Catholicism For Dummies. Rev. Kenneth Brighenti
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you to another title for the pope — Holy Father. Just as a Catholic priest is called “Father” in a spiritual sense, the pope is called “Holy Father” by Catholics all over the world.
He has a slew of other titles, too: Successor of St. Peter, Vicar of Christ, Primate of Italy, Supreme Pontiff, Roman Pontiff, Sovereign of the Vatican City State, and Head of the College of Bishops. The most common and best-known titles, however, are pope, Holy Father, and Roman Pontiff.
Think you’re under pressure at work? The pope has two big jobs: He’s the bishop of Rome (see the later section “Bishops and archbishops” for more about bishops) and the leader of the entire Catholic Church. The pope has a ceremonial role as head of state of the sovereign nation of Vatican City.
How the pope gets his job
The College of Cardinals elects the pope. Nope, that’s not a university where priests and bishops learn how to become cardinals. Unlike Notre Dame and The Catholic University of America, the College of Cardinals merely refers to all the cardinals around the world, just as the College of Bishops is a way of describing all the world’s Catholic bishops.
UH, CARDINAL, SIR? WHAT’S THAT MALLET FOR?
When the pope dies, an ancient but simple ceremony is performed before the cardinals are called to Rome to elect a new pope. The most senior-ranking cardinal enters the room of the dead pontiff and gently strikes his forehead with a silver mallet, calling the pope by his baptismal name. If he doesn’t answer by the third time, he’s pronounced dead.
Today, however, the pope’s personal physician is called in first, and he makes the medical determination that the man is dead before the senior-ranking cardinal performs the ceremonial ritual with the mallet. Then the pope’s ring (the Fisherman’s Ring) and his papal insignia are smashed so that no one can affix the seal on any documents until a new pope has been elected.
The pope handpicks bishops to become cardinals, and their primary function in life is to elect a new pope when the old pope dies or resigns. Because most modern popes live at least ten years in office (except Pope John Paul I, who lived only one month), cardinals do have other work to do instead of just waiting around for the boss to pass on. (For details about cardinals and their jobs, see the later section “Cardinals.”) Cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote for the next pope.
The electors can vote for any other cardinal or any Catholic bishop, priest, deacon, or layman, anywhere in the world and of any liturgical rite, such as Latin, Byzantine, and so on. Normally, the cardinals select another cardinal, both because they know each other better and because the number of cardinals to choose from is small compared to the 5,000 bishops around the world and more than 410,000 priests. Although extremely rare, if a layman is elected pope (as in the case of Benedict IX), he first has to be ordained a deacon, then a priest, and then a bishop before he can function as pope, because the authority resides in his office as bishop of Rome. If a priest is chosen, he needs to be ordained a bishop prior to being installed as pope.
Are there pope primaries?
The government of the Catholic Church, called the hierarchy, is more like a monarchy than a democracy. Catholicism is hierarchical in that one person, the pope, is supreme head over the universal Church. Yet bishops govern the local churches in a geographical district called a diocese, and pastors (or priests) represent the bishop in each local parish. Individual Catholics don’t vote for the next pope or for their bishop or pastor. The Catholic hierarchy operates like a military chain of command as opposed to an elected, representative government. So nope — no local primaries, no election campaigns, no debates, no political ads, and no popular vote.
Other religions and Christian churches allow for lay participation in positions of authority from a little to a lot, but Catholicism has been predominantly monarchical since the appointment of St. Peter. Laypersons are encouraged to participate in other ways. While they aren’t allowed to have jurisdictional power, laity serve as consulters and advisors to pastors and bishops. Parish councils and finance committees are composed of lay parishioners who advise the pastor before he makes important decisions. Laity also even serve in the Vatican to advise, counsel, and represent the Holy See to organizations like the United Nations.
Dimpled, pimpled, or hanging chads?
No sooner than 15 days and no later than 20 days after the death or resignation of the pope, all the cardinals are summoned to Rome for the secret conclave. Conclave comes from the Latin cum clave, meaning “with key,” because the cardinals are literally locked into the Sistine Chapel, the pope’s private chapel at the Vatican, until they elect a new pope.
After the cardinals from around the world assemble inside the conclave, they begin discussions and deliberations. Almost like a sequestered jury, the cardinals are permitted no contact with the outside world during the conclave. Under pain of excommunication (see Chapter 11), no cardinal is ever allowed to discuss what transpires at these elections — to keep the element of politics and outside influence to a bare minimum.
Election of a new pope could take place in one of three different forms:
Acclamation: A name is presented, and everyone unanimously consents without the need of a secret ballot.
Compromise: Each cardinal casts a secret ballot. If no one achieves a two-thirds majority after several rounds of voting, then the entire College of Cardinals may choose one or several electors to select a candidate, and the entire body is bound to accept that choice. A unanimous vote to employ compromise is necessary for it to be valid.
Scrutiny: Each cardinal proposes a candidate and gives reasons for his qualifications before the individual cardinals cast their secret ballot. A two-thirds majority decision is needed to elect a new pope. Note: This is the only valid method currently permitted in papal conclaves.
Want a peek at what’s going on behind those closed doors? When voting for a