Conclave Calm?

Who knew?  Apparently, the Holy Spirit!

Sistine Chapel Seagull

As the world awaits a smoke signal from the Sistine Chapel for the result from the second afternoon of the Conclave voting, a strange sight can be seen on the smokestack.

A seagull has been persistently  perched on top of the temporary chimney on the Sistine Chapel.  The seagull has remained there for over a half hour and caught the attention of the crowd in St. Peter's Square as well as the media.

The crowd that has been patiently waiting in the rain for Wednesday afternoon's results were entertained when two seagulls fought it out for the Petrine perch.

Usually the Holy Spirit is manifest as a dove, so it is unlikely to be a sign of the Trinity.  More likely, this seagull is what Senator John McCain (R-AZ) might call a "Wacko Bird".

 It is unclear what will happen when there is Holy Smoke signals.

 

Electing to Pray for St. Chad's Humility

Being a political animal, I first became familiar with St. Chad only after the contest Year 2000 Presidential elections, when hanging chads were the rage in Palm Beach County, Florida.  Even though there is no Patron Saint of Disputed Elections, St. Chad of Mercia (England) offers a wonderful example of public service and humility.

In the 7th Century AD, Chad was the abbot of several monasteries who was elevated to be Bishop of Northumbrian by King Oswiu. But when his appointment was disputed, the Archbishop of Canterbury asked Chad to step aside from his episcopacy.  Chad complied with remarkable humility. 

As it is only the second day of Conclave 2013, it is unlikely that the College of Cardinals is deadlocked on voting for the next Supreme Pontiff.  Still, St. Chad's example of humility and public service epitomizes the ideal of being elected the Servant of Servants of God. 

Almighty God, whose servant Chad, for the peace of the Church, relinquished cheerfully the honors that had been thrust upon him, only to be rewarded with equal responsibility: Keep us, we pray, from thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, and ready at all times to step aside for others, (in honor preferring one another,) that the cause of Christ may be advanced; in the name of him who washed his disciples' feet, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. 

"Cardinal" Josef Ratzinger on Faith

N.B.- He made these comments before being elected as Pope Benedict XVI in April 2005.

The Papabili "Pontificate"

Even before the interregum began, Vatican watchers could not help but speculate who would become the sole Cardinal survivor who would become the Supreme Pontiff.




Choosing  the next vicar is not decided by playing musical chairs in the Sistine Chapel or at a chatty Church “Tribal Council” but by prayerful discernment with the guidance of the Holy Spirit after interacting with their Cardinal colleagues.

Part of the reason for the General Congregations of the Cardinals in the Sede Vacante interregnum is so that fellow cardinals can informally acquaint themselves before going into the Conclave.

These  informal judgments about character and virtue gleaned from coffee breaks and schmoozing can inform Cardinal-electors to their choice . Consider that as they cast each vote, they must swear an oath to vote for the vest man to lead the church as they as they stand before Michelangelo’s Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel.

Now that the start of the Conclave has been set for Tuesday March 12, we ought to  educate ourselves of potential pontiffs. While the faithful outside the College of Cardinals are neither  privy to a Papabili’s piety nor their force of personality amongst equals, we can get a glimpse of their persona through quotes attributed to these Princes of the Church.

In furtherance of this understanding, here are a passel of Papabili.  For those who appreciate hemaneutics, studying their heraldry along with their chosen mottoes might be revealing.

Note the San Marco lion and the ship on Archbishop Scola's crest--those are remnants from when the nine years when Scola was the Patriarch of Venice before he was transferred to the influential Ambrosian diocese of Milan.

Ravasi was appointed as Prefect of the Pontifical Council for Culture in 2007. Ravasi was also appointed for a five year term on the Congregation for Catholic Education, the Pontifical Council for Interreligous Dialogue and he was the first member of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Cardinal Turkson to the the President of the  Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in 2009.

Ouette has been the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops (having the responsibility for "recruiting" and vetting bishops)  as well as also serving as the President of Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Aside from his tony lineage and close connections with  Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI, Schoenborn was a key editor for the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Scherer does has some experience with the Roman Curia, as he washe was an official of the Congregation for Bishops from 1994 to 2001.

Braz de Aviz was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as the Prefect of the  Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in 2011.

Tagle only received his scarlet zucchetto in November 2012.  But the 55 year old Tagle had been named for a five year term to serve on the Congregation for Catholic Education.  Moreover, Pope Benedict XVI named Tagle as one of the Synod fathers for the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization on September 18, 2012.

Cardinal O'Malley is a Capuchin who is renowned for his holiness.  O'Malley serves on the Pontifical Council for the Family which befits his longstanding commitment to pro-life issues as well as  his association with March for Life founder Nellie Gray.

Dolan has  been a Cardinal for just over a year but he transferred from a seven year stint being Archbishop of Milwaukee to the Archbishop of New York in 2009.  Currently, Dolan is the President of the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops.  Last year, Dolan was a leading voice in the Fortnight for Freedom project to educate Americans about the HHS Mandate and how it encroached on First Amendment liberties.

Prior to the Conclave's commencement, Cardinals have urged for prayer in their discerning.  To that end, Adoptacardinal.org  will designate a Cardinal-elector for you to pray for during this period.

Archbishop Marc Cardinal Ouellet on Leadership

Cardinal Cordes on Conclaves

Vatican Imposter?

As the College of Cardinals began its opening meeting of the General Congregation during the Sede Vacante, an impostor attempted to infiltrate the Vatican.  But the self supposed bishop was wise enough not to wear  St. Louis Cardinal's attire.

Some wags have wondered if "Father" Guido Sarducci would make his way to St. Peters Square. Well,  when Don Novello (a.k.a. Fr. Guido Sarducci) conducted a photo shoot for Time Magazine in 1981, he was arrested by the Swiss Guard for "impersonating a priest". 

The Vatican Imposter did not get very far into St. Peter's before he was apprehended by the Swiss Guards.  Moreover, the General Sessions were off the record but before the Conclave 2013, when the real contest for Vatican Idol occurs.  

The Conclave cuts off the Cardinal Electors from the world until they decide upon the new Pope.  Vatican security is so tight that security has lifted the floors at the Sistine Chapel to install cell phone blockers and prevent wiretaps.

Sistine Chapel having security preparations for Conclave 2013

Now who is a Cardinal who was born in St. Louis and is a Cardinals fan?  The Cardinal Elector who is the current President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, New York Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan. 

h/t:  Mike Peters

h/t: Randy Bish

h/t Rocco Palmo

Thinking In Time About Conclave 2013

Since Pope Benedict XVI announced his impending abdication, there has been an alluvia of interest in who will succeed the German Shepherd as the Vicar of Christ.  Speculation in the secular media has centered on superficialities, like whether the Italians will “take back” the Chair of St. Peter.  Other reports evaluated the angle of European cardinals voting en bloc to keep the papacy in the Old World.    Many media types were energized by the prospect of a Pope who did not emanate from Europe.

To keep American audiences interested, there was obligatory appraisals of an American Pope.  But much of the excitement in the secular press was the drum beat for a third world pope, especially from Africa.   Actually, there have been three Popes born in Africa, Pope St. Victor I, Pope St. Militiades I,  and Pope St. Gelasius I. 

[L] Pope St. Victor I, [C] Pope St. Militiades, [R] Pope St. Gelasius I

But these early Church pontiffs were Berbers from the Maghreb, so the Lamestream Media might not consider them worthy of being considered African or third world according to politically correct sensibilities. Even Fox News Channel was touting the merits of several Latin America papabili, which should have gladdened the hearts of an emerging viewing demographic. 

At this point, anyone who claims that they know who will be elected the next Supreme Pontiff is blowing sfumata out of what is decidedly not the Sistine Chapel smokestack. While current Canon Law does not prohibit placing wages with Paddy Power on the next pope, it would be foolish to do so, especially before the College of Cardinals sets the date and the Holy Spirit works with the electors. 

 In the coming days, it may be interesting to evaluate some of the papabili to appreciate who will lead the world’s 1.2 billion professed Catholics.  To do so seriously, one ought to abandon the siren calls of nationality or skin tone and discern deeper.  A good way to achieve this objective is to think in time.  By considering the past papal conclaves since 1900, one can appreciate trends, how external circumstances influence Conclaves as well as the attributes of the prior Pope. 

The numbers of Cardinals participating have grown from around 60 to around being capped at 120.  This Conclave will have 115 electors.  It used to be that the vast majority of  Cardinals were European (and about half hailing from Italy.  This the Papacy was seen as the Italian Job (sic) in secular European politics.  After the 1938 Conclave, more Cardinals were appointed from throughout the world, to recognize the global impact of the Catholic Church.  Today, just over half of the Cardinals are from Europe, and only 22% are from Italy.  The United States has eight Cardinal electors, and Canada has three.   There are 22 Cardinals who have been appointed in the last year.

There have been nine Conclaves since 1900.  With the exception of 1978, the year of three Popes, a large majority of the electors have been appointed by the immediate predecessor.  Popes are more likely to appoint Cardinals who agree with their theological weltanschauung. Hence, it is folly to think that there will be a radical break in theology in the succeeding Supreme Pontiff. 

 Be that as it may, there is a change in character with the change in Vicars of Christ.  Some of this is inevitable as everyone brings their own experiences and tendencies to the Chair of St. Peter.  But the College of Cardinals can consciously choose a leader with a different tenor.  As the Roman expression goes “A fat pope followed by a thin pope.”  This vivid expression is not only  an aesthetic aphorism, but it implies leadership qualities.  Svelte Supreme Pontiffs can be taken as being severe or more doctrinally oriented, whereas portly popes can be perceived as pastoral or jolly. 

 In the 1922 Conclave, the College of Cardinals choose a physically vigorous Archbishop Achille Cardinal  Ratti of Milan to become Pope Pius XI to replace a more sickly pastoral Pope Benedict XV ( né   Giocomo dell Chiesa, Archbishop of Bolognia).  A similar prima facie physical contrast went into the 1958 Conclave where a pastoral, portly Angelo Roncalli, Patriarch of Venice became Pope (Blessed) John XXIII to replace a lean Pope (Venerable) Pius XII (né   Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, the Vatican Secretary of State).

Another folk pope philosophy is “Young pope, old pope.”  Not that the College of Cardinals are simply contrarian.  But after Pope Leo XIII’s 25 year reign, the Conclave eventually chose Pope (St.) Pius X (né  Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, the Patriarch of Venice) at age 67, who only reigned for 11 years.   After the nearly 19 year pontificate of Pope Blessed Pius XII, the 1958 Conclave chose the man who became Pope John XIII , who was elected at age 77.  It was widely presumed that Pope John XIII would be a caretaker Pope.  Little did anyone realize that this avuncular old “Good Pope John” would initiate an “aggiornamento” which called for a Church Council more widely known as Vatican II.  After the 25 ½ year reign of Pope (Venerable) John Paul II (né   Karol Józef Wojtyla, the Archbishop of Krakow, Poland), the 2005 Conclave chose 78 year old Benedict XVI (ne Josef Ratzinger, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and former Archbishop of Munich and Freising, Germany).  In the 1958 Conclave, some apocryphal sources claim that French Bishops voted in a bloc to intentionally choose someone old. 

Thus there is some wisdom to that folk maxim.  The average age of those as  Pope in the last nine Conclaves has been 64.8 years.  This includes Pope Benedict XVI elected at age 78 and Pope John XIII elected age 77.  Conventional wisdom amongst Conclave speculators for serious Papabili is between the ages 60 and 72, but we can not limit the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in helping the electors discern.

Cardinal Mariano Rampolla

Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I

While the term for the College of Cardinal’s election is Conclave, which refers to locking them away (with key) so that they can choose who should next lead the Roman Catholic Church, the outside world can loom large in their decision.  In the 1903 Conclave, which did not strictly observe the secrecy of the process, secular political forces attempted to influence the election.  Going into the 1903 Conclave, it was widely expected that Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Mariano Rampolla would be chosen to replace the 93 year old predecessor.  But the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I harbored a grudge against Rampolla, who denied the Emperor’s son a proper burial after a suicide and perhaps for supporting the Third French Republic as Vatican Secretary of State (or that Rampolla was a freemason and a Modernist).

Cardinal Jan Puzyna

During the third ballot of the 1903 Conclave, Cardinal Jan Puzyna of Krakow, acted as his Emperor’s cat’s paw and exercised an imperial  veto.  The Conclave did not recognize the  jus exclusivae action and Rampolla actually gained more votes on that ballot.  But the delay allowed Cardinal Giuseppe Sarto to gain more traction and eventually become elected as Pope (St.) Pius X.

Securing the rights for a secular status of the Holy See was another thing that the College of Cardinals needed to consider when choosing a Pope.  The loss of the Papal State in 1870 left the Holy See in a quandary vis-a-vis the newly united Kingdom of Italy so Popes effectively became prisoners of the Vatican until this issue was resolved.  The election of Pope Pius XI in 1924 (né  Cardinal Achille Ratti) who had significant experience in the Vatican diplomatic corps.  This helped facilitate the Lateran Pacts with Italian dictator Mussolini, which create the Vatican State.  Pope Pius XI also resolved relations with France.

The Conclaves also may have sought to impact the political world with their choice for the Supreme Pontiff.  For the first Conclave of 1978, the cardinals chose Pope John Paul I (né  Albino Luciani, the Patriarch of Venice) as some have opined that his election and governing style may influence Italian politics. Of course, the world would never know as "Il Papa del Sorriso" (the Smiling Pope) only occupied the Chair of St. Peter for 32 days.    

For those who subscribe to the Siri Thesis, the 1958 Conclave initially chose Giuseppe Cardinal Siri, the Archbishop of Geneo, who was theologically conservative but also an avid anti-communist.  Supposedly French Bishops suppressed this choice out of concern about antagonizing the Cold War.  

On the other hand, the Second 1978 Conclave chose Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyla, the archbishop of Krakow, Poland as Pope John Paul II who not only was from a Catholic Communist country but who had a reputation for gently challenging the powers that be for freedom of religion.

Pope Benedict XV

The College of Cardinals certainly considers the signs of the times when choosing the head of the Catholic Church.  The 1914 Conclave occurred during the opening days of World War I.  This 1914 Conclave pitted cardinals from Great War Axis nations Catholic Austria and Protestant Germany against Allied Protestant nations the United Kingdom (with Catholic Ireland) and Orthodox Russia with Catholic France.  Reputedly, the cardinals all played well together and by the 10th ballot elected "Il Piccalito", Pope Benedict XV (né  Giocomo dell Chiesa, Archbishop of Bologna), who had some experience in the Vatican diplomatic corps.  

Pope Benedict XV was unsuccessful in causing a cessation of hostilities or having a place in the Paris Peace conference of 1919, some of his ideas seemed to have been incorporated into Wilson’s Fourteen Point Plan.  But Pope Benedict XV was active in engaging in a diplomatic offensive to secure the rights of the faithful in post-war Europe.  Benedict XV also led by issuing Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum in November of 1914 by calling the Great War “the suicide of Europe.”

Pope Pius XII

The 1939 Conclave to replace Pope Pius XI occurred with war clouds on the horizon for Second World War.   Since the “War to end all wars” was unsuccessful and Pope Benedict XV’s entreaties for peace fell upon deaf ears, electors may have wanted a Pope who was a low key diplomat.  The 1939 conclave elected Pope (Venerable) Pius XII (né  Giuseppe Cardinal Pacelli) who was a career Vatican diplomat who had also been Secretary of State and had negotiated the  Reichskonkordat with Germany in 1933.

Contemporary criticism of Pope Pius XII claim that he did little to stop the Holocaust.  Defenders of Pius XII note that had the Holy See issued scathing condemnation of Nazis would hurt German Catholics and draw in a condemnation of Bolsheviks too.  But to think that Pius XII did nothing to ameliorate this tragedy is Pope Fiction.  Contemporary witnesses praised Pope Pius XII for saving hundreds of thousands of Jews from Nazi brutality. 

Approaches to theology certainly color the Conclave’s choices.   The Pontificate of Pope Leo XII was not only the third longest in Papal history but it was remarkable for its attempt to redefine the Church with modern thinking.  The pendulum eventually swung in 1903 when a conservative Pope Pius X reacted against Modernism.  When Pope John XIII died in the midst of Vatican II, the choice of Pope (Venerable)  Paul VI (né Cardinal Giovanni Montini, the former Secretary of State and Archbishop of Milan) who was a moderate who wanted to bolster the reforms of Vatican II.  The 2005 Conclave chose Pope (emeritus) Benedict XVI (né  Cardinal Josef Ratzinger), who marked a continuity with Pope John Paul II’s  preserving the “hermeneutics of continuity” with Vatican II along with endorsing the New Evangelization and commitment to World Youth Days. 

Pope John Paul II on Pilgrimage in Los Angeles

Another way to think in time about the Conclave is to consider the evolving role of the Papacy.  Since the Lateran Pacts concluded on Pope Pius XI, the Vicar of Christ has not been secluded in the Vatican.  Pope  Paul VI made several high profile trips to the Holy Land and to America, thus elevating the importance of the Pope as being Pilgrim-in Chief.  This spiritual driven wanderlust was epitomized by Pope John Paul II.  This travel trail was emulated to a lesser extend by Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI.  The prohibition of Benedict XVI making trans-Atlantic flights must have weighed heavy on his courageous decision to abdicate the Chair of St. Peter.  There is little doubt that traveling the globe to spread the Good News remains an important quality when the Conclave picks a Pope.

But in the age of modern communications, spreading the gospel can also be done electronically.  It is a question of outreach to those not actively in Roman shepherd’s flock.  Continuing the pattern from Pope John XIII and Pope Paul VI, outreach to the Orthodox and Protestants is crucial, especially in an age when all our creeds are threatened by secularism and the unforgiving implementation of sharia.  Pope John Paul II was remarkable seeking to solidify relations with our Jewish brothers and sisters, which Pope Benedict XVI continued.  

However, outreach to those not within the Catholic flock is not always recognition of different paths. Pope Benedict XVI’s motu propio “Anglicanorum Coetibus” invited Anglicans to join the Catholic Church while retaining most aspects of their traditional patrimony.  Pope Benedict XVI also issued a 2007 motu propio "Summorum Pontificum"  which restored the Extraordinary form of the Mass (Tridentine Liturgy) which seemed to have opened the door for schismatic groups like the Society of Pope Pius X but most SPPX members have not availed themselves en mass to rejoin the Catholic Church. 

Pope Benedict XVI at Regensburg, Germany 2006

Understanding the importance of outreach and the sign of the times, many have speculated that the Conclave must seriously consider how a new pope will engage Secularism.  This can be understood as a continuation of the New Evangelization as well as engaging with aggressive atheism by progressive secular governments in the West.  Pope (emeritus) Benedict XVI also began an honest dialog with Islam from his 2006 Regensburg speech, but his quote from 14th Century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus  about forced conversions and holy wars was received quite harshly.  If a Pope is elected from the Global South, particularly Africa and Asia, he would be sensitive how Muslim encroachment threatens Christians in the practice of their faith. 

Although thinking in time may not vet specific candidates for the Conclave 2013, it does highlight how a variety of factors like the papabili’s age, the predecessor’s profile and contributions, the theology, the Zeitgeist and the evolving roles of the papacy impact the election.  

In a Conclave where there is not just a few front-runners, a short Conclave may be indicative that a candidate favored by the Curia was chosen.  While the College of Cardinals was given the power to convene a Conclave quicker after an abdication than the 15 days proscribed after a Papal death, Conclave 2013 has not been speedy to convene.  This is attributable to the slow arrival of Kazimierz Cardinal Nycz, Archbishop of Warsaw and Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Man, Archbishop of Ho Chi Min City.  Since all of the Cardinal electors needed to be present to move up the Conclave start date, one wonders if travel troubles was the real reason that the stragglers did not arrive for a week after Pope -Emeritus Benedict XVI’s abdication.  

Conclave Championship--The Sweet Sistine

Despite it being close to tournament time on the parquet floors, the College of Cardinals does NOT use brackets when conducting their Sweet Sistine.  That being said, the Conclave's Global South bracket seems overweighted and a couple of them are mismatches.

Still this Holy See parody does capture the ebullient spirit for Vatican City edition of March Madness.  As Dick Vitale would say: "It's awesome BABY!"


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Sede Vacante Contretemps

While it may not work this way inside the Conclave, these conceits surely convey the joyful anticipation for the College of Cardinals choice for the next Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. 

While we are waiting for the Chair of St. Peter to be filled, it would behoove the faithful to pray for Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI's successor.


O God, eternal shepherd,
who govern your flock with unfailing care
grant in your boundless fatherly love
a pastor for your Church
who will please you by his holiness
and to you, show watchful care.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

{source Mass for the Election of a Pope The Roman Missal 2011}

Shaping Up Conclave 2013

When Pope Benedict XVI announced his abdication from the Chair of St. Peter as of February 28, 2013 at 8 p.m. Rome time, attention started to turn to the College of Cardinals Conclave which would choose the next Vicar of Christ.  While Canon 332 paragraph 2 allows for Roman Pontiff to resign of his free will, this provision of Canon Law had not been exercised in six centuries.  This brought some question in the procedures of succession.

Sede vacante coat of arms

Ordinarily, the papacy becomes sede vacante on the death of the Pope.  It is de rigueur after Pope’s death for the Church to observe a period of mourning and to allow Cardinals from around the world to gather for their duty to act as electors of the next Roman Pontiff.  In the first part of the Twentieth Century, the College of Cardinals acted expeditiously by starting the Conclave ten days after the Pope’s death.

Ten days of sede vacante before a Conclave may have  worked well when there were a three score of Papal Electors and when they were almost exclusively European (N.B. half of the Cardinals were  Italian). But such a speedy conclave was a de facto exclusion of Cardinals who were not in Europe.  This practice  did not take into account that the Catholic Church is world-wide and began to have electors scattered throughout the world.

The only reason that Baltimore Archbishop James Cardinal Gibbons was able to participate in the 1903 Conclave which elected Pope Pius X  was that Gibbons was in Rome during the sede vacante.  A Brazilian Cardinal did participate in the 1914 Conclave which elected Pope Benedict XV, but several American electors were locked out (after all Conclave has its etymological origins in meaning with key) due to ship transports not making it to Rome in ten days.

When two American and a Canadian Cardinals were locked out of the 1922 Conclave which elected Pope Pius XI due to slow transportation, the new pontiff quickly issued the motu proprio Cum proxime which permitted Conclaves to be delayed for another five to eight days to accommodate non-European electors.  According to the 1996 Constitution Universi Dominidi gregis under Pope John Paul II, norms for the papal election were set to allow at least 15 days but no more than 20 day of sede vacante.   But there is a strong case to be made for amending that norm in the case of a planned resignation.

Pope Benedict XVI gave 17 days notice of his intentions, which allowed Cardinals from around the world plenty of time to make their way to Rome.  In fact, a consistory (gathering of Cardinals) will be held on February 28th as a farewell to Benedict XVI which most of the Cardinals are expected to attend.

Recognizing these circumstances, Pope Benedict XVI has issued motu prorpio Normas nunnullas.  This motu proprio empowers the College of Cardinals to hold an earlier Conclave if all of the electors are present and if a majority of the electors agree.  This document does not mandate an early start date but merely empowers the Cardinals if they so choose to do so.

Per Vatican spokesman Rev. Frederico Lombardi, S.J, the date for the Conclave will probably not be decided until March 2nd to March 4th.   If the Conclave started prior to March 15th, electors would have time to deliberate and discern who should be the next Supreme Pontiff and still have time to return to their diocese for Holy Week.  Accelerating the Papal Election timetable is not a sure thing. New York Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan has been outspoken for allowing time for the Cardinals to meet informally prior to the Conclave, thus he is not in favor of accelerating the timetable.

While no one knows at this time when the Conclave will convene, the participants are becoming clearer.  Currently, the College of Cardinals is capped at 120 electors.  Canon Law cuts off eligibility upon a Cardinal’s 80th birthday, except if that age is reached during the sede vacante.  When the sede vacante period starts, there will be 117 eligible electors.  Alas for Ukrainian Major Archbishop Lubomyr Cardinal Husar, as he  reaches his 80th birthday February 26th.  But curial German Archbishop Walter Cardinal Kasper celebrates his birthday on March 5th, and Turin’s Archbishop emeritus Severino Cardinal Polletto’s birthday is March 18th, so they both will remain eligible for the Conclave.  The Bishop emeritus of Rome, Josef Cardinal Ratizinger (a.k.a. Pope Benedict XVI) is over 80 so he is ineligible to vote, but Cardinal Ratzinger will fly off to Castel Gandalfo during hold up at the Papal Retreat during the Conclave, so he will not actively influence the pre-Conclave consisteries.

There are two notable scratches from the Conclave’s roster.  Indonesian Archbishop Julius Cardinal Darmaatmadja, the 78 year old Archbishop emeritus of Jakarta, has announced that he does not plan to participate in the Conclave due to ill health.  Cardinal Darmaatmadja will be permitted to join the Conclave if his ill health resolves.  Scottish Archbishop Keith Cardinal O’Brien, the Archbishop of Edinburgh has just resigned his office amidst accusations of  a sex scandal involving “inappropriate acts” with fellow priests.   O’Brien’s abdication makes him ineligible as a Cardinal-elector for Conclave 2013 and leaves the United Kingdom unrepresentated amongst the voting Conclave.   As it stands, there will only be 115 Cardinal casting ballots.

It should be noted that another important change to the Papal Election during Pope Benedict XVI’s reign is on the required majorities for elections for the Apostolic See.  In Pope John Paul II’s Constitution Universi Dominidi gregis, the initial threshold for electing a Pope was achieving 2/3rds of the Conclaves votes.  However, if a Conclave was deadlocked after ten days of voting, the election threshold was lowered to a simple majority.  

There was speculation by Canon Law  scholars that a prolonged Conclave might inspire some electors to hold out for the change in thresholds to choose a candidate who otherwise would not gain the approval of the 2/3rds majority.  In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued the motu proprio  De aliquibus mutationibus in normis de electione Romani Pontificis which reimposed the super-majority 2/3rds votes plus one throughout the Conclave.

h/t:  Anura Guruge