Wednesday, March 13, 2013
habemus papam
"Do you accept the duties of the new pope?"
"As what will you be known?"
These are the questions asked to the man in the Sistine Chapel today after winning a 2/3 vote as the man chosen by God to be successor to St Peter's.
This is what happens right before I heard Steve Washington of Inside Edition on New York's upper West Side.
The bells of St. Peter's Square can be heard around the world as this clear skied day in NYC replicates the white smoke of the Vatican. After receiving the papal robes from the Room of Tears, he will emerge to Rome, to the Catholic Church and to the world as our mortal father with "full supreme and universal authority."
Speculation is that the man who will emerge onto the square will be one which was projected, considering the decision came after only two days in conclave.Only five ballots were cast before the ballots were burned and created the white billows from the roof.
The next step is the moment Cardinal Tauran comes out on the balcony and befuddles us all in latin and provides the name of the world's next pope.
Will it be Scola, the "safe" Italian cardinal, American O'Malley, or will the world have broken the mold and elected Onaiyekan of Africa?
The square is screaming but simultaneously holding its breath.
"As what will you be known?"
These are the questions asked to the man in the Sistine Chapel today after winning a 2/3 vote as the man chosen by God to be successor to St Peter's.
This is what happens right before I heard Steve Washington of Inside Edition on New York's upper West Side.
The bells of St. Peter's Square can be heard around the world as this clear skied day in NYC replicates the white smoke of the Vatican. After receiving the papal robes from the Room of Tears, he will emerge to Rome, to the Catholic Church and to the world as our mortal father with "full supreme and universal authority."
Speculation is that the man who will emerge onto the square will be one which was projected, considering the decision came after only two days in conclave.Only five ballots were cast before the ballots were burned and created the white billows from the roof.
The next step is the moment Cardinal Tauran comes out on the balcony and befuddles us all in latin and provides the name of the world's next pope.
Will it be Scola, the "safe" Italian cardinal, American O'Malley, or will the world have broken the mold and elected Onaiyekan of Africa?
The square is screaming but simultaneously holding its breath.
Monday, February 11, 2013
the Pope and the Press
The Vatican’s 85 year old
pope, Benedict XVI, has announced his resignation from his position
today. On February 28 at 8 PM Italian time, he will surrender his title
and his hat and dedicate his life to humble prayer. Due to his
“diminishing health,” he feels he is incapable of carrying out his
duties. This decision, released and translated into seven languages
today, is the result of what was allegedly months of deliberation.
However question-provoking and surprising the
announcement may be, the shock shouldn’t result in too much
confusion. The Church has very tight rules on how to go about electing
the pope, a very ancient process of elections, and strict age limit. To
be elected pope, you must be at least 60 years old; Benedict XVI is now
85. Granted these men most likely had not lived lives of sinful and
deteriorating habits, by the time they are eligible they are far beyond
what the rest of the world considers time to retire. Instead, they enter
the life of rockstardom, jet-setting to countries around the world,
putting on daily performances, and regulating the Catholic practice.
Not to mention Pope Benedict became the first pope to have a twitter account.
The stress of celebrity is something even the Vatican cannot escape. There are always constant questions to address in the world concerning what we know (or think we know) about the religion of Catholicism. Between falling behind Islam in practitioners of the world and the pressing priest sex scandals that seem to always be surfacing, it is a responsibility of the pope to, as said by USA Today, "combine strength of the past and the qualities to face future challenges.”
And the publicity carries on.
Billions of viewers will have their eyes locked on the college of cardinals procession as they convene for conclave in order to elect a new pope. Just like any other awards ceremony, critics have their favorites. Among the top 5 front runners to be newly elected, there are three Itallians, one Canadian, and one Argentinean of Italian descent. None of these men have yet exceeded 70 years of age.
Even though the New York Times claims that the favored of the cardinals tend to flop in the end, it's not impossible that we could see the Vatican’s heritage and language restored for the first time since 1978 when Italian Pope John Paul I reigned for merely 33 days.
There is no real way of predicting who it will be. The college vote is restricted to the most, um, 'forward thinking' of the cardinals: all who are 80 years or younger. It is up to these 117 eligibles and subject to days and weeks of deliberation.
Whoever emerges from the blackened smoke of the conclave needs to understand that this isn’t a life of prayer, but a life of publicity. 1.5 million followers and only 35 tweets? Unacceptable.
 |
| Benedicto in Paris. (USA Today, 2008) |
Not to mention Pope Benedict became the first pope to have a twitter account.
The stress of celebrity is something even the Vatican cannot escape. There are always constant questions to address in the world concerning what we know (or think we know) about the religion of Catholicism. Between falling behind Islam in practitioners of the world and the pressing priest sex scandals that seem to always be surfacing, it is a responsibility of the pope to, as said by USA Today, "combine strength of the past and the qualities to face future challenges.”
And the publicity carries on.
Billions of viewers will have their eyes locked on the college of cardinals procession as they convene for conclave in order to elect a new pope. Just like any other awards ceremony, critics have their favorites. Among the top 5 front runners to be newly elected, there are three Itallians, one Canadian, and one Argentinean of Italian descent. None of these men have yet exceeded 70 years of age.
Even though the New York Times claims that the favored of the cardinals tend to flop in the end, it's not impossible that we could see the Vatican’s heritage and language restored for the first time since 1978 when Italian Pope John Paul I reigned for merely 33 days.
There is no real way of predicting who it will be. The college vote is restricted to the most, um, 'forward thinking' of the cardinals: all who are 80 years or younger. It is up to these 117 eligibles and subject to days and weeks of deliberation.
Whoever emerges from the blackened smoke of the conclave needs to understand that this isn’t a life of prayer, but a life of publicity. 1.5 million followers and only 35 tweets? Unacceptable.
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