Account of the Holy
Father's Death + Functions
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The Funeral +
The Vacant See
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Habemus Papam
POPE JOHN PAUL II DIES AT 84
VATICAN CITY, APR 2, 2005 (VIS) - Holy See
Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the following announcement
this evening:
"The Holy Father died at 9.37 this evening in
his private apartment.
"At 8 p.m. the celebration of Mass for Divine
Mercy Sunday began in the Holy Father's room, presided by Archbishop
Stanislaw Dziwisz with the participation of Cardinal Marian Jaworski, of
Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko and of Msgr. Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki.
"During the course of the Mass, the Viaticum
was administered to the Holy Father and, once again, the Sacrament of
Anointing of the Sick.
"The Holy Father's final hours were marked by
the uninterrupted prayer of all those who were assisting him in his pious
death, and by the choral participation in prayer of the thousands of
faithful who, for many hours, had been gathered in St. Peter's Square.
"Present at the moment of the death of John
Paul II were: his two personal secretaries Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz and
Msgr. Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, Cardinal Marian Jaworski, Archbishop Stanislaw
Rylko, Fr. Tadeusz Styczen, the three nuns, Handmaidens of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus, who assist in the Holy Father's apartment, guided by the Superior
Sr. Tobiana Sobodka, and the Pope's personal physician Dr. Renato Buzzonetti,
with the two doctors on call, Dr. Alessandro Barelli and Dr. Ciro D'Allo,
and the two nurses on call.
"Immediately afterwards Cardinal Secretary of
State Angelo Sodano arrived, as did the camerlengo of Holy Roman Church,
Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo, Archbishop Leonardo Sandri, substitute of
the Secretariat of State, and Archbishop Paolo Sardi, vice-camerlengo of
Holy Roman Church.
"Thereafter, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, dean
of the College of Cardinals, and Cardinal Jozef Tomko also arrived.
"Tomorrow, Divine Mercy Sunday, at 10.30
a.m., a Mass for the repose of the soul of the Holy Father will be
celebrated in St. Peter's Square, presided over by Cardinal Angelo Sodano.
"At 12 noon, the Marian prayer of Easter
time, the Regina Coeli, will be recited.
"The body of the late pontiff is expected to
be brought to the Vatican Basilica no earlier than Monday afternoon.
"The first General Congregation of Cardinals
will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday April 4 in the Bologna Hall of the
Apostolic Palace."
OP/DEATH:POPE JOHN PAUL/NAVARRO-VALLS VIS 050402 (380)
Revised regulations for the government of the Church during a
vacancy of the Holy See and for the election of a pope were published 22
February 1996, in an apostolic constitution entitled "Universi Dominici
Gregis" ("Of the Lord's Whole Flock"). Excerpts are quoted
here.
"The College of Cardinals has no
power or jurisdiction in matters which pertain to the supreme pontiff during his
lifetime or in the exercise of his office."
"The government of the Church is
entrusted to the College of Cardinals solely for the dispatch of ordinary
business and of matters which cannot be postponed, and for the preparation of
everything necessary for the election of a new pope."
Business is handled by particular and
general congregations.
Particular congregations, with a three-day
mandate and consisting of the cardinal chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church and
three elected cardinals, deal with matters of lesser importance.
General congregations, presided over by
the dean or subdean of the College, handle details regarding funeral
arrangements and rites for the deceased pope over a period of nine consecutive
days, destruction of the Fisherman's Ring and the leaden seal with which
apostolic letters are dispatched, and the day and hour of the beginning of the
voting process.
"At the death of the pope, all the
heads of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia--the cardinal secretary of state and
the cardinal prefects, the archbishop presidents, together with the members of
the dicasteries--cease to exercise their office." Exceptions are made
for the chamberlain of the holy Roman Church, the major penitentiary, the
cardinal vicar for the Diocese of Rome, the cardinal archpriest of the Vatican
basilica and the vicar for Vatican City.
Two officials with key responsibilities
are the chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church and the dean of the College.
FUNCTIONS OF THE CAMERLENGO FOLLOWING THE
POPE'S DEATH
VATICAN CITY, APR 2, 2005 (VIS) - In Pope John
Paul II's 1996 Apostolic Constitution "Universi Dominici gregis" on the
vacancy of the Apostolic See and the election of the Roman Pontiff,
paragraph 17 reads as follows concerning the duties of the camerlengo of
Holy Roman Church, who currently is Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo:
"As soon as he is informed of the death of
the Supreme Pontiff, the Camerlengo of Holy Roman Church must officially
ascertain the Pope's death, in the presence of the Master of Papal
Liturgical Celebrations, of the Cleric Prelates of the Apostolic Camera and
of the Secretary and Chancellor of the same; the latter shall draw up the
official death certificate. The Camerlengo must also place seals on the
Pope's study and bedroom, making provision that the personnel who ordinarily
reside in the private apartment can remain there until after the burial of
the Pope, at which time the entire papal apartment will be sealed; he must
notify the Cardinal Vicar for Rome of the Pope's death, whereupon the latter
shall inform the People of Rome by a special announcement; he shall notify
the Cardinal Archpriest of the Vatican Basilica; he shall take possession of
the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican and, either in person or through a
delegate, of the Palaces of the Lateran and of Castelgandolfo, and exercise
custody and administration of the same; he shall determine, after consulting
the heads of the three Orders of Cardinals, all matters concerning the
Pope's burial, unless during his lifetime the latter had made known his
wishes in this regard; and he shall deal, in the name of and with the
consent of the College of Cardinals, with all matters that circumstances
suggest for safeguarding the rights of the Apostolic See and for its proper
administration. During the vacancy of the Apostolic See, the Camerlengo of
Holy Roman Church has the duty of safeguarding and administering the goods
and temporal rights of the Holy See, with the help of the three Cardinal
Assistants, having sought the views of the College of Cardinals, once only
for less important matters, and on each occasion when more serious matters
arise."
.../CAMERLENGO FUNCTIONS/... VIS 050402 (360)
OFFICE OF CAMERLENGO DATES TO 12TH CENTURY
VATICAN CITY, APR 4, 2005 (VIS) - A student of
the history of the Roman Curia, in particular the office called the
Apostolic Camera, will find that, as early as the 11th century, the term
"camera thesauraria" (treasure chamber) appeared, describing an office set
up to administer the finances of the Roman Curia and the temporal goods of
the Holy See. Today it performs the latter task only in the period of "sede
vacante" or vacant see.
In the 12th century, the head of that office
was known as the "camerarius," or camerlengo (chamberlain) - a title which
carries over to today. That same century saw the former offices of viceroy,
treasurer and wardrobe guardian incorporated into this single department. In
the 13th and 14th centuries it acquired judicial functions in fiscal matters
as well as certain penal and civil cases.
The camerlengo of Holy Roman Church (to be
distinguished from the camerlengo of the College of Cardinals) was often a
cardinal, but this became mandatory only in the 15th century. Then - as now
- he was assisted by a vice-camerlengo, a general auditor and chamber
clerks, called Cleric Prelates. Today there is also a notary.
The current camerlengo of Holy Roman Church
is Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo. He was born March 31, 1927 in Banos de
Rio Tobia in the diocese of Calahorra y La Calzada-Logrono. He was made a
cardinal by Pope John Paul on June 28, 1988, and was appointed camerlengo on
April 5, 1993.
In the early centuries the camerlengo,
individual clerks and chamber auditor had acquired specific competencies and
presided over special tribunals, though the "camera plena" or full chamber
functioned as a collegial court. Throughout the 19th century the Camera was
above all a tribunal for the pontifical state. With his Apostolic
Constitution "Sapienti Consilio" of June 29, 1908, Pope St. Pius X confirmed
the Apostolic Camera in its functions of temporal power which it had
exercised in the past.
With Paul VI's Apostolic Constitution "Regimini
Ecclesiae Universae" of August 15, 1967, the Apostolic Camera, presided over
by the Camerlengo of Holy Roman Church, or if he is impeded, by the vice-camerlengo,
preserved the function of caring for and administering the temporal goods
and rights of the Holy See during the period of "sede vacante," that is,
between the death of one Pope and the election of his successor.
A reconfirmation of these special duties came
with John Paul II's Apostolic Constitution "Pastor Bonus" of June 28, 1988.
As confirmed by Pope John Paul II in the
Apostolic Constitution "Universi Dominici Gregis" of February 1996, the
camerlengo of Holy Roman Church and the major penitentiary are the only two
heads of curial offices whose functions do not cease during the "sede
vacante." In fact, those of the camerlengo actually increase during this
period.
.../PROFILE:CAMERLENGO/... VIS 050404 (480)
When is the pope's funeral?
Who runs the church between the pope's death and the
election of a new pope?
Is there campaigning prior to the conclave?
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