in a January memo. “Pope Francis has stated, ‘No one will ever openly deny that [migrants] are human beings, yet in practice, by our decisions and the way we treat them, we can show that we consider them less worthy, less important, less human. For Christians, this way of thinking and acting is unacceptable.’”

“As the Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes, Catholic teaching does not support an open border policy, but rather emphasizes a common sense approach where the duty to care for the stranger is practiced in harmony with the duty to care for the nation,” Burbidge concluded in his statement. “Therefore, I encourage President Trump and Congressional leaders to develop a national immigration policy that reflects the Catholic commitment to human dignity and the common good. Americans earnestly look to our elected officials for a humane and peaceful immigration policy that is just, compassionate, and restores confidence in the rule of law. American law must always include pathways for legal entry and as citizens we should always celebrate the contributions of immigrants, ensure the protection of the vulnerable, and uphold the common good which is the condition for ordered liberty and public safety.”

AUTHOR

Jaryn Crouson

Contributor.

RELATED ARTICLES:

‘Sign Of Great Hope’: Religious Leaders See A ‘Fourth Great Awakening’ As Americans Flock To Christianity

Federal Bureaucrats Ordered To Remove Pronouns From Email Signatures

RELATED VIDEO: Hamas, Hezbollah and the Cartel on Our Border

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.