Conclave na! Ano'ng dapat nating gawin?

Magsisimula na ang Conclave. Ano nga bang pwede at dapat nating gawin?

Payo sa atin ni Blessed Pope John Paul II, in his Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis:

During the vacancy of the Apostolic See, and above all during the time of the election of the Successor of Peter, the Church is united in a very special way with her Pastors and particularly with the Cardinal electors of the Supreme Pontiff, and she asks God to grant her a new Pope as a gift of his goodness and providence. Indeed, following the example of the first Christian community spoken of in the Acts of the Apostles (cf. 1:14), the universal Church, spiritually united with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, should persevere with one heart in prayer; thus the election of the new Pope will not be something unconnected with the People of God and concerning the College of electors alone, but will be in a certain sense an act of the whole Church. I therefore lay down that in all cities and other places, at least the more important ones, as soon as news is received of the vacancy of the Apostolic See and, in particular, of the death of the Pope, and following the celebration of his solemn funeral rites, humble and persevering prayers are to be offered to the Lord (cf. Mt 21:22; Mk 11:24), that he may enlighten the electors and make them so likeminded in their task that a speedy, harmonious and fruitful election may take place, as the salvation of souls and the good of the whole People of God demand.

Universi Dominici Gregis 84 

We can do this individually by praying that the Lord may inspire the Cardinal electors. Marami sigurong gagawa nito by keeping awake and praying habang nanood ng live coverage ng Conclave. (Tip lang: As much as possible, choose to watch on EWTN or on other Catholic media coverages) As a liturgical assembly, we can do this by celebrating the Votive Mass for the Election of a Pope, offered at the direction or with the permission of the diocesan bishop.

Praying that God may provide for His flock a pope who, in His judgment, is best for the Petrine ministry is really the best thing we can do. As members of the Church Universal, this is our duty and this should be our prayer.

Ito dapat ang panalangin natin para sa buong Simbahan. 'Di ba sabi nga nila, dapat kapag nagdarasal tayo, we should always have a Your-will-be-done attitude? Ganun din dito sa pagdarasal natin for the next pope.We should not pray that this or that cardinal become elected. We should pray that God's will be done.

We should not...

...like or create pages like this:

and support or create things like these:

Honestly, these posters and videos are insulting to the whole solemnity and holiness of the Conclave! The Conclave is done in the spirit of intense prayer because the Cardinal electors must discern carefully the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Tapos may lalabas na mga ganito?

Ang sabi nga ng mga critics ng mga ito, tila mas marunong pa ata o pinangungunahan ng mga gumawa nito ang Espiritu Santo na siyang dapat pinakikinggan at tinatawag.

There is nothing wrong with having opinions, tama naman. Pero sa mga propagandang tulad nito, tila binababoy naman natin ang Sacred Tradition ng Simbahan dahil ibinababa natin ang Conclave sa level ng political campaigns. Imagine that? True, the Church is both human and divine kaya't "hindi daw maiiwasan" ang politika. But isn't it obvious from the way the Conclave is done that the Church wants to make the election of the pope as divine as possible?

Sabi nga ni Blessed Pope John Paul II, "In the same way, I wish to confirm the provisions made by my Predecessors for the purpose of excluding any external interference in the election of the Supreme Pontiff. . .

I intend this prohibition to include all possible forms of interference, opposition and suggestion whereby secular authorities of whatever order and degree, or any individual or group, might attempt to exercise influence on the election of the Pope." (Universi Dominici Gregis 80)

See? Opinyon na kung opinyon, pero kailangan pa ba ng posters o video? Para kanino yung mga yun, for the Cardinal electors to see? And where does this come from? Is this from a genuine concern for the entire Church or from a false sense of national pride? Oo, Pilipinong Katoliko tayo, pero hindi ba't "universal" ang ibig sabihin ng Katoliko? So dapat ang concern natin ay para sa buong Simbahang Katoliko, hindi yung para magkaroon ng first Filipino pope! If God wills one of these cardinals to be pope, why do we need propaganda and campaigning?

These days, we are invited to prayer. We are asked to join the College of Cardinals in invoking the Holy Spirit for such an important undertaking of the Church. The Conclave, as we can see, is one of the cleanest election processes; it is definitely the most prayerful election process. As Catholic lay persons, let's get into the spirit of it. Let us just pray!

Veni Creator Spiritus!

Conclave begins on March 12, 2013

This article is from: News.va

The College of Cardinals

(Vatican Radio) The eighth General Congregation of the College of Cardinals meeting in the Vatican Synod Hall Friday has decided that the Conclave for the election of the Pope will begin on Tuesday, 12 March 2013.

A “pro eligendo Romano Pontifice” Mass will be celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica in the morning. Then Tuesday afternoon the 115 Cardinal Electors will gather in the Pauline Chapel for a moment of collection and prayer and from there they will process in order of precedence through the Sala Regia to the Sistine Chapel invoking the Holy Spirit.

There they will take their seats, again observing the order of precedence, to elect the 265th Successor to St Peter. Once they have taken their seats they will hear the second meditation established by the Apostolic Constitution governing the papal transitions. It will be given by the Maltese Augustinian, Cardinal Prospero Grech.

Following the mediation, the 115 cardinals will swear an oath to observe the rules of Conclave which include to maintain fidelity to the election of the Pope, to maintain secrecy, never to support or favor interference. The Cardinal Dean Angelo Sodano, reads aloud the formula of the oath, the Cardinal electors respond: I do so promise, pledge and swear.

After all the Cardinals have taken the oath, the Master of the Papal Ceremonies, Msgr. Guido Marini orders all individuals other than the Cardinal Electors and conclave participants to leave the Sistine Chapel. He stands at the great wooden doors and pronounces the phrase: "Extra omnes!" He then closes the door.

According to the Apostolic Constitution, on the afternoon of the first day, one ballot may be held. If a ballot takes place on the afternoon of the first day and no-one is elected, four ballots are held on each successive day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. If no result is obtained after three vote days of balloting, the process is suspended for a maximum of one day for prayer, meditation and reflection. A two thirds majority is required for the election of a Pope.

Of the 115 Cardinal Electors, more than half are European with the largest single nationality represented by the 28 Italian Cardinal Electors. In a geographical breakdown: 60 come from Europe, 19 from Latin America, 14 from North America, 11 from Africa, 10 from Asia and 1 from Oceania.

The average age of the Cardinal Electors is 71 while 67 of the Cardinals who will enter in the Conclave Tuesday were appointed by Pope emeritus, Benedict XVI.

There were eight Conclaves in the 20th century, only three of which lasted longer than three days. The longest Conclave in the last two hundred years was 1830-1831. It lasted 50 days for a total of 83 ballots resulting in the election of Gregory XVI, the last religious elected to the papacy. The shortest Conclave in the 20th century took place in 1939. Eugenio Pacelli was elected Pius XII after just three ballots.

Let us continue praying and praying, that the Holy Spirit may guide and inspire our College of Cardinals!