Ahead of Papal Conclave, a Call for Church Unity
By Daniel J. Wakin, NY Times, March 12, 2013
VATICAN CITY--Cardinal Angelo Sodano, celebrating the Mass on Tuesday preceding the conclave to elect the next pope, issued an appeal for unity in the Catholic Church.
As dean of the college of cardinals, Cardinal Solano delivered his homily hours before the cardinals were to enter the Sistine Chapel for the conclave. It was the last major public statement by a Vatican prelate before the church's next supreme pontiff emerges.
"St. Paul teaches that each of us must work to build up the unity of the church," the cardinal said. "All of us are therefore called to cooperate with the pastors, in particular with the successor of Peter, to obtain that unity of the holy church."
He also dwelled on the church's charitable and evangelizing mission and prayed for the future pope to continue to promote peace and justice around the world. The cardinal, who for nearly 20 years has been one of the most influential figures in the Vatican and served both John Paul II and Benedict as secretary of state, made several mentions of those two popes.
He referred to the "luminous pontificate" of the "beloved and venerated Pontiff Benedict XVI, to whom in this moment we renew our profound gratitude," drawing long applause from the worshippers. A number of the cardinals, but not all, clapped their hands modestly.
The cardinals have appeared divided over whether the next pope should be an outsider who would reform the Italian-dominated Curia, or Vatican bureaucracy; an internal choice who could bring change from within; or a galvanizing leader who can shore up the Catholic Church in the face of growing secularism and inroads by Protestant evangelicals.
They are selecting a successor to Pope Benedict XVI, whose decision to resign, the first pontiff to step down in nearly 600 years, has also caused differences in the cardinals' ranks.
The homily, closely grounded in Gospel readings, was markedly different from the last such speech, which was given by Cardinal Ratzinger ahead of the 2005 conclave that chose him pope. Then, Cardinal Ratzginer delivered a sharp warning against departing from fundamental Catholic teaching, denouncing what he called a "dictatorship of relativism" that leaves "only one's ego and desires" as the ultimate measure.
Cardinal Ratzinger's showing going into the 2005 conclave was considered a factor in his election as pope. Cardinal Sodano will not take part in this conclave. He is over the age limit of 80.
At the outset of the Mass, the princes of the church moved slowly down the central aisle of St. Peter's Basilica in pairs, wearing crimson robes and white mitres as Gregorian chant echoed through the cavernous baroque space. They held their hands clasped in front, approached the altar, bent in reverence and parted ways to take their places. Readings took place in Swahili, Portuguese, Malayalam, French, Italian, English, Spanish and German.
The cardinals were scheduled at 4:30 p.m. to hold their procession into the Sistine Chapel, where they will swear an oath of secrecy and obedience to the constitution on papal transition. After the words "extra omnes"--everyone out--the princes of the church will get down to business. They will write the name of their candidate on rectangular pieces of paper and tip them into a flying-saucer shaped urn.
Unlike previous recent conclaves, where powerful figures like Cardinal Ratzinger loomed large, this conclave seems wide open, with a scattered field of "papabili," or pope-ables.
Only one round of balloting is provided for on the first day of a conclave, although Vatican officials explained that a vote is not guaranteed--the cardinals can decide not to--but likely. One thing is very predictable: that no one of the 115 cardinals present will receive 77 votes, or the required two-thirds, to become pope on that first ballot.
Candidates will build up blocks of votes over succeeding rounds. Two are scheduled in the morning and two in the afternoon each successive day.
The ballots and notes will be burned in a special oven set up in the Sistine Chapel, with chemicals added to produce black or white smoke. White means the world has a pope, black that no result is reached. Black smoke on Tuesday is expected to arrive toward the evening. A result is expected by the end of the week.
The process was set in motion on Feb. 11 when Benedict announced he would resign, unprecedented in modern times. A helicopter lifted him away from the Vatican on Feb. 28 and took him to the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, outside of Rome, where he is to remain in seclusion for several months until returning to a convent in the Vatican.
The Vatican has said none of the cardinals, who had been meeting daily to discuss the needs of the church and the expectations of a future pope, had sought him out.
