Posted on 04/06/2005 5:26:45 AM PDT by Truth666
The College of Cardinals on Wednesday set April 18 as the date for the start of its historic secret vote in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope.
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the late Pope John Paul II did not release the name of the cardinal he secretly appointed.
He said the cardinals read John Paul's 15-page testament, written in Polish at different stages of his pontificate, and would release the text on Thursday.
Cardinal Mustard, in the Vatican library, with a candlestick?
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
"Cardinal Mustard, in the Vatican library, with a candlestick?"
LOLOL!!!!! Thanks for the laugh.
Not naming a secretly appointed Cardinal... I can't imagine the reasoning behind this. Well, I guess if the new Pope is someone not known to be a Cardinal then we'll know who it was.
The favored theory is that this person is in China and the Chicoms would kill or imprison him if they discovered his status.
I wonder if _I'm_ the "secret cardinal"?
This has happened before. Usually, it's someone in a country where religion is oppressed by the government, and the cardinal's life would be in danger if his identity were known.
Has the UN demanded to have their observers present to certify the election?
1+1=2 ... self fulfilled prophecy - De Laboris ... - "it will be the last partial solar eclipse visible from the continental United States until May 20, 2012."
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/04/05/solar.eclipse.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest
From "UNIVERSI DOMINICI GREGIS," Apostolic Constitution on the Vacancy of the Apostolic See and the Election of the Roman Pontiff, by John Paul II, February 1996:
"...from the moment when the Apostolic See is lawfully vacant, the Cardinal electors who are present must wait fifteen full days for those who are absent, the College of Cardinals is also granted the faculty to defer, for serious reasons, the beginning of the election for a few days more. But when a maximum of twenty days have elapsed from the beginning of the vacancy of the See, all the Cardinal electors present are obliged to proceed to the election."
April 18 is right in the ballpark.
Although I'm certain any Cardinal physically able will be at the Pope's funeral on Friday, this document places great emphasis on secrecy and non-interference from outside sources in the election. To that end, once the election process begins, no Cardinal is allowed contact with anyone or anything outside the Vatican compound. As a result, I'm sure many of the Cardinals will have unfinished business to attend to before the election -- hence the 15 to 20 day period.
We may never discover who the secret cardinal is......in order to save his life.
You are correct, there was a Chinese cardinal, but he was named in secret as well. He was only identified after he left the county, nine years before his death in Connecticut. I believe that they also said there were two other secret cardinals this Pope appointed who were later named who had been in the Ukraine and Latvia during the period of Soviet domination.
Seems to me the reason for the secrecy is protection of life.
I think what you meant to refer to was St. Malachy's name for Pope John Paul II -- "Laboris Solis" or "The labor of the sun." I always took this to mean that the sun spreads its warmth and light across the entire Earth and this Pope was the most travelled in history. I suppose it is fitting that an eclipse occur on the day of his funeral.
Only two more on St. Malachy's list of popes. "Gloriae Olivae" or "The Glory of the Olive" and "Petrus Romanus" or "Peter the Roman". St. Malachy's only written comment is on this last pope: "Finally shall come Peter the Roman, HE shall lead the Church into to the final persecution of the antichrist, after which the terrible Judge will return to judge His people."
I forgot, but Pope John Paul II was also born during a solar eclipse on May 18, 1920.
I predict an elderly Italian will be elected. They realize they need a short buffer between any successor of JPII.
It's best to have an interval before you get to another real leader.
(and, of course....I could be wrong, too. :>)
"...Has the UN demanded to have their observers present to certify the election?..."
Don't know. Maybe Carter will be there to make sure things are on the up and up.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.