Pope: Feb. 28 the last public statement, Conclave could begin sooner than expected
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Benedict XVI's last public address could be the afternoon of the 28th on his arrival in Castel Gandolfo and will probably be a greeting to the local community, while the Conclave could begin more quickly than expected. This is the key information regarding Benedict XVI 's last appointments today announced by Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office at a briefing.
As mentioned yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI's schedule today was "normal", an audience with the president of Guatemala, Otto Fernando Pérez Molina, who is thus the last head of state to be received and ahead of next Saturday's with the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, described by Father Lombardi "simple and very personal."
Today, at the end of the audience with Pérez Molina, as yesterday, the Pope greeted all those present, including journalists. To those absent, he sent his thanks their work in recent weeks.
After the Guatemalan president, it was the turn of the 12 bishops of Lombardy, who have completed their "ad limina" visit. They are the last bishops Benedict XVI will receive for this purpose, the next visit "ad limina" visits, in fact, "have been cancelled".
In the afternoon, the Pope will meet with Mario Monti, outgoing President of the Italy's Council of Ministers. Private audience, "very simple, and obviously a farewell," Father Lombardi described it.
Tomorrow, then, there will be Benedict XVI's penultimate Angelus. The mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, the City Council and the banner bearer, will also be present. There will be no private audience with the mayor.
From Sunday afternoon the Spiritual exercises begin, which will end the following Saturday. During this period, as usual, the Pope has no public activities.
Moreover, there are already 35 thousand requests for tickets for the final general audience on the 27th. It will be a Liturgy of the Word, rather than an audience in the technical sense. It will be the last great encounter between the Pope and the people.
On the 28th there will be the meeting with the cardinals and the afternoon his departure for Castel Gandolfo. His departure and arrival is scheduled to be broadcast live by the Vatican television. At Castel Gandolfo, the Pope will remain "a couple of months' to allow for the completion of renovation of the monastery in the Vatican, where he will take up residence in May. Responding to a question, Father Lombardi spoke of "very understandable logistical reasons and significant spiritual character of communion. I believe that actually having Pope Benedict close by, spiritually, in prayer, will be a source of great enrichment, of communion for his successor, and for all of us. I believe fears of interference are irrelevant". "He is 86 years old and used to living in this kind of environment, to think about moving to a completely new environment would have required a manifestation of will, which obviously was not there. He will continue to be the place where he has served the Church. I find it absolutely normal and I think that an alternative was not even considered".
Regarding Benedict XVI's "home" after February 28, he will live in his "usual" rooms at Castel Gandolfo. They will not be sealed, as they do not contain special documents pertaining to the Papacy. The issue is provided for in "Universi Dominici Gregis," the apostolic constitution that lays down the rules for the Vacant see. In this regard, Father Lombardi said the Cardinal Chamberlain with the Apostolic Chamber and legal advisors has already started working on clarifying the steps to be taken. Apart from questions of etiquette and practice "the most important point is theories or proposals regarding the date of the conclave, in the sense that this situation is different from the previous one. The Constitution says that the Conclave begins between 15 and 20 days after the death of the pope, to give the Cardinals time to get to Rome, but in this case with the communication of his resignation and the start of Vacant see made in advance, if they are already here, there's nobody to wait for . It 's a legitimate question". In other words, they are looking at whether the rules can be understood in order to anticipate the beginning, and then the end of the Conclave.
Finally, in his usual day's work the Pope also renewed the mandate of the Supervisory Commission of Cardinals of the IOR. The commission will consist of Cardinals Bertone, Tauran, Scherer, Toppo and Calcagno replacing Nicora, who has became president of financial information authority (AIF). A renewal, said Father Lombardi, necessary to avoid the expiration of the Commission during the Vacant See.
A note, finally, about statements attributed to Benedict XVI by Peter Seewald, author of the book-length interview with Benedict XVI "The light of the world." "After that book the journalist started working on a biography of Pope. He had requested further interviews with the Pope and he carried out certainly one last summer and probably another in late November early December. Probably then two interviews. What he published in recent days was in all probability the result of those interviews. No later than those times, there is no reason not to believe what he Seewald says, but I do not objectively think they contain any particularly new information". (FP)
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20/12/2022 18:20
