On February 11th, Cardinal Sodano responding to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's resignation said:
And you did not hesitate, although moved with emotion, to answer that you accepted, trusting in the Lord's grace and the maternal intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church. Like Mary on that day she gave her 'yes', and your luminous pontificate began, following in the wake of continuity, in that continuity with your 265 predecessors in the Chair of Peter, over two thousand years of history from the Apostle Peter, the humble Galilean fisherman, to the great popes of the last century from St. Pius X to Blessed John Paul II.–Cardinal Sodano, February 11
Today in his homily during the "Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice” Mass, Sodano in his homily invoked the intercession of Mary:
My brothers, let us pray that the Lord will grant us a Pontiff who will embrace this noble mission with a generous heart. We ask this of the Lord, through the intercession of Mary most holy, Queen of the Apostles and of all the Martyrs and Saints, who through the course of history, made this Church of Rome glorious through the ages. Amen.
It is clear that the Mother of God is praying for this conclave. Her intercession has been invoked numerous times over the past weeks and month. Today, as black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel, let us continue to invoke the maternal solicitude of Mary, who is the Queen of Apostles, Martyrs and the Saints. Let us pray that the next Holy Father, like Pope Emeritus Benedict, say "fiat" to the will of God for their ministry in the Church.
Tuesday,
March 12 has arrived. The Cardinals will commence the conclave in which
the new Holy Father will be elected. Over the ensuing day(s), the
Cardinal electors will cast their ballot. Once a 2/3 majority has been
reached, the Cardinal Deacon will proclaim a great joy, Habemus Papam. In their remarks before teh Urbi et Orbi blessing, our most recent Holy Fathers, John Paul II and
Benedict XVI, both referenced Mary in their remarks. As we await the announcement of the next Habemus
Papam, let us look briefly at their references.
John Paul II
Praised be Jesus Christ! Dear
brothers and sisters, we are still all very saddened by the death of the very
dear Pope John Paul I. And now the most eminent cardinals have called a newbishop of Rome. They called him from a
far-away country...far, but always near in the communion of faith and the
Christian tradition. I was afraid in receiving this nomination, but I did it in
the spirit of obedience toOur
Lordand with total trust in his
Mother, theMost Holy Madonna.
I don't know if I can express myself well in your – in our –Italian language. But if I make a
mistake, you will correct me. And so I introduce myself to you all, to confess
our common faith, our hope,our
trust in the Mother of Christ and of the Church,and also to begin again on this
path of history and of the Church with the help of God and with that of men.
There are a few important points
that indicate the initial Marian fervor of John Paul II's papacy. First,
he acknowledged the maternal role of Mary, not only of Christ, but also of the
Church. Secondly, he regarded the holiness of Mary by saluting her as the
"Most Holy Madonna." Thirdly, it was evident that John Paul II
had a great deal of trust in the intercession of Mary as he referred to trust
twice. In his first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis, John Paul II described his election: "Itwas
to Christ the Redeemer that my feelings and my thoughts were directed on 16
October of last year, when, after the canonical election, I was asked: "Do
you accept?" I then replied: "With obedience in faith to Christ, my
Lord, and with trust in the Mother of Christ and of the Church, in spite of the
great difficulties, I accept”(Redemptor Hominis, 2).In his remarks to those gathered at St.
Peter’s Square, John Paul reiterated the acceptance he gave in the
conclave. The best summation of John
Paul II’s trust in the Virgin Mother perhaps was best seen in his motto, Totus
Tuus, Totally Yours.
Benedict XVI
Dear Brothers and Sisters, After the great
Pope John Paul II, the Lord Cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble
worker in the vineyard of the Lord. I am consoled by the fact that the Lord
knows how to act, even with inadequate instruments and above all I entrust
myself to your prayers. In the joy of the Risen Lord, trusting in His permanent
help, as we go forward the Lord will help us, and His Mother, Mary Most Holy, will be at our side. Thank you.
Similar to John Paul
II, Benedict referred to Mary both as Mother and Most Holy. He indicated a certain degree of trust in
Mary, but not as explicit as John Paul II’s.
Benedict saw Mary as a guide, as someone who would journey with the
Church and be at her side.
The Next Holy Father
And so now we wait for
the signal of white smoke and tolling bells for the initial words of our next
Holy Father. John Paul II and Benedict
XVI had a beautiful way of writing and speaking about the Virgin Mary throughout their papacy, but it all started from their papal announcement. Now we will wait to see if the new Holy Father will follow his two immediate predecessors.
Today Vatican Information Service published the details of the liturgical rite that precedes the conclave. Below is an excerpt of the rite:
The regulations also state that, for this ceremony, the senior cardinal in the hierarchy—who currently is Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re—will preside over the celebration, which begins with the sign of the cross and the proclamation of the following words:
“May the Lord, who guides our hearts in the love and patience of Christ, be with you all.”After this brief prayer, Cardinal Re will invite all those gathered to begin the procession towards the Sistine Chapel, where the Conclave will take place, with these words:
"Venerable Brothers, after having celebrated the divine mystery, we now enter into Conclave to elect the Roman Pontiff.
The entire Church, joined with us in prayer, constantly calls upon the grace of the Holy Spirit to elect from among us a worthy Pastor of all of Christ's flock.
May the Lord direct our steps along the path of truth, so that, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, we may always do that which is pleasing to him.”
After this prayer, the cardinals process into the Sistine Chapel following the minister bearing the cross, the choir, the masters of ceremony, the secretary of the College of Cardinals, and the prelate who will give the meditation to the Cardinal electors. The procession is ended with a deacon, dressed in alb and stole, bearing the book of the Gospels, along with Cardinal Re and the Master of Ceremonies.
As the Cardinal electors prepare to enter the conclave, the intercession of Mary, spouse of the Holy Spirit, Queen of Apostles, and Queen of Saints is invoked. The rite acknowledges the intercession and guidance of Mary and the saints throughout the process. As the Church is joined with the Cardinals in prayer, may we continue to implore the intercession of the Ever-Virgin Mother of God, and the saints for their prayers for the Church during this important time.
The Papabile Timothy Cardinal Dolan has blogged from Rome (available here). Dolan provides an update on what has been happening in Rome and the purpose of the General Congregations. He makes two references to Mary. Dolan described the General Congregations as being "back in that Upper Room with Our Lady and the apostles, and the challenges we – and the new Saint Peter – will face are, surprisingly, similar to those the first Pope, Saint Peter, confronted that first Pentecost: how most effectively to present the Person, message, and invitation of Jesus to a world that, while searching for salvation and eternal truth, are also at times doubting, skeptical, too busy, or frustrated." I alluded to a similarity of the preparations of the conclave to that of the Upper Room, when I commented on the Wednesday Eucharistic adoration, rosary, and vespers scheduled for the Cardinals. Furthermore, Dolan expressed his
"Heartfelt thanks for your prayers! We need them! We feel them! Keep them up! An old-timer told me that the days between the passing of one Pontiff and the election of a new one are like the days in Jerusalem after Our Lord’s Ascension to heaven. The whole Church prayed, prayed hard, prayed long, united with the apostles and the Mother of Jesus, who were locked-up in the Cenacle, awaiting the supreme gift of the Holy Spirit! That’s happening now, if your abundant and gracious notes and messages are any indication."
The Church is indeed in a time awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the successors of the Apostles, to choose the next Peter. They have been persevering in prayer with Mary. Dolan also acknowledged that when breaking for lunch, they close with an Angelus, recalling the words of the Angel Gabriel to Mary at the Annunciation and also beseeching the Lord to pour forth His grace in their hearts.
Right now as a Church, we must continue to pray, and as Dolan stated, pray hard and long united with the Apostles and Mary. Let us continue to invoke the intercession of the Queen of the Apostles and Spouse of the Holy Spirit.
The College of Cardinals has called the universal church to pray tomorrow, Wednesday, March 6, at 5pm Rome time, 11am EST, for the upcoming conclave and the process of electing a new Pope.
While the official start of the Conclave has not yet been announced, the Cardinals will gather tomorrow at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica for recitation of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and then Vespers.
Tomorrow the Cardinals and the Church universal will reflect on the Glorious mysteries of the rosary, which includes reflecting on the third glorious mystery: Pentecost. Tomorrow, just as Mary persevered in prayer with the early Church, she will again persevere in prayer with the Apostle's successors. Let us join in prayer with the Cardinals during their time of prayer for the Church and its upcoming papal election.
