Urghhhh...!

There is a dead pigeon in my sitting room. The bird either put up a valiant fight, or the kitties wanted to perfect their feather-plucking techniques...

Still Slightly Stunned...

... But, I suspect that I'm not half as stunned as Pope Francis!

When he first cam out onto the balcony, he had that slightly glazed expression of a rabbit caught in the headlights. It can't be easy, suddenly finding yourself responsible for the souls of all the world's Catholics. And remember, one day he will have to account for any who were lost through his actions (or lack of them) before Almighty God.

I wonder if the Holy Father thought at all of Jonah? After all, at the last Conclave, he apparently begged his supporters in a heartfelt plea not to vote for him, and so those votes went towards electing Benedict XVI. So, having dodged the bullet first time around, it must be slightly disconcerting to feel that God has now caught up with him again.

Anyway, I'm still trying to take in the news. Several sources seem to be trying to put a dampener on things. I refuse to take them seriously. The huge disappointment for many people will have been that the Conclave elected a Catholic as Pope. Even worse, he's a man. How terribly reactionary!

I read on one blog that this was a real disaster for the Church because the Holy Father was opposed to the TLM, and didn't allow any to be said in his diocese. In fact, this seems not to be the case - whatever his personal preferences, he arranged for the TLM to be celebrated 48 hours after Summorum Pontificum was promulgated.

Yes, Liturgy is important. But the Holy Father doesn't have to like the TLM, he just has to allow it to continue. Good Liturgy has its own momentum, and will become more and more widespread: clown-Masses and other liturgical abuses are just not attractive to younger people (from what I've seen in the last decade.)

UPDATE: It seems that the implementation had its problems, but my point still stands: Pope Francis isn't likely to do away with Summorum Pontificum. As long as abuses aren't tolerated, personal liturgical preferences and inclinations aren't an issue.

The more I read about our Holy Father, the more I am drawn to him.

The Holy Father is staunchly pro-life. He's spoken out strongly against abortion, against euthanasia and against same-sex "marriage." In talking about these evils,he has mentioned the devil, the Father of Lies. No mealy-mouthed, half-hearted platitudes these, uttered with an idea of appealing to popular opinion.

The Holy Father spent time talking to Benedict XVI before coming out onto the balcony after his election. The delay in coming out to greet the people is an indication that this was no mere courtesy call, and that they had a real heart-to-heart.

Finally, Pope Francis told everyone from the balcony that he intended to go to pray for the people of Rome before Our Lady, and, sure enough, that is what he did.

A Pope with a true devotion to Our Lady. What more could any faithful Catholic need?

Viva Il Papa...!

The waiting game continued... the focus just switched from chimney-watching to curtain-watching. A couple of bands played as they marched below the balcony...

Of all the images which were recorded during the waiting period, I think this was one of the most moving... a rosary clasped in prayer...

At least 100,000 people were present in St. Peter's Square... not bad for a Church which is out of touch with the modern world and totally irrelevant...

Then the excitement grew as lights came on in the room behind the balcony. I was so afraid I'd miss the big moment that I left my dinner unheeded in the microwave...

Cardinal Tauran came out to announce: "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam; Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum..." Unlike his predecessor, he didn't milk the moment, and the name was said so quickly that I almost missed it...

And then Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio of Buenos Aires was announced as the new Pope, taking the name of Francis.

The poor man looked totally stunned...

Some nice touches - he started with a prayer for the Pope Emeritus. He also asked for prayers from the people for himself... and you could have heard a pin drop in St. Peter's Square: 100,000 people united in silent prayer. He also announced that he was going to pray for Rome before the Blessed Virgin Mary tomorrow.

The Ubi et Orbi blessing was made available to all those listening on the radio, watching on TV or via the new media.

According to the biography published by the Catholic Herald, Pope Francis has a reputation for being a man of great spirituality. Interestingly (to me, at any rate) he received a Masters Degree in Chemistry - a scientist in the Vatican might prove hard for the mainstream media to get its head around!

I shall forgive him the fact that he's a Jesuit... there have been some great Jesuits (Fr. Thwaites  being one of the best examples.) I'm glad that he didn't take the name Peter... those who believe in the prophecies of Malachy will be getting themselves all het up over the fact that we have a "black" Pope (the leader of the Jesuits is nicknamed the Black Pope because of the colour of the Jesuit habit!)

I take great comfort from the fact that, as Bishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis has been outspoken on the subject of abortion and same-sex "marriage." Right now, I think that's all I need to know.

God bless Pope Francis.

Habemus Papam...!!

Foul weather isn't enough to prevent huge crowds... all just watching a chimney!

And then, the moment everyone's been waiting for...

And the bells started pealing bang on cue...

Now we just have to wait for the name...

First Ballot...

I watched the chimney via my mobile device all the way through the beginning of the Confirmation class - well, Fr. Finigan was doing that bit. Then the connection froze - possibly my data allowance is nearly gone - and anyway, it was my turn to teach the class. Just before I switched my phone off completely, I got a text message from Vox in Rama announcing the black smoke.

Someone had obviously been given a stern talking-to after the last Conclave, because this time there was absolutely no doubt at all that the smoke was black. It looked rather like a chemistry experiment had gone very wrong, but at least we are absolutely sure of the result of the first ballot...

Fr. James Bradley, of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, (whose Twitter handle is @frjamesbradley) said he'd eat his biretta if there was white smoke tonight. No doubt he's breathing a sigh of relief. His tweets are always entertaining or edifying, or both. My favourite tonight was this one:

My favourite reaction to the black smoke has to be that of the lovely Bones... apparently a pope has  actually been elected:  it's Cardinal Burke, and the burning of the modernists has begun...

And finally it seems that some children from the parish are getting into the swing of things: Annie Elizabeth has been teaching them how to make a chimney... and it seems that the neighbours will be in no doubt once the white smoke appears! I suspect their bell-ringing will be rather more reliable than that of the Vatican!

Extra Omnes...

Much to my annoyance, I have a Confirmation class tonight. This means that I couldn't just settle down for an evening's entertainment of chimney spotting. So, I've done the next best thing. I've rushed over to the church at Blackfen, opened up the church (in case of early arrivals), put on the heating (it's bitterly cold out there) and settled down in the sacristy to chimney-spot on my laptop. My data allowance on my dongle will probably disappear quite quickly, but it's worth it...

I had to settle down in the sacristy because there are hordes of children in the Small Hall - either Brownies or Rainbows or some such group. And I have got about 40 minutes before my class arrives.

I was particularly delighted to get a glimpse of the last few oaths being taken by the Cardinals, and then heard Monsignor Marini declare the "Extra Omnes!" I missed it last time.

Most of the screenshots are from the Vatican News Feed. Fantastic stuff... though it appeared to crash at one point.

Unfortunately, my photo of the actual closing of the doors appears to have been "eaten" by the technology. Once again, I have had one of my blonde moments. I consoled myself with the thought that, if EWTN and The Catholic Herald had technology glitches, then it was hardly surprising that I experienced a few of my own... Luckily for my peace of mind, Rome Reports had a video of the precious moments...

And, if you want to see the moment for yourselves...

Now all there is to do is wait for the smoke...

Along with the rest of the world...

Purr-pabile...

Bruvver Eccles thinks that Cardinal Furretti is the strongest candidate going in to the Conclave tomorrow. I quite like the idea that she puts the "cat" in "Catholic" - she certainly has form when it comes to hunting out heresy, as evinced by her attacks on an article in the Catholic Times by Monsignor Loftus and on The Bitter Pill (the whole publication!)

Tuesday...

I know that the saying goes, "Tomorrow never comes!" but actually tomorrow is the first day of the Conclave.

Eight years ago I was teaching RE (among other things) in a Catholic school, and so had the perfect excuse to keep a Conclave Alert. Lunchtime saw me and the priest-chaplain desperately trying to get a good look at the Sistine Chapel chimney on the first full day of the Conclave via the two very old computers in the staffroom. The internet connection was dire, and there was much frantic refreshing of pages amid cries of, "Is that smoke?" "That's definitely smoke!" "Oh, my goodness, it can't honestly be white, can it??" and "No, it's black!"

This time around, internet connections are good enough to watch films online. Even mobile phones allow this facility (assuming one hasn't used up one's data allowance!) Technology still suffers from occasional glitches - especially in schools, which appear to get fobbed off with sub-standard equipment and poor connections - but it is far better than the technology of eight years ago.

Lots of internet sites will be training their webcams on that most famous of chimneys. The race is on to see who will spot the first wisp of smoke. The timetable for the Conclave has been published (be aware that Rome is 1 hour ahead of GMT), and the times when smoke can be expected have been detailed. Pope Alarm is a text and email service which offers to let people know as soon as white smoke is sighted. Unfortunately, the text service is only available in the USA and Canada... and it's proved so popular that they aren't able to take any more numbers for texting. The email service is, however, open to everyone.

The Sistine Chapel chimney even has its own twitter account (several, actually!): there's @PapalSmokeStack, @ConclaveStove, @ConclaveChimney, @PapalSmoke and @PopeAlarm. We're almost spoiled for choice! Plus there are all the Catholics on the blogosphere who will be blogging and tweeting away.

Perversely, I am no longer teaching in a Catholic school, and I'm teaching Science. Not much scope in the curriculum for loading up the Catholic Herald's Liveblog which is due to start at 9am GMT. And using one's mobile phone in class is generally frowned upon... the students aren't allowed them either. Stepping out into the corridor in the middle of a Science lesson might also prove tricky... a lump of potassium filched from teacher's table while her back is turned could cause havoc if dropped down a drain.

Hmmm. Now there's a thought...

We're Getting Closer...

Here we go. After what has seemed to be an incredibly long wait, all the Cardinals have arrived in Rome and they have opted to start the Conclave a few days early, on Tuesday, 12 March. If the Pope had died,the Conclave wouldn't have started until March 15th. I suppose it just feels longer, as the Pope gave two weeks' notice of his abdication...

Last time around, Pope Benedict was elected after three ballots, on the second day of the Conclave. Everyone seems to expect that this one will be a longer affair.

Keep praying...

Ooops...

It seems that, after La Stampa violated the confidentiality of the General Congregation (by naming names and telling who said what about whom, according to the USCCB Blog), the Cardinals decided that it would be better to avoid those pesky media people. No more media interviews... other than the Vatican Press Office briefings, I suppose.

It's hardly surprising. Cardinals appear to be a garrulous lot. Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor let the cat out of the bag after the last conclave with his "They voted for him" gaffe. Just as well he isn't going to be there this time around: the penalty for violating the oath of secrecy has just been upped to excommunication latae sententiae.

Z-Swag In The Wild...

Just for a little light relief...

You can get your own bumper stickers by visiting the store on Fr. Z's blog...

A Little More Light-Hearted Fun...

This one's doing the rounds on Twitter and Facebook...

So that's why they're so keen on secrecy!

Someone's Not Happy...

Heheheh... Lightning struck St. Peter's just hours after the announcement that Benedict XVI was to resign. Then, just a day or two after he left Rome to go to Castel Gandolfo after his resignation, a minor earthquake hit the locality...

Signs that someone's not happy, perhaps...!!

More Latin Stuff...

One of the most irritating comments when a traditional hymn or antiphon is suggested is "Oh, you can't have that... no-one knows it!"

Well, no-one will ever know it unless they get to hear it - after all, that's how they got to know the hymns they do know.

Another irritating statement: "Catholics don't sing at Mass."

Maybe. Maybe not. Perhaps they just don't sing the cruddy touchy-feely rubbish which passes for "modern" hymns according to the music publishers. Eccles has a whole series on the meaningless twaddle we've been forced to sing over the past 40 years.

But crack out the traditional hymns and the congregation suddenly seems to find an enthusiasm for joining in. Chanting is particularly popular - as Fr. Finigan has so often told our Confirmation candidates, go to the football terraces, and then tell me that men don't do chant.

Blackfen's Maestra di Cappella has the choir and congregation sussed. Introduce a new (old) chant and repeat it for an entire liturgical season. Three weeks in, and it's an old favourite.

After a year or two, Marian antiphons at the end of Mass are easy money. Even the toddlers enjoy belting them out...

Feeling Out Of Sorts...

Am I the only one who feels that this interregnum feels all "wrong" somehow?

It's difficult to pin it down, but it wasn't like this eight years ago. I'm feeling rather unsettled, and not a little ruffled.

March 11 seems to be the most likely date for the Conclave to kick off. We have no way of knowing how long it will continue. It is even possible that we won't have a new Pope in time for Easter... imagine Easter Sunday without the Ubi et Orbi blessing...!

Let's hope and pray that the Cardinals get their collective act together...

Pray, people...

Mass For The Election Of A Pope...

At Blackfen our monthly First Saturday Missa Cantata we celebrated the Mass for the Election of a Pope. This doesn't get celebrated very often - for obvious reasons - and the last Sede Vacante period occurred before I started blogging. We used our most beautiful red vestments; they are from a nineteenth century French set, with an exquisite embroidered Agnus Dei on the back.

There are more photos on my Flickr page.

Fr. Finigan's sermon at the Mass was a real wake-up call. It was a salutary reminder that we need to pray for the election of a good, wise and holy Pontiff, and not just sit back complacently to wait for the Holy Spirit to do it all. Yes, we need to trust that God will not leave us orphans - he has promised to be with his bride, the Church, until the end of time. But that trust must not be presumptuous  and we need to remember that God sometimes allows evil to happen; sometimes it is allowed as a punishment for our sins. There have been bad Popes in the past. As my friend Vox in Rama said, our failure to pray more fervently for Benedict XVI probably lead (indirectly) to his resignation.

It's a sobering thought.

If you haven't got a Cardinal to pray for during the Sede Vacante, you can get one here.

Contessina...

I knew that the Pope Emeritus loves cats - he used to go around feeding strays when he was a Cardinal - but I didn't realise that he actually had a cat with him in the Vatican .. I'm sure I read somewhere that cats weren't allowed in the Vatican.

Filippo Monteforte, AFP/Getty Images / February 19, 2013

It would appear that Benedict XVI has more than one cat... the report in the Chicago Tribune describes Contessina as one of the Pope's cats. I wonder how many there are?

Twitch of the mantilla to Lady Catcliffe for the information!

Sedes Apostolica Vacat...

I saw this notice hanging in place of Benedict XVI's portrait in the Sacristy at Blackfen this evening, just before Rosary & Benediction. It brought a little lump to my throat...

Spiritual Support...

The Cardinals have the unenviable task ahead of them to elect the next Pope. They need to pray for guidance, and they need to do their utmost to ignore everything other than the good of the Church.

Although we ordinary Catholics cannot vote in the Conclave, we do have a duty to pray for the Cardinals during this time, and to beseech heaven for a good and holy man who will lead the Church. That's why I was so pleased to find Adopt A Cardinal. You send in your email address, and get given a random Cardinal to pray for.

You pray for him to make a good decision, not for him to become Pope (though that is a possibility, obviously!)

Anyway, I signed up, and was given Francesco Cardinal Monterisi of Italy. He's getting on a bit - he'll be 79 at the end of May - and there doesn't seem to be much information about him. I like the fact that, according to the Wikipedia page about him, he is a member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. That means that he gets to investigate miracles. I like to think that looking at miracles would give one a firm appreciation of spiritual things and having prayers answered... it seems so very... well... Catholic! Helping the poor and working for justice and peace are important, but one doesn't actually have to have faith. Plenty of atheists would behave the same way, though without the benefit of grace.

Over 80,000 people have adopted a Cardinal, and its comforting to think that each of the 115 electors will have nearly 700 people praying for him during the run-up to the Conclave (and during it, naturally, as well as for three days after the election!) Do go over and adopt your very own Cardinal!

The Attacks Increase In Force...

I hadn't intended to post anything about the scandal which has broken around Cardinal O'Brien, but during Mass this evening I became convinced that I needed to say something.

I get the distinct impression that the attacks on the Church are increasing in vitriol and fervour, and that things are building up to a crescendo. The attacks are not just from human agencies - the devil is throwing everything he has at the Bride of Christ.

First of all, the Cardinal is accused of "inappropriate behaviour". He has denied the accusations. The law of this land still (notionally) accepts the idea of "presumed innocent until proven guilty," hence the idea that the prosecution has to prove guilt, and not the defendant having to prove innocence. False accusations have been made against priests (and others) in the past. So we must bear in mind that these accusations may be a vile calumny against Cardinal O'Brien.

Next, even if the Cardinal is guilty, it must be noted that this "inappropriate behaviour" did not involve children. The people involved were adults. In addition, it seems (from the vague and sketchy report in The Observer) that alcohol was involved. Human beings often get into inappropriate sexual situations when alcohol is involved. It is hardly earth-shattering news. It's a sin, of course, but not something unheard of.

I have certainly done things I regret whilst under the influence. When I sobered up, I regretted my actions, and resolved never to repeat them. Catholics have this wonderful Sacrament called Confession which allows them to express their sorrow for past sins to God, and He gives us absolution through the ministry of the priest. Then we can start afresh. We might repeat the sins, but as long as we intend not to do so, then that's all God asks. Even priests (and Cardinals) get to go to Confession.

This all leaves me with some very basic questions.

First of all, this happened about thirty years ago. Why have the accusations only been made now? If one of the men was in his 20s when it happened, why, at the age of 50 years, does he suddenly feel the need to complain? Why didn't he complain back in 2003 when O'Brien was made Cardinal? A quote in the Observer article said that the Cardinal's accusers "want the Conclave electing the new Pope to be 'clean.' " Oh really? In that case, why didn't they say something at the last Conclave? You know... the one where Pope Benedict XVI was elected.

Could it possibly have something to do with the fact that it's only since the last Conclave that Cardinal O'Brien has been speaking out forcefully on pro-life issues, and the defense of traditional marriage?

All this leaves a very nasty taste in the mouth. If you need an antidote, go and read Mark Lambert's excellent blog post.

And when you've finished that, pray for the Church. Then pray some more.

Oh yes... one final point, in case anyone is tempted to use the combox to accuse the Cardinal of hypocrisy for condemning homosexual activity while indulging in such behaviour himself. Please don't bother. One can be a sinner oneself and still recognise (and preach) about the Truth.