Didn't Hitler have a similar Agenda ?

TO SUPPORT AND HELP the Downs Syndrome Association, 

go to their Web-Site at 

http://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/information/for-people-with-downs-syndrome.html

THIS ARTICLE can be found on the Blog, "In Caelo et in Terra"

at http://incaelo.wordpress.com/

Standing up for life

March 7, 2013 in reflections | Tags: abortion, pro-life, ziekenhuis gelderse vallei | Leave a comment

Kudos and admiration for 300 employees of the hospital Gelderse Vallei in Ede, the Netherlands. They are standing up for the right of life for unborn children with Down syndrome, after the hospital management decided to allow these children to be killed if the parents don’t want them.

The hospital claims to be based on Christian values, but decided in favour of aborting children with Down syndrome anyway. Because these children are obviously unfit to live, of course… I find it almost unimaginable how hospitals and other institutions call themselves Christian almost always fails to act in accordance with that moniker. Who are they fooling? In the first place themselves, of course.

I hope the employees, the ones who will be tasked with the actual killing, and who are now standing up against this will be an example for many, and that they will succeed.

The town of Ede is part of the Dutch “Bible belt“, characterised by orthodox Protestant communities. Local churches and civilians have joined the protest.

Booklet for Vespers and Benediction at Saint Peter's, Rome, today.

English: St. Peter's Basilica, believed to be the burial site of St. Peter, seen from the River Tiber. The iconic dome dominates the skyline of Rome. Christianity became the dominant religion of Western Civilization when the Roman Empire converted to Christianity. 

Magyar: Vatikánváros látképe.

Italiano: Veduta del Vaticano dal Tevere.

한국어: 테베레 강 방향의 성 베드로 대성전. 로마의 지평선을 압도하는 전통적인 돔 양식이다.

Kiswahili: Vatikani ikitazamwa kutoka mto Tiber.

中文: 从台伯河遥望梵蒂冈.

Photo: January 2005.

Source: Flickr

Author: Sébastien Bertrand from Paris, France.

Reviewer: Andre Engels

(Wikimedia Commons)

VESPERS and BENEDICTION from Saint Peter's, Rome

CLICK HERE to view the Booklet for VESPERS and BENEDICTION

at Saint Peter's, Rome, today.

It is also available from the VATICAN WEBSITE 

at http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/libretti/2013/20130306.pdf

Vatican Diary. The "Who's Who" of the new Pope's Electors.

The above Illustration is taken from the Blog, MULIER FORTIS,

at http://mulier-fortis.blogspot.co.uk/

The following Article is taken from 

WWW.CHIESA.ESPRESSONLINE.IT

at 

http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350451?eng=y#.UTYXbgrw-2w.blogger

and is reproduced with permission.

Vatican Diary / The "who's who" of the new pope's electors

Name by name, nation by nation, role by role, all of the cardinals who will enter into conclave. An indispensable guide for the event

by ***

VATICAN CITY, March 5, 2013 – Subtracting the two who have declined to take part in the conclave, the Scottish Keith Michael Patrick O'Brian and the Indonesian Jesuit Julius Darmaatmadja, the cardinals who will enter the Sistine Chapel to elect the successor of Benedict XVI at the moment number 115.

Below they are listed by continent and by nation, with the place of activity of each one, the abbreviation of any religious order of membership, the date of birth and the indication of the pope who conferred the scarlet on them, John Paul II (JP-II) or Benedict XVI (B-XVI).

Followed by further documentation of their roles and backgrounds.

*

EUROPE - 60 cardinals (37 B-XVI and 23 JP-II)

Italy - 28 (20 B-XVI and 8 JP-II)

AMATO Angelo S.D.B, curia, 1938 (B-XVI)
ANTONELLI Ennio, ex curia, 1936 (JP-II)
BAGNASCO Angelo, abp. Genova, 1943 (B-XVI)
BERTELLO Giuseppe, curia, 1942 (B-XVI)
BERTONE Tarcisio S.D.B, curia, 1934 (JP-II)
BETORI Giuseppe, abp. Firenze, 1947 (B-XVI)
CAFFARRA Carlo, abp. Bologna, 1938 (B-XVI)
CALCAGNO Domenico, curia, 1943 (B-XVI)
COCCOPALMERIO Francesco, curia, 1938 (B-XVI)
COMASTRI Angelo, curia, 1943 (B-XVI)
DE PAOLIS Velasio C.S., ex curia, 1935 (B-XVI)
FARINA Raffaele S.D.B, ex curia, 1933 (B-XVI)
FILONI Fernando, curia, 1946 (B-XVI)
LAJOLO Giovanni, ex curia, 1935 (B-XVI)
MONTERISI Francesco, ex curia, 1934 (B-XVI)
NICORA Attilio, curia, 1937 (JP-II)
PIACENZA Mauro, curia, 1944 (B-XVI)
POLETTO Severino, abp. em. Torino, 1933 (JP-II)
RAVASI Gianfranco, curia, 1942 (B-XVI)
RE Giovanni Battista, ex curia, 1934 (JP-II)
ROMEO Paolo, abp. Palermo, 1938 (B-XVI)
SARDI Paolo, ex curia, 1934 (B-XVI)
SCOLA Angelo, abp. Milano, 1941 (JP-II)
SEPE Crescenzio, abp. Napoli, 1943 (JP-II)
TETTAMANZI Dionigi, abp. em. Milano, 1934 (JP-II)
VALLINI Agostino, Rome vicar general, 1940 (B-XVI)
VEGLIO’ Antonio M., curia, 1938 (B-XVI)
VERSALDI Giuseppe, curia, 1943 (B-XVI)

Germany – 6 (3 B-XVI and 3 JP-II)

CORDES Paul Josef, ex curia, 1934 (B-XVI)
KASPER Walter, ex curia, 1933 (JP-II)
LEHMANN Karl, bishop Mainz, 1936 (JP-II)
MARX Reinhard, abp. Munich, 1953 (B-XVI)
MEISNER Joachim, abp. Cologne, 1933 (JP-II)
WOELKI Rainer M., abp. Berlin, 1956 (B-XVI)

Spain – 5 (3 B-XVI and 2 JP-II)

ABRIL Y CASTELLÓ Santos, curia, 1935 (B-XVI)
AMIGO VALLEJO Carlos O.F.M., abp. em. Seville, 1934 (JP-II)
CAÑIZARES LLOVERA Antonio, curia, 1945 (B-XVI)
MARTÍNEZ SISTACH Lluís, abp. Barcelona,1937 (B-XVI)
ROUCO VARELA Antonio María, abp. Madrid, 1936 (JP-II)

France – 4 (2 B-XVI and 2 JP-II)

BARBARIN Philippe, abp. Lyon, 1950 (JP-II)
RICARD Jean-Pierre, abp. Bordeaux, 1944 (B-XVI)
TAURAN Jean-Louis, curia, 1943 (JP-II)
VINGT-TROIS André, abp. Paris, 1942 (B-XVI)

Poland – 4 (3 B-XVI and 1 JP-II)

DZIWISZ Stanislaw, abp. Krakow, 1939 (B-XVI)
GROCHOLEWSKI Zenon, curia, 1939 (JP-II)
NYCZ Kazimierz, abp. Warsaw, 1950 (B-XVI)
RYLKO Stanislaw, curia, 1945 (B-XVI)

Portugal – 2 (1 B-XVI and 1 JP-II)

MONTEIRO DE CASTRO Manuel, curia, 1938 (B-XVI)
POLICARPO José da Cruz, patriarch Lisbon, 1936 (JP-II)

Others – 11 (5 B-XVI and 6 JP-II)

BACKIS Audrys Juozas, abp. Vilnius, Lithuania, 1937 (JP-II)
BOZANIC Josip, abp. Zagabria, Croatia, 1949 (JP-II)
BRADY Sean Baptist, abp, Armagh, Ireland, 1939 (B-XVI)
DANNEELS Godfried, abp. em. Brussels, Belgium, 1933 (JP-II)
DUKA Dominik op, abp. Prague, Czech Republic, 1943 (B-XVI)
EIJK Willem Jacobus, abp. Utrecht, Holland, 1953 (B-XVI)
ERD? Peter, abp. Esztergom, Hungary, 1952 (JP-II)
KOCH Kurt, curia, Switzerland, 1950 (B-XVI)
PULJIC Vinko, abp. Vrhbosna-Sarajevo, Bosnia, 1945 (JP-II)
RODÉ Franc cm, ex curia, Slovenia, 1934 (B-XVI)
SCHÖNBORN Christoph O.P., abp. Vienna, Austria, 1945 (JP-II)


AMERICAS – 33 (17 B-XVI and 16 JP-II)

LATIN AMERICA – 19 (8 B-XVI and 11 JP-II)

Brazil – 5 (3B-XVI and 2 JP-II)

AGNELO Geraldo Majella, abp. em. São Salvador da Bahia, 1933 (JP-II)
BRAZ DE AVIZ Joao, curia, 1947 (B-XVI)
DAMASCENO ASSIS Raymundo, abp. Aparecida, 1937 (B-XVI)
HUMMES Cláudio O.F.M., ex curia, 1934 (JP-II)
SCHERER Odilo Pablo, abp. São Paulo, 1949 (B-XVI)

Mexico – 3 (1 B-XVI and 2 JP-II)

RIVERA CARRERA Norberto, abp. Mexico, 1942 (JP-II)
SANDOVAL IÑIGUEZ Juan, abp. em. Guadalajara, 1933 (JP-II)
ROBLES ORTEGA Francisco, abp Guadalajara, 1949 (B-XVI)

Argentina – 2 (1 B-XVI and 1 JP-II)

BERGOGLIO Jorge Mario S.J., abp. Buenos Aires, 1936 (JP-II)
SANDRI Leonardo, curia, 1943 (B-XVI)

Others – 9 (3 B-XVI and 6 JP-II)

CIPRIANI THORNE Juan Luis, Opus Dei, abp. Lima, Perù, 1943 (JP-II)
ERRAZURIZ OSSA Francisco J., Schönstatt, abp. em. Santiago, Chile, 1933 (JP-II)
LOPEZ-RODRIGUEZ Nicolas de Jesus, abp. Santo Domingo, 1936 (JP-II)
ORTEGA Y ALAMINO Jaime Lucas, abp. Havana, Cuba, 1936 (JP-II)
RODRIGUEZ MARADIAGA Oscar A. S.D.B, abp. Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 1942 (JP-II)
SALAZAR GOMEZ Ruben, abp. Bogotà, Colombia, 1942 (B-XVI)
TERRAZAS SANDOVAL Julio C.Ss.R., abp. Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, 1936 (JP-II)
UROSA SAVINO Jorge Liberato, abp. Caracas, Venezuela, 1942 (B-XVI)
VELA CHIRIBOGA Raul Eduardo, abp. em. Quito, Ecuador, 1934 (B-XVI)

NORTH AMERICA – 14 (9 B-XVI and 5 JP-II)

United States – 11 (8 B-XVI and 3 JP-II)

BURKE Raymond Leo, curia, 1948 (B-XVI)
DINARDO Daniel Nicholas, abp. Galveston-Houston, 1949 (B-XVI)
DOLAN Timothy Michael, abp. New York, 1950 (B-XVI)
GEORGE Eugene Francis O.M.I., abp. Chicago, 1937 (JP-II)
HARVEY James Michael, curia, 1949 (B-XVI)
LEVADA William Joseph, ex curia, 1936 (B-XVI)
MAHONY Roger Michael, abp. em. Los Angeles, 1936 (JP-II)
O’BRIEN Edwin Frederick, curia, 1939 (B-XVI)
O'MALLEY Sean Patrick O.F.M. Cap., abp. Boston, 1944 (B-XVI)
RIGALI Justin Francis, abp. em. Philadelphia, 1935 (JP-II)
WUERL Donald William, abp. Washington DC, 1940 (B-XVI)

Canada – 3 (1 B-XVI and 2 JP-II)

COLLINS Thomas Christopher, abp. Toronto, 1947 (B-XVI)
OUELLET Marc P.S.S., curia, 1944 (JP-II)
TURCOTTE Jean-Claude, abp. em. Montreal, 1936 (JP-II)


AFRICA – 11 (6 B-XVI and 5 JP-II)

Nigeria – 2 (1 B-XVI and 1 JP-II)

OKOGIE Anthony Olubunmi, abp. Lagos, 1936 (JP-II)
ONAIYEKAN John Olorunfemi, abp. Abuja, 1944 (B-XVI)

Others – 9 (5 B-XVI and 4 JP-II)

MONSENGWO PASINYA Laurent, abp. Kinshasa, RD Congo, 1939 (B-XVI)
NAGUIB Antonios, patriarch em. Alexandria of the Copts, Egypt, 1935 (B-XVI)
NAPIER Wilfrid Fox O.F.M., abp. Durban, South Africa, 1941 (JP-II)
NJUE John, abp. Nairobi, Kenya, 1944 (B-XVI)
PENGO Polycarp, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 1944 (JP-II)
SARAH Robert, curia, Guinea, 1945 (B-XVI)
SARR Theodore-Adrien, abp. Dakar, Senegal, 1936 (B-XVI)
TURKSON Peter Kodwo Appiah, abp. Cape Coast, Ghana, 1948 (JP-II)
ZUBEIR WAKO Gabriel, abp. Khartoum, Sudan, 1941 (JP-II)


ASIA – 10 (7 B-XVI and 3 JP-II)

India – 5 (3 B-XVI and 2 (JP-II)

ALENCHERRY George, maj. abp. Ernakulam of the Malankars, 1945 (B-XVI)
DIAS Ivan, ex curia, 1936 (JP-II)
GRACIAS Oswald, abp. Bombay, 1944 (B-XVI)
THOTTUNKAL Baselios Cleemis, maj. abp. Trivandrum of the Malankars, 1959 (B-XVI)
TOPPO Telesphore Placidus, abp. Ranchi, 1939 (JP-II)

Others – 5 (4 B-XVI and 1 JP-II)

PATABENDIGE DON A. M. Ranjith, abp. Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1947 (B-XVI)
PHAM MINH MAN Jean-Baptiste, abp. Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, 1934 (JP-II)
RAI Bechara Boutros, patriarch Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon, 1940 (B-XVI)
TAGLE Luis Antonio, abp. Manila, Philippines, 1957 (B-XVI)
TONG HON John, bishop Hong Kong, China, 1939 (B-XVI)


OCEANIA - 1 (JP-II)

PELL George, abp. Sydney, Australia, 1941 (JP-II)


*


Able to participate not at the conclave but at the general congregations that precede it are the cardinals over the age of eighty. At the beginning of the sede vacante there were 90 of them, 52 of them European (21 Italians), 11 Latin Americans (4 Brazilians), 8 North Americans (all from the United States), 9 Asians, 7 Africans, and 3 from Oceania.

A curiosity: also entering the conclave will be German cardinal Kasper, who turned eighty on March 4. Under the regulations previous to those issued by John Paul II in 1996, he would not have been admitted.

*

There are 19 cardinals belonging to religious orders who will participate in the conclave (15 are over the age of eighty).

The most numerous are the Salesians, with 4 cardinals: Amato, Bertone, Farina, Rodriguez Maradiaga. The Franciscan friars minor follow with 3: Amigo Vallejo, Hummes, Napier. The Dominicans have 2: Schonborn and Duka. With only one cardinal are the Jesuits (Bergoglio), the Vincentians (Rodé), the Redemptorists (Terrazas), the Capuchins (O'Malley), the Oblates (George), the Sulpicians (Ouellet), and the members of the Schönstatt Institute (Errazuriz Ossa).

The college of the pope's electors also includes a member of Opus Dei (Cipriani Thorne), an historic representative of Communion of Liberation (Scola), and at least a pair of friends of the Focolare movement (Antonelli and Braz de Aviz). Strongly sympathetic toward the Neocatecumenals are Filoni, Cordes, and Cañizares. Dias is close to the charismatic movement.

*

There are 40 cardinal electors who are working or have finished their ecclesiastical “cursus honorum” in the curia or in other Roman offices.

The Italians are 19, of whom 13 are active (Amato, Bertello, Bertone, Calcagno, Coccopalmerio, Comastri, Filoni, Nicora, Piacenza, Ravasi, Sardi, Vegliò, and Versaldi) and 6 in retirement (Antonelli, De Paolis, Farina, Lajolo, Monterisi, Re).

The cardinals from the United States are 4 (3 of them active - Burke, Harvey, and O’Brien - and the retired Levada). The Spanish are 2 (Cañizares, Abril y Castelló) and the same for the Polish (Grocholewski and Rylko), all of them active. There are also 2 Germans, but both of them in retirement: Cordes and Kasper.

From Latin America come the Argentine Sandri and the Brazilian Braz de Aviz (active) and the other Brazilian Hummus (retired).

From Europe come the French Tauran, the Portuguese Monteiro, and the Swiss Koch - all of them active - and the retired Rodé, Slovenian.

The African members of the curia, active, are the Ghanaian Turkson and the Guinean Sarah. Also an active member of the curia is the Canadian Ouellet, while the Indian Dias is retired.

Of these 40, half have pastoral experience as bishops: Antonelli, Bertone, Calcagno, Coccopalmerio, Comastri, Nicora, Versaldi, Kasper, Rodé, Canizares Llovera, Koch, Hummes, Braz de Aviz, Burke, Levada, O’Brien, Ouellet, Dias, Turkson, and Sarah.

While among the cardinals now at the head of a diocese who have previously had positions of responsibility in the Vatican are Sepe, Vallini, Dziwisz, Backis, Agnelo, Hummes, Errazuriz Ossa, Rigali, and Patabendige Don. Scherer, Wuerl and DiNardo have also long worked in the curia, but as officials.

*

Finally, here are the 16 cardinal electors who come from pontifical diplomacy. They are: Bertello, Filoni, Lajolo, Monterisi, Re, Romeo, Sepe, Vegliò, Tauran, Abril y Castelló, Monteiro de Castro, Backis, Sandri, Harvey, Rigali, Dias.

Cardinal Sardi moreover, although he did not attend the ecclesiastical pontifical academy, acquired the qualification of apostolic nuncio, with the connected benefits, when as the head of the office of pontifical “ghost writers” he was promoted to archbishop by John Paul II.

__________


English translation by Matthew Sherry, Ballwin, Missouri, U.S.A.

__________

Meetings between Cardinals begin. 103 of the 115 Cardinal Electors are already in Rome.

English: St. Peter's Basilica, believed to be the burial site of St. Peter, seen from the River Tiber. The iconic dome dominates the skyline of Rome. Christianity became the dominant religion of Western Civilization when the Roman Empire converted to Christianity. 

Magyar: Vatikánváros látképe.

Italiano: Veduta del Vaticano dal Tevere.

한국어: 테베레 강 방향의 성 베드로 대성전. 로마의 지평선을 압도하는 전통적인 돔 양식이다.

Kiswahili: Vatikani ikitazamwa kutoka mto Tiber.

中文: 从台伯河遥望梵蒂冈.

Photo: January 2005.

Source: Flickr

Author: Sébastien Bertrand from Paris, France.

Reviewer: Andre Engels

(Wikimedia Commons)

CLICK HERE to watch the Video from ROME REPORTS 

with news of the Cardinals meeting in Rome for the forthcoming Conclave.

Meetings between cardinals begin, 103 of the 115 electors already in Rome.

The Seven Pilgrim Churches Of Rome.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Map of Giacomo Lauro and Antonio Tempesta showing the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome, which was used for the first time during the Jubilee in the year 1600. The plate was afterwards reissued as a guide for the pilgrims in 1609, 1621, 1630 and 1636.

Image: April 2011.

Source: [1]

Author: Giacomo Lauro (1561-1645/50).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome are seven ancient and major Churches in Rome, central to a religious pilgrimage to the City. They are listed in the following order in the guide by Franzini (1595):

San Giovanni Laterano;

St Peter's;

San Paolo fuori le mura;

Santa Maria Maggiore;

San Lorenzo fuori le mura;

San Sebastiano;

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme.

Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome. 

One of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome.

Photo: 7 January 2006 (original upload date).

Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia

Author: Original uploader was JACurran at en.wikipedia

Permission: Released into the public domain (by the author).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Rome has, for centuries, been a beacon for travellers. As the home of the Pope and the Catholic Curia, as well as the locus of many sites and relics of worship related to Apostles, Saints, and Christian Martyrs, Rome had long been a destination for pilgrims. 

Periodically, some were propelled to travel to Rome for the spiritual benefits, including indulgences accrued through a Papally-sanctioned Jubilee. These indulgences required a visit to specific Churches..

The Churches include the four Patriarchal Basilicas:
Saint Peter's Basilica;
Basilica of Saint John Lateran;
Basilica of Saint Paul-outside-the-Walls;
Santa Maria Maggiore.

They also include three Minor Basilicas:
San Lorenzo fuori-le-mura;
Santa Croce in Gerusalemme;
Santuario della Madonna del Divino Amore.

The last of these was added by Pope John Paul II for the Great Jubilee of 2000, replacing San Sebastiano-fuori-le-mura. However, many pilgrims still prefer the pre-2000 Seven Basilicas and, so, also attend Saint Sebastian's, in addition to the ones required for the indulgence.

During Holy Years, indulgences are granted to those who visit certain Churches. In Rome, there are seven such Churches. This tradition is related to the work of Saint Philip Neri, who devoted much of his time to helping pilgrims and introduced a list of Seven Basilicas.

For The Election Of The Supreme Pontiff. Pro Eligendo Summo Pontifice.

This Illustration can be found on 

the Blog of The Transalpine Redemptorists

at http://papastronsay.blogspot.co.uk/

Our Lady of Ushaw. Pray for us.

Our Lady of Ushaw,

Durham, England.

Pray for us all during the forthcoming Conclave.

May the Church be given a strong Pope to guide us.

Photo: April 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Zephyrinus.

New Pope Is Here.

Many thanks to IN CAELO ET IN TERRA  for the above Illustration.

Spiritual Support. Adopt a Cardinal.

MULIER FORTIS has Posted an excellent Article on how we can support our Cardinals, 

currently in Rome preparing for the Conclave.

Why not pop over, click the LINK on ADOPT A CARDINAL, 

and help support the Cardinals with your Prayers ?

Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Benedicto decimo sexto.

This Illustration can be found on the Blog of The Transalpine Redemptorists 

at http://papastronsay.blogspot.co.uk

The Holy Season of Lent.

This Illustration can be found on the Blog of The Transalpine Redemptorists 

at http://papastronsay.blogspot.co.uk

The Coat-of-Arms of Pope Benedict XVI with Tiara. A Tribute.

This illustration can be found on http://www.turnbacktogod.com






The following Article can be found on the Blog, "Orbis Catholicus Secundus",

at http://orbiscatholicussecundus.blogspot.co.uk/

The Spirituality of Serving at the Altar.

Im Chor des Münsters zu Aachen. Signiert. 

Datiert 1890. Rückseite betitelt.

Date: 1890.

Source: Düsseldorfer Auktionshaus

Artist: Franz Stegmann (1831–1892).

(Wikimedia Commons)

This Article can be found on the Blog "In Caelo et in Terra", to be found at

http://incaelo.wordpress.com/

An interesting film which reveals the spirituality behind the duties of altar servers., which are not just some tasks which need doing. Like so many elements of our Catholic life, it is based in a well-developed spirituality, and in turn, feeds that spirituality on a very personal level.

This is one of the beautiful things about our faith: holiness is achievable by simply doing it. Physical actions, like the speaker in the film says, can help us achieve an inner disposition on the road to personal holiness.

We live in an age where people appreciate spirituality, the transcending elements that we can strive for. Often, this appreciation is manifested in the popularity of self-help books, paranormal events and elements of the eastern religions. Our own Catholic faith also has spirituality on offer, a spirituality which is mature, deep and continuously challenging, but which is attainable for all of us if we would just devote some time and effort to it.

HT to Fr. Dwight Longenecker.

The vacant Curia. Duties during the Sede Vacante.

Benedict XVI addresses the Curia in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican (Photo: CNS).

This Illustration can be found on the Catholic Herald web-site

at http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/

The following Article can be found on the Blog "In Caelo et in Terra", to be found at

http://incaelo.wordpress.com/

Here’s a look at the major players in the coming Sede Vacante period.

The Apostolic Penitentiary, concerned with questions of conscience from the Faithful and the pressing matters related to it, will continue to function during the Sede Vacante. Cardinal Manuel Monteiro de Castro, who leads the Office, will remain in Office.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone,

(Camerlengo),

will head the management of the goods 

and finances of the Holy See.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone (pictured) will remain on as Camerlengo. He will head the management of the goods and finances of the Holy See. He will also be the Chairman of the daily meetings of the College of Cardinals for the daily affairs of the Church. 

Upon the election of the new Pope, he will accompany him to the Papal Apartments and hand him the keys.

Cardinal Bertone will also declare the result of every ballot during the Conclave. Upon his invitation, the Cardinals will meet for discussion and reflection when needed. The Vice-Chamberlain, Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata, will work with him outside the Conclave.

The Cleric Prelates of the Apostolic Chamber will assist the Camerlengo. They are Msgr. Assunto Scotti, Msgr. Luigi Cerchiaro, Msgr. Paolo Luca Braida (Italians all), Msgr. Philip James Whitmore (British), Msgr. Winfried König (German), Msgr. Osvaldo Neves de Almeida (Argentinian) and Msgr. Krzysztof Józef Nykiel (Polish).

Cardinal Agostino Vallini,

(Arch-Priest of the Papal Basilica of Saint John Lateran),

will take over the Pope's Liturgical duties, together with 

the other Arch-Priests of the Papal Basilicas.

During the Sede Vacante, the Arch-Priests of the Papal Basilicas will take over the Pope’s Liturgical duties. They are Cardinal Agostino Vallini (pictured) for St. John Lateran, Cardinal Angelo Comastri for St. Peter’s, Cardinal James Harvey for St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls and Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló for St. Mary Major.

Also involved in the Papal Liturgies during the Sede Vacante are the Master of Ceremonies, Msgr. Guido Marini, and the Almoner of His Holiness, Archbishop Guido Pozzo.

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, 

(College of Cardinals’ Proto-Deacon),

the most senior Cardinal-Deacon, 

will have the honour to announce “Habemus Papam” 

to the crowds outside on St. Peter’s Square.

The pastoral care of the Diocese of Rome will be the responsibility of the Vicars-General: Cardinal Agostino Vallini, for Rome, and Cardinal Angelo Comastri, for the Vatican City State.

After the Cardinals have entered the Sistine Chapel for the Conclave, and after they have all taken the Oath, Msgr. Guido Marini will call “Extra omnes!”. He will distribute the ballot papers to the Cardinals and then leave the Chapel.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, in place of the Cardinal-Dean (Cardinal Sodano is 85 and, therefore, too old to take part in the Conclave), will announce the start of the first ballot after any remaining questions have been answered. Cardinal Re will also ask the newly-elected Pope if he accepts his election. If Cardinal Re himself is elected, that task falls to Cardinal Bertone.

Cardinal James Harvey,

(Junior Cardinal-Deacon),

will lock the doors of the Sistine Chapel 

before the first ballot.

Cardinal James Harvey (pictured), as the Junior Cardinal-Deacon, will lock the doors of the Sistine Chapel before the first ballot. He will be responsible for who enters and leaves during the voting.

Assistants to those Cardinals, who may be too ill to be in the Sistine Chapel, can leave and return to collect those Cardinals’ ballots.

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, as the College of Cardinals’ Proto-Deacon (the most senior Cardinal-Deacon),  will have the honour to announce the“Habemus Papam” to the crowds outside on St. Peter’s Square.

The Curia of the Church will, in many ways, cease to function once the Pope has abdicated. Only some pressing matters may be handled by the College of Cardinals, but she is not allowed to do anything that is normally under a Pope’s authority.

Cardinal Ries, R.I.P.

This Article can be found on the Blog "In Caelo et in Terra", to be found at

http://incaelo.wordpress.com/

Cardinal Ries, R.I.P.

A Cardinal for only one year and five days, Julien Ries did not receive his Red Hat as the result of a successful career in the hierarchy. The Belgian Prelate rather received it for his work in the quiet of his study and the lecture hall. He passed away on 23 February 2013 at the age of 92.

Julien Ries was born near Arlon, Belgium, and ordained a Priest for the Diocese of Namur in 1945. After a few years working as a Parish Priest and history teacher, Father Ries taught history of religion at the Catholic University of Louvain. After that University was split into a Flemish and a Walloon section in 1968, he remained at the latter. He remained there until his retirement in 1990.

A highly productive author, Fr. Ries was created a Cardinal in the Consistory of February 2012. Consecrated a Bishop a week before the Consistory, he held the Titular See of Belcastro, and later became Cardinal-Deacon of Sant’Antonio di Padova a Circonvallazione Appia.

With more than 600 publications to his name, Cardinal Ries was convinced that those were the reason for being made a Cardinal. Pope Benedict XVI studied his work closely and, in 2012, Cardinal Ries said in an interview: “He phoned me more than once to congratulate me, when he had read a book of mine.”

Cardinal Ries’s work was best know for its focus on religious anthropology and humanities. In 2009, he donated his library and all his notes and correspondence to the Catholic University of Milan.

Cardinal Ries was never an Elector. With his passing the total number of Cardinals drops to 208.

Tenebrae Factae Sunt. Matins for Good Friday. Gregorian Chant.

Tenebrae Facta Sunt. Matins for Good Friday. Gregorian Chant.

Can be found on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/whKAqbZfUeE

and was uploaded by 

catholicpeter

Artist: Diego Velázquez (1599–1660).

Title: Christ Crucified.

Date: Circa 1632.

Current location: Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain (see, below).

Source/Photographer: [1]

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: West façade of Prado Museum in Madrid (Spain).

Español: Fachada oeste del Museo del Prado de Madrid (España).

Photo: January 2008.

Source: Flickr

Author: Brian Snelson from United Kingdom.

License: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Attribution: Brian Snelson.

(Wikimedia Commons)

His Holiness The Pope's Future Residence In The Vatican Gardens.

This Article was taken from the Blog, THE MOYNIHAN LETTERS, which can be found at

http://moynihanreport.itvworking.com/

February 19, 2013, Tuesday: In the Vatican Gardens. Pope Benedict's Future Residence The Vatican Gardens are not large -- the entire state is only 108 acres, and the gardens make up only about half of that area, so, about 50 acres of greenery. But it is enough room to take a good half-hour walk. It is here, in the building just to the right of the centre in the photo above, that Pope Benedict will live after he resigns on February 28.  The map of Vatican City below has three red circles on it. You can orient yourself by starting on the right, where you can see part of St. Peter's Square, and looking toward the middle of the photo, where you can see the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. To the left of the dome, that is, behind the basilica, are the Vatican Gardens. The Pope's future residence is a convent on the upper left side of the photo, circled in red. The Pope's current residence is on the top floor of the Apostolic Palace. His rooms are on the far end, and are circled in red on the upper right of the photo. He has lived there since shortly after he was elected Pope on April 19, 2005, that is, for nearly eight years now. The Pope worked from 1982 to 2005, for 23 years, in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, also known by its old Italian name, the Sant'Uffizio, or Holy Office. The Palace of the Holy Office is circled in red on the lower right of the photo. Not circled on the photo is the Domus Santa Marta -- the building where the cardinals will stay during the papal conclave, which is now expected to start sometime in mid-March, though no official date has yet been set. The Domus is the building at the very bottom edge of the photo, in the exact centre across a little piazza from the dome of the basilica. Below, from AFP, is a larger picture of the Pope's future residence inside the gardens, with the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in the background. This is the building the Pope will be living in starting in May, after spending two months at Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome. The building is called the Mater Ecclesiae convent -- "Mother of the Church." So this will be the view the former Pope will see each morning. The building was once the home of the Vatican’s head gardener and was then used as a retreat for cloistered nuns – the last of whom vacated the property in November. Adjoining the residence is a small chapel. The Domus Sanctae Marthae, where the cardinals will sleep and eat during the conclave, was built in the 1990s by Pope John Paul II to provide an alternative to the close, cramped quarters cardinals had formerly used inside the Apostolic Palace itself. “There was only one lavatory for every 10 cardinals in the Apostolic Palace, and no doors on the showers,” said Benedikt Steinschulte (photo), an official from the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, who led a tour of journalists inside the Vatican this morning. The road behind the basilica will be closed to all pedestrians and traffic to ensure that the electors remain in total seclusion from the outside world. The Domus and the Sistine Chapel will be swept for bugs and other listening devices before the Conclave begins. “They can’t talk to anybody, they can’t use their mobile phones – they are totally closed off,” said Steinschulte, a powerfully-built German who is close to Pope Benedict and has worked in the Vatican for nearly 30 years. “After all, the word conclave comes from ‘cum clave’ – "with a key," meaning locked in with a key.” The Domus has 108 suites and 23 single rooms, all with private bathrooms – a great improvement on the accommodation endured by cardinals during past conclaves. Vatican City has a permanent population of about 500, including cardinals, bishops and the 150 members of the Swiss Guard. The Vatican also has said that Benedict will send his last Tweet on February 28, his final day in office, and after that his Twitter handle, @pontifex, will fall silent. It will be up to the new Pope to decide whether he wishes to revive a papal account. It is not clear whether the Vatican Gardens will be "off limits" to visitors in the years to come. Up until now, it has been possible for visitors to walk in the gardens after requesting a special pass, which was readily granted. Our 2013 "Inside the Vatican" Pilgrimages all have openings, although some are filling up fast. For the 2013 schedule click here

The Curé d'Ars. Saint John Vianney.

This Article can be found on the Blog, NEST OF THE DOVES, at

http://nestofthedoves.blogspot.co.uk

IN THE SOUL,

IN A STATE OF GRACE,

IT IS ALWAYS

SPRINGTIME.

---The Cure d'Ars.

Tomás Luis de Victoria. Responsories for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

This Article can be found on YouTube

at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkcBhAb2nA8

and was uploaded by Javer2949

Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548 - 1611).

Tomás Luis de Victoria - Magnum & Ascendens CD 2 - YouTube

If Ye Love Me by Thomas Tallis.

This Article is can be found on YouTube at http://youtu.be/FeAMHRiQBfo

and was uploaded by catholicpeter

Thomas Tallis (1505 - 1585).

If Ye Love Me - Thomas Tallis - YouTube

The Denial Of Saint Peter by Caravaggio.

English: The Denial of Saint Peter.

Polski: Zaparcie się św. Piotra.

Date: Circa 1610.

Current location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, U.S.A.

Source/Photographer: Scan.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Madonna di Loreto by Caravaggio.

English: Madonna di Loreto, by Caravaggio.

Deutsch: Altargemälde der Cavaletti-Kapelle in Sant' Agostino in Rom, 

Szene: Madonna der Pilger.

Artist: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.

Date: 1603 - 1605.

Current location: Church of San'Agostino, Rome.

Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002. 

ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

Permission: [1]

(Wikimedia Commons)

Pope Benedict XVI meets with Priests from Rome.

This illustration can be found on http://www.turnbacktogod.com

The following Article can be found on ROME REPORTS at http://www.romereports.com

Benedict XVI meets with priests from Rome

A Liturgical Note For Lent.

Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Wide-angle view of the Altar inside Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome.

Photo: 2008-09-24 (original upload date).(Original text : August 2008).

Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:Sfan00_IMG using CommonsHelper.(Original text : I created this work entirely by myself 

using my en:Olympus E-510 and en:Autopano Pro).

Author: Patrick Landy (FSU Guy (talk)). Original uploader was FSU Guy at en.wikipedia

Permission: CC-BY-SA-3.0; Released under the GNU Free Documentation License.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Lent comprises two parts, the first of which commences on Ash Wednesday, which is called in the Liturgy "the beginning of the Holy Forty Days", and ends on Passion Sunday.

The second part consists of the "Great Fortnight" known as Passiontide.

Reckoning four Sundays in Lent, together with Passion Sunday and Palm Sunday, we find thirty-six Fasting Days, to which have been added the four days immediately preceding the First Sunday, in order to reach the number forty, "which originated with the Law and the Prophets and was hallowed by Christ Himself. (Hymn at Matins. Moses, representing the Law, and Elias, the Prophets, only approached Almighty God on Sinai and Horeb (respectively) after purifying themselves by a Fast of forty days.)

The Mass for Ash Wednesday, although under a different name, existed already in the Gregorian Sacramentary.

Bernini's Baldacchino, inside Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City.

Photo: 2005.

Source: Taken by Ricardo André Frantz.

Author: Ricardo André Frantz (User:Tetraktys).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Each Mass in Lent has its own Station.

The term "Station" has been borrowed from the Roman Army, because the Christians, enrolled in the Army of Christ, were accustomed to meet at the same hours that the Roman soldiers changed guard at their "Stations".

English: A 5 x 6 segment panoramic image taken by myself 

with a Canon 5D and 70-200mm f/2.8L lens from the dome of Saint Peter's in Rome.

Français: Image panoramique composée de 5 x 6 photos prises par David Iliff à l'aide d'un appareil Canon 5D et une lentille 70-200mm f/2.8L à partir du dôme de la Basilique Saint-Pierre au Vatican.

Photo: April 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Diliff

License: CC-BY-SA 3.0".

(Wikimedia Commons)

This is the origin of the terms Terce, Sext and None, given to the Divine Office and said at the third, sixth and ninth hours. In Lent, Mass was celebrated after None, which was said about three o'clock. Vespers were then sung, after which the Fast was broken. From this, came the present custom in Churches where the Divine Office is sung, of saying Vespers before Lunch (before noon), during Lent. [This copy of The Saint Andrew Daily Missal is dated 1945.]

Français : Façade de la Basilique Saint-Pierre au Vatican.

English: Façade of Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

Deutsch: Fassade des Peterskirche im Vatikan.

Español: Fachada de la Basílica de San Pedro en el Vaticano.

Italiano: Facciata del Basilica di San Pietro in Città del Vaticano.

Photo: September 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT.

(Wikimedia Commons)

As a matter of history, in the course of the year the Pope used to celebrate Solemn Mass in one after another of the great Basilicas, the twenty-five Parish Churches of Rome, and in certain other Sanctuaries, surrounded by all his Clergy and by his people. This was called: "Making The Station". This name, which we still find in the Missal, reminds us that Rome is the centre of Christian worship and stands to us for a Liturgy more than 1,200 years old and formerly carried out with the greatest solemnity.

The twenty-five Parish Churches of Rome, which already existed in the 5th-Century, were called "Titles" (Tituli) and the Parish Priests of Rome, who served them, bore the name of "Cardinals" (incardinati), which means "attached to these Churches". It is for this reason, that in our time each Cardinal is still "Titular" of one of these Sanctuaries.

Français : Nef de la Basilique Saint-Pierre au Vatican.

Deutsch: Kirchenschiff des Petersdom in Vatikan.

English: Nave of Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

Español: Nave de la basílica Basílica de San Pedro en la Ciudad del Vaticano.

Italiano: Navata della basilica Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano. Dentro da cúpula do Basílica de São Pedro em Vaticano.

Photo: September 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Lent, when each day's Mass carries the Indulgences attached to its particular "Station", is one of the most ancient of the Liturgical Seasons and the most important in the whole year.

The Temporal Cycle, which is devoted to the contemplation of the Mysteries of Christ, is brought to bear daily upon the Faithful, while at other Seasons it is more frequently the Feasts of Saints which are kept on the days of the week. And, since the whole Christian life is summed up in the imitation of Christ, this Season, when the Sanctoral Cycle is least in evidence, is particularly fruitful to our Souls. It is only because of their special importance, that the Church gave a place in the Lenten Liturgy, to the Feasts of the Annunciation (25 March) and of Saint Matthias (24 February).

If, as time went on, there were added to these, other Masses in honour of the Saints, it is, nonetheless, precisely in the spirit of this Season to choose by preference to say or hear the Mass of the Feria; for during Lent, the principal Mass of the Day, be it sung or said, ought to be of the Feria on Feasts of the Greater Double or any lesser rite.

Further, on Feasts of superior rite, i.e., of the First Class or Second Class, such as the Annunciation, Saint Joseph, and Saint Matthias, one Mass of the Feria is said, in addition to the Mass of the Day, in Cathedrals, Collegiate Churches, and Monasteries, in order not to interrupt the preparation for Easter.

Consequently, if we wish to make a good Lent, it is important that we should try to assist daily at that Mass in which our Mother the Church dictates to us the thoughts which should occupy our minds during this holy Season.

English: Michelangelo's Pietà in Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

Français : La Pietà de Michel-Ange située dans la Basilique Saint-Pierre, au Vatican.

Photo: 2008.

Source: Edited version of (cloned object out of background) 

Image:Michelangelo's Pieta 5450 cropncleaned.jpg).

Author: Stanislav Traykov

(Wikimedia Commons)

To show that the spirit of Penance of the Septuagesima Season has become still more prominent, the Church not only suppresses the Gloria and the Alleluia, and puts her Priests in Violet Vestments throughout this Holy Forty Days, but she deprives the Deacon and Sub-Deacon of their Dalmatic and Tunicle, symbols of joy, and silences the organs in the Churches. Accompanying the Chant remains merely tolerated, and ceases after the Gloria on Maundy Thursday. Further, after the Postcommunions, is said a "Prayer Over The People", following the humble cry: "Bow down your heads before God."

In former times, during this Season, the sittings of the Law Courts and all wars were suspended in the Christian commonwealth. It was also a "Closed Time" for marriages and still is in our days, in the sense that, at this time of the year, the Church does not allow the Solemn Blessing to be given to the bridal pair.

Angels Bridge and Basilica di San Pietro (view at night).

Photo: May 2004.

Source: Own work.

Author: Andreas Tille

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the ages when Faith was at its strongest, the Church exhorted married couples to practise continence throughout the whole period of this "Solemn Fast".

"Behold, now is the acceptable time: Behold, now is the day of salvation. Let us commend ourselves in much patience, in frequent Fastings, by the armour of justice of the power of God. Let us exhibit ourselves as the ministers of God in much patience, in many Fastings" (Response at Matins for the First Sunday of Lent).

Basilica of The Twelve Apostles, Rome. (Part Two)

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

The Lenten Station is held at the Basilica of The Twelve Apostles on Friday of Ember Week in Lent.

The Apse in the Church of The Twelve Apostles, Rome.

Photo: August 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Luc.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Melozzo da Forlì painted, on the Ceiling of the great Chapel, the Ascension of Our Lord. According to Giorgio Vasari, "the figure of Christ is so admirably foreshortened as to appear to pierce the vault; and, in the same manner, the Angels are seen sweeping through the field of air in two opposite directions." This painting was executed for Cardinal Riario, nephew of Pope Sixtus IV, about the year 1472. During the dramatic renovation of the Church, it was removed and placed in the Quirinal Palace in 1711, where it is still seen, bearing this inscription: "Opus Melotii Foroliviensis, qui summos fornices pingendi artem vel primus invenit vel illustravit". Several heads of the Apostles, which surrounded it, and were likewise cut away, were deposited in the Vatican palace.

The twelve Chapels in total, with three domed ones on each side, are adorned with marbles and fine paintings; the painting in the first Chapel, to the right, is by Nicola Lapiccola; and that in the next by Corrado Giaquinto. The Chapel of Saint Anthony contains eight fine marble Columns, and a painting by Benedetto Luti.

The first Chapel, on the right-hand side, is the Chapel of the Immaculate. It has a 15th-Century Madonna, donated by Cardinal Bessarion (1403–1472).

English: The Ceiling of the Basilica of The Twelve Apostles, Rome.

Español: Roma. SS. Apostoli, bóveda. Baciccio, Caída de los ángeles rebeldes.

Photo: May 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: MiguelHermoso

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Chapel of the Crucifixion, on the right-hand side, is divided into a Nave and two Aisles. The eight Columns are from the 6th-Century Church. The tomb of Raffaele della Rovere (died 1477), brother of Pope Sixtus IV and father of Pope Julius II, is found in the Chapel on the left side of the Crypt. It was designed by Andrea Bregno.

The Confessio was constructed in 1837. During its construction, the relics of Saint James and Saint Philip, which were taken from the Catacombs in the 9th-Century to protect them from invaders, were rediscovered. The wall paintings are reproductions of ancient Catacomb paintings. An inscription explains that Pope Stephen IV walked barefoot in 886 A.D. from the Catacombs to the Church carrying the relics on his shoulders. The other Chapels were decorated 1876-1877.

Pope Clement XIV (1769–1774) is buried in the last Chapel on the left side, near the door of the Sacristy. His Neo-Classical tomb is by Antonio Canova, made in 1783-1787. Besides the statue of that Pope, there are two uncommonly fine figures of"Temperance" and "Clemency". This was the first major work that Canova did in Rome.

The High Altar, Santi Apostoli, Rome.

Photo: July 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: SteO153

(Wikimedia Commons)

Beyond the Sacristy is the Chapel of Saint Francis, painted by Giuseppe Chiari. On the Altar of the following Chapel, the second Chapel on the left has an Altarpiece from 1777 by Giuseppe Cades, depicting Saint Joseph of Cupertino. The two Columns of verde antico, green marble, are the largest known in that type of stone. The "Descent of the Cross", on the Altar of the last Chapel, is a famous work of Francesco Manno.

On the second Pillar, on the left side, is the epitaph of Cardinal Bessarion, and a 16th-Century portrait of him. His mortal remains were moved here in 1957.

For a short time, the Basilica housed the tomb of Michelangelo, before its transportation to the Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze. Upon the death of James Francis Edward Stuart, his body lay in repose here in 1776 before he was buried with his wife at Saint Peter's Basilica.

THIS ENDS THE ARTICLE ON THE BASILICA OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES, ROME.