My call to the SSPX as Francis begins.

Gentlemen, I now repeat, on the first full day of the pontificate of Francis.

The entire SSPX should gather in St. Peter’s Square, crawl on hands and knees to the Apostolic Palace and beg the new Pope to allow them to kiss his foot, knee and hand and promise obedience.

Given the new pontificate, what a gesture that would be. And it would provide a HUGE does of credibility to those who desire to maintain continuity with tradition.

The self-proclaimed leaders of the defense of tradition should lead that way. Get out in front of everyone.

Let the SSPX help Francis be the Pope of Christian Unity.

Posted in Francis, Pope of Christian Unity, SSPX | Tagged ,
130 Comments

Some views from the Square after the “white smoke”

Just a few pics I took last night, to share something of the moment and my view.

From my phone:

An exhausted me.

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Note the edge of the Roman hat.

 

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These are the guys I was standing near.  Happy, diocesan men.  They aren’t part of a specialized group.  THIS, friends, is how we proceed.  Five more years and we’ll have a whole new thing going on.

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Back in the press office after the big event.

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From my camera:

Walking home after meeting friends for a late supper.

Posted in My View, On the road, What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged ,
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Updates on Pope Francis’ first day as Pope – Great moments! (live blogging)

During the press briefing today, we were told that after the first appearance and blessing last night, Pope Francis went back to the cardinal’s residence, Casa Santa Marta, on the little bus with the other cardinals rather than take the car with the plates SCV1.

At end of the meal they had together, at the time of toasts and little speeches (absolutely necessary in Italy), he quipped “God forgive you for what you have done.”

As mentioned before, he spoke last night with the former Pope, Benedict. He will visit him soon at Castel Gandolfo.

Pope Francis went this morning, his first full day as Pope, to the Basilia St. Mary Major to venerate the Madonna “Salus Populi Romani“.  She is especially dear to the Roman people. Classy.  He carried with him a little bouquet of flowers which he left at the altar. He prayed for a while.  He visited also the relic of the crib, the manger, of the Nativity, and then went to the Sistine chapel of that Basilica, upon which altar St. Ignatius Loyola said his first Mass on Christmas Eve.  And he prayed before the tomb of St. Pius V, also in that chapel.

He returned in one of the squad cars of the Vatican Gendarmes without the big entourage of cars.

He went to the house where I used to live on the V. della Scrofa, to collect his luggage.  That is where he was before the conclave.  That is where I had met him on various occasions.  He went to the office and paid the bill for his room!

He went back to Santa Marta then, to meet people and get organized for the next days.

This evening is the Mass with Cardinals.  The Mass will be in Latin with readings in Italian. The sermon could be in Italian.  It might be pretty spontaneous.  It is probable that we in the press won’t have advance texts, so we will all have to be pretty careful in talking about his words.  (What do you want to bet there were speeches prepared already?)

After the Mass tonight, the seals will be removed by Francis from the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace.  It sounds as if he is going to move fairly soon to the Apostolic Palace after small adjustments are made.

After, they just went through some schedule stuff, which will already be everywhere by now.

We were told that the General of the Jesuits issued a statement about the election of Francis, a Jesuit.  He referred to the special bond of Jesuits with the Pope and their vow of obedience.  I look forward to seeing that in some certain Jesuits I have in mind.

The Pope knows Spanish, Italian, German, English, and French and probably some Portuguese.

A question was raised about security given that this Pope is rather spontaneous and informal. The security team will have to do its best given the Pope’s style.

Posted in Francis | Tagged
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“What is that banana peel doing on MY SIDEWALK?”

Dear readers,

Over the years it has been part of my plan to provide a space in which – to put it bluntly – some of you of the more traditionalist flavor could vent a little.  After decades of what can only be called oppression and heart-breaking disappointment, some of you were understandably angry.  Some venting has been necessary now and then for the sake of healing the bruises.

In the last few years I have sensed that some of the more traditionalist flavor were finally beginning to unclench a bit.  Thus, the time for a certain kind of venting is drawing to a close.

Since the announcement of a new Pope last night, I had to clean some really harsh things out of the combox and the comment queue.  I lost sleep doing so, and I don’t appreciate that at all.  I am grateful also for the work of a friend in the USA to whom I gave the blog’s keys for occasions when I couldn’t be online.

I won’t stand for bashing the new Pope here.  It isn’t going to happen in my combox.  You are NOT welcome to come into my living room and have a spittle-flecked nutty like whining liberals do whenever Catholic teaching and discipline is reaffirmed.  I don’t expect “papolatry”.  I ask for respect and decorum when concerns or disagreements are expressed.

If it turns out that our new Pope starts us down a path you or I don’t like, then we will discuss those matters as they come along.  But… how long has he been Pope?

Look.  We all have to get to know Francis.  He has to get to know himself now, too!  Pray for him.

If you are tempted to panic and bash Pope Francis in my combox, summon to your imagination the voice of a Marine Corps Captain to the company: “What is that banana peel doing on MY SIDEWALK?”

The combox for this entry is closed. There is no, “But Father! But Father!”

Posted in "But Father! But Father!", Our Catholic Identity, Throwing a Nutty | Tagged
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My take on Card. Bergoglio in 2009.

My take on Card. Bergoglio in 2009.

Who’s the important one?

Posted in Conclave, Francis | Tagged ,
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Anti-Catholic MSM and their pre-Conclave yellow journalism

I think you can all find examples of how the liberal, anti-Catholic MSM, published or broadcast stories on the eve of the Conclave – stories held back until the eve of the Conclave – to hurt the Church and certain local prelates.

Here is a good example pointed out by The Catholic League:

Cardinal Pell Should Sue for Libel

March 12, 2013
Bill Donohue comments on stories in Australian newspapers maintaining that Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, will not be named pope because of his tainted record of sexual abuse:

No cardinal should ever have to endure the vicious mudslinging campaign being conducted by an embittered radical ex-priest, dishonest reporters, discredited victims’ groups, and incompetent Catholic journalists. But this is exactly what Cardinal Pell has had to endure this week. Not without reason is he thinking about suing the culprits.

The source of the smear campaign is Dr. Paul Collins, an ex-priest who resigned in 2001 after clashing with the Vatican. Collins has a long record of defending every dissident, in and out of the Catholic Church, on a wide range of subjects. That he would float the idea that Cardinal Pell has “long [been] dogged” by accusations of sexual abuse suggests that the charges against Pell are still unresolved. This is a pernicious lie.

In 2002, Cardinal Pell was completely exonerated of allegations that he abused a teenager in the 1960s. Yet reporter Barney Zwartz, whose story was picked up in The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, led readers to believe that Pell’s name was not fully cleared. Amazingly, here is what Zwartz said in 2010, but did not say yesterday: “Cardinal Pell stood down as Archbishop of Sydney in 2002 after he was accused of abusing a teenager at a church camp in the 1960s, but an independent investigation by a retired non-Catholic judge cleared him.”

Piling on Cardinal Pell is the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), the most discredited and dishonest so-called victims’ group in the U.S. Finally, we have what is perhaps the most inexcusable aspect of this smear campaign: CathNews, a prominent Australian Catholic media outlet, picked up this trashy story in its print and online editions. Now it has apologized for doing so, admitting that it made “unfair, false and seriously defamatory allegations against Cardinal Pell, who has worked hard to eradicate the evil of sexual abuse.” Looks like sexual abuse isn’t the only evil matter attendant to this story.

Phone: 212-371-3191
E-mail: cl@catholicleague.org

Posted in Biased Media Coverage, Liberals, The Last Acceptable Prejudice, Throwing a Nutty | Tagged , , ,
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Latin names of Cardinals. We’ll hear one of these from the loggia of St. Peter’s!

Today I was planning on posting something about the Latin versions of first names of Cardinals whom the Electors may chose as the next Pope.  The first indication will be the former Cardinal’s first name, in Latin, in the accusative.   Back in 2005 when I was with Fox, I almost wrenched Greg Burke’s arm from his socket when I heard “Iosephum”.

Also, during the announcement, you will hear the peculiarly Roman repetition of “Domimum“.  It won’t be a stutter.  It is supposed to be that way.

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum:
Habemus Papam;
Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum,
Dominum [first name in accusative] Sanctae Romanæ Ecclesiae Cardinalem [surname],
Qui sibi nomen imposuit [papal name].

Over at CNS Cindy Wooden had this idea too and she did a great job.  Here is the list she prepared.

VATICAN CITY — Here is an alphabetical list of the cardinal electors’ first names in Latin, in the accusative case, which is likely to be that used when announcing the name of the new pope.

Several cardinals are listed twice because they may be referred to by their baptismal name, given name or religious name. For instance, Indian Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, is listed twice because the “Acta Apostolicae Sedis,” (The Official Acts of the Holy See) has used both versions. U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada and Dutch Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk of Utrecht are listed twice because “Gulielmum” and “Villelmum” are both acceptable versions of their name.  [In the accusative, of course.]

Albertum
– Albert Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Aloisium
– Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, Philippines.
– Lluis Martinez Sistach of Barcelona, Spain.

Andream
– Andre Vingt-Trois of Paris.

Angelum
– Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes.
– Angelo Bagnasco of Genoa, Italy.
– Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica.
– Angelo Scola of Milan.

Ansgarium
– Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Antonium
– Antonio Canizares Llovera, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments.
– Antonios Naguib, former Coptic Catholic patriarch, Egypt.
– Anthony Olubunmi Okogie of Lagos, Nigeria.

Antonium Mariam
– Antonio Maria Rouco Varela of Madrid.
– Antonio Maria Veglio, president of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers.

Attilium
– Attilio Nicora, president emeritus of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.

Audrys
– Audrys Juozas Backis of Vilnius, Lithuania.

Augustinum
– Agostino Vallini, papal vicar for Rome.

Bachara or Becharam
– Bechara Rai, Maronite patriarch.

Basilium Clementem
Baselios Cleemis (Isaac) Thottunkal, major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.

Carolum
– Carlos Amigo Vallejo of Seville, Spain.
– Carlo Caffarra, of Bologna, Italy.
– Karl Lehmann of Mainz, Germany.

Casimirum
– Kazimierz Nycz of Warsaw, Poland.

Christophorum
– Christoph Schonborn of Vienna.

Claudium
– Claudio Hummes, retired prefect of the Congregation for Clergy.

Conradum
– Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Crescentium
– Crescenzio Sepe of Naples, Italy.

Daniel or Danielem
– Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.

Dionigium
– Dionigi Tettamanzi of Milan.

Dominicum
– Domenico Calcagno, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See.
– Dominik Duka of Prague, Czech Republic.

Donaldum
– Donald W. Wuerl of Washington.

Eduinum
– Edwin F. O’Brien, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

Emmanuelem
– Manuel Monteiro de Castro, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary.

Ennium
– Ennio Antonelli, retired president of Pontifical Council for the Family.

Ferdinandum
– Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Franciscum
– Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.
– Francis E. George of Chicago.
– Francesco Monterisi, retired secretary of the Congregation for Bishops.
– Francisco Robles Ortega of Guadalajara, Mexico.
– Franc Rode, retired prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

Franciscum Xaverium
– Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa of Santiago de Chile.

Georgium
– George Alencherry of Ernakulam-Angamaly, major archbishop of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.
– Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
– George Pell of Sydney.
– Jorge Urosa Savino of Caracas, Venezuela.

Gabrielem
– Gabriel Zubeir Wako of Khartoum, Sudan.

Gerardum
– Geraldo Majella Agnelo of Sao Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.

Godefridum
– Godfried Danneels of Mechelen-Brussels.

Gulielmum
– Willem Jacobus Eijk of Utrecht, Netherlands.
– William Joseph Levada, retired prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Iacobum
– James M. Harvey, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
– Jaime Ortega Alamino of Havana.

Ioachim
– Joachim Meisner of Cologne, Germany.

Ioannem
– Sean Brady of Armagh, Northern Ireland.
– Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
– Juan Cipriani Thorne of Lima, Peru.
– Giovanni Lajolo, retired president of the commission governing Vatican City State.
– John Njue of Nairobi, Kenya.
– John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria.
– Sean Patrick O’Malley of Boston.
– Juan Sandoval Iniguez of Guadalajara, Mexico.
– John Tong Hon of Hong Kong.

Ioannem Baptistam
– Giovanni Battista Re, retired prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
– Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Ioannem Claudium
– Jean-Claude Turcotte of Montreal.

Ioannem Ludovicum
– Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Ioannem Franciscum
– Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

Ioannem Patricium
– Sean Patrick O’Malley of Boston.

Ioannem Petrum
– Jean-Pierre Ricard of Bordeaux, France.

Iosephum
– Giuseppe Bertello, president of the commission governing Vatican City State.
– Giuseppe Betori of Florence, Italy.
– Josip Bozanic of Zagreb, Croatia.
– Jose da Cruz Policarpo, Lisbon, Portugal.
– Giuseppe Versaldi, president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See.

Iulium
– Julio Terrazas Sandoval of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.

Iustinum
– Justin Rigali of Philadelphia.

Isaac
– Baselios Cleemis (Isaac) Thottunkal, major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.

Laurentium
– Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, Congo.

Ivanum
– Ivan Dias, retired prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Leonardum
– Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches.

Marcum
– Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

Maurum
– Mauro Piacenza, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy.

Nicolaum
– Nicolas Lopez Rodriguez of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Norbertum
– Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City.

Odilonem
– Odilo Pedro Scherer of Sao Paulo.

Osvaldum
– Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, India.

Patricium
– Sean Patrick O’Malley of Boston.

Paulum
– Paolo Sardi, a former official in the Vatican Secretariat of State.
– Paul Josef Cordes, retired president of Pontifical Council Cor Unum.
– Paolo Romeo of Palermo, Italy.

Petrum
– Peter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary.
– Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

Philippum
– Philippe Barbarin of Lyon, France.

Polycarpum
– Polycarp Pengo of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Radulfum
– Raul Vela Chiriboga, retired archbishop of Quito, Ecuador.

Raimundum
– Raymond L. Burke, prefect of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature.
– Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida, Brazil.

Rainardum
– Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, Germany.

Rainerium
– Rainer Maria Woelki of Berlin.

Raphaelem
– Raffaele Farina, retired head of the Vatican Secret Archives and the Vatican Library.

Robertum
– Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.

Rogerium
– Roger Mahony, retired archbishop of Los Angeles.

Ruben
– Ruben Salazar Gomez of Bogota, Colombia.

Sanctum
– Santos Abril Castello, archpriest of Basilica of St. Mary Major.

Severium
– Severino Poletto of Turin, Italy.

Stanislaum
– Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, Poland.
– Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

Telesphorum
– Telesphore Toppo, of Ranchi, India.

Tharsicium
– Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of state.

Theodorum
– Theodore-Adrien Sarr of Dakar, Senegal.

Thomam
– Thomas C. Collins of Toronto.

Timotheum
– Timothy M. Dolan of New York.

Valtherum
– Walter Kasper, retired president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Velasium
– Velasio De Paolis, papal delegate overseeing reform of the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi.

Vilfridum
– Wilfrid F. Napier of Durban, South Africa.

Villelmum
– Willem Jacobus Eijk of Utrecht, Netherlands.
– William Joseph Levada, retired prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Vincentium
– Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Zenonem
– Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education.

Posted in Conclave | Tagged ,
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A seminarian reports on his seminary’s plans for the announcement of the next Pope

From a seminarian:

I just got done praying for good weather in Rome.

I thought it would be interesting to hear what seminaries are doing during this Conclave, and especially how they will celebrate when our new Pope is elected.
Here in Saint Paul, when we hear of white smoke, one of our guys is assigned to ring the seminary bell in the tower, we’ll rush out of class (if we’re in class), run to the seminary and sit in front of a TV and watch everything. Afterwards, we’ll head up to the chapel where our schola will sing the Te Deum and everyone will join in Christus Vincit. Who knows, our rector may even let us miss class for the rest of the day. Naturally, there will be a spirit of joy and celebration throughout the house.

I thought you’d like to hear how the seminarians are getting excited for their new boss in Rome. We love our Pope!!

This is especially poignant for me, given that I was at the St. Paul Seminary in the dark ’80’s when anything having to do with reverence for the Pope was met with sullen resentment and then passive aggressive persecution on the part of the faculty. How wonderful it is to read of such a turn around. Sing the Te Deum? Christus vincit? Back in the day the very suggestion would have resulted in the requirement of psychological testing and perhaps “deselection” from the formation process.

It would be great to hear from other seminarians about plans in their respective houses for the announcement of the next Pope! Chime in!

And thanks for praying for good weather! Please, Lord, no more rain?

Posted in Brick by Brick, Conclave, Our Catholic Identity, Seminarians and Seminaries | Tagged , ,
10 Comments

POLL: Which U.S. major secular network has the best Papal Conclave coverage so far?

Which U.S. major secular network has the best Papal Conclave coverage so far?

I am hearing great things about what CBS is doing this time around.

What are you hearing and seeing?  What are your reactions to the commentary?

Use the combox below.

Which major USA TV network has the best Conclave coverage?

View Results

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“Non habemus Papam!”, tonight, but “Habebimus flava hyperdulcia crustula spongiosa!”

Conclave?  Smoke? Pfft.  Here’s big news!

From ABC:

ABC News’ Aaron Katersky reports:

Buyout firms Apollo Global Management, LLC and Metropoulos & Co. have agreed to purchase the Hostess and Dolly Madison cake brands, including Twinkies.  The iconic snacks have been off the market since Hostess closed its plants in November and declared bankruptcy after its unions went on strike.

The proposed transaction includes the brands, five bakeries, and certain equipment for $410 million. The transaction requires US Bankruptcy Court approval. A hearing to consider approval of the sale will take place on March 19.  [The Feast of St. Joseph, when by custom Romans eat special pastries in honor of the saint.]

[…]

There’s more, for you Ho Ho fans.  Read it there.

I was sort of hoping that the Mexican company would buy this up.  Think of it… Bimbo Twinkies.  It kinda keeps the “hostess” theme going.

I didn’t like Twinkies when we could buy them.  When I couldn’t buy them… that’s when I wanted to.  Not to eat, of course… but to store up against TEOTWAWKI.

Posted in Lighter fare, TEOTWAWKI | Tagged ,
14 Comments