When the Roman Pontiff dies. BRIEF EXCURSION HISTORICAL-LITURGICAL

Every Pope, in his role of vicar of Christ, does not belong entirely to itself; This is evident in particular when death arrives. In the recent past, hardly, the Popes managed to die in peace, in the silence, away from prying eyes or preamble rituals. A Pope almost never passed away alone but, like an ancient ruler, he was surrounded by his courtiers.

— Liturgical ministry —

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The death of the Roman Pontiff it is a particular moment for the life of the Catholic Church; a technically defined passage Apostolic See vacant, which brings with it a set of acts, of events and rituals that, by their nature, they are one of a kind.

We do not want to make a systematic treatment of it here, but rather touch, also through recourse to history, some liturgical and ritual aspects that passed before our eyes on the occasion of the death of Pope Francis.

Dying as a Pope. The first station

Every Pope, in his role of vicar of Christ, does not belong entirely to itself; This is evident in particular when death arrives. In the recent past, hardly, the Popes managed to die in peace, in the silence, away from prying eyes or preamble rituals. A Pope almost never passed away alone but, like an ancient ruler, he was surrounded by his courtiers. At the first signs of agony, indeed, a series of detailed ceremonial actions were set in motion that accompanied the Pontiff towards his earthly end.

First thing first all the cardinals resident in Rome were notified, as well as all the holders of the various Dicasteries of the Holy See; and a silent procession began in front of the dying man to pay him his last respects. The Anointing of the Sick and the Viaticum were administered by the Cardinal Vicar, while it was the task of the penitentiaries and canons of the Vatican Basilica to raise the accompanying prayers in the agony, especially the litanies of the saints canonized by the dying Pontiff.

He took his last breath, the Pope's death was confirmed by the doctor; the Master of the Chamber covered the face of the deceased Pontiff with a white veil and, while the celebrations of the SS began in the private chapel. Masses for his soul, an initial dressing was carried out: the white cassock, the spool and the papal mozzetta. Only at this moment was the Cardinal Camerlengo introduced who effectively, in the vacant Apostolic See, assumes the "regency" of the Church. Escorted by the Swiss guards, he performed the act of official recognition of the Pontiff's death for the entire Church. The Camerlengo, intoned the From the depths, she removed the veil and struck the deceased's forehead three times, calling him by his first name: «N. I know dead?»; on the third shot, receiving no response, he announced: «The Pope is really dead». This ritual no longer happens today. The reform desired by Pope Francis, establishes that the official confirmation of death takes place in the chapel, after the Pope's body has already been composed.

Today those rituals which may even seem "folkroistic" and which revolved around the agony and death of the Pope have given way to moments of ecclesial prayer, to affirm faith in God to whom we always belong and in whose hands we always are, alive or dead. The Pope who has just left this world and the Virgin Mary are recommended to God the Father, with the singing of Hi Regina, we are asked to show the face of Jesus to the deceased Pope, blessed fruit of her womb. Task of the Cardinal Camerlengo, at this stage, is to break the Fisherman's Ring and annul the Papal Seal.

The Pope's body is embalmed to allow conservation on days of public display. Once upon a time this process, which contemplated the use of ancient embalming techniques, it also involved the removal of viscera, while the heart of the deceased Pope was preserved in an urn in the choir of the Church of SS. Vincent and Athanasius at the Trevi Fountain. It is believed that this practice last occurred on the occasion of the death of Leo XIII. Today, to avoid excessive manipulation, less invasive methods are used.

The body of the Pope, under the supervision of the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, he is dressed in pontifical robes: the shirts, the red chasuble, the pallium, the white miter edged with gold, the white skullcap, an episcopal ring and the pectoral cross. Red is the liturgical color of "papal mourning", used by the Pontiff even during his lifetime, when for example he presides over the funeral rite. As we know, it is a color that recalls the blood of martyrs and the living presence of the Holy Spirit; for this reason the Pope, as successor of Peter, he is wrapped in red vestments which symbolize his service entirely dedicated to Christ and the Church, in the testimony of faith.

With the placing of the body of the deceased in the coffin — was once placed on a sedan chair, but Francesco, reforming the rites of papal funerals, has arranged differently — begins the First Station, which takes place in the place where the Pope died. It is therefore a moment reserved for the people closest to him, accompanied by the prayer of suffrage.

See Peter. The second station

On the day and time established by the College of Cardinals, the body of the deceased Pontiff is moved to St. Peter's Basilica "where he often exercised his ministry as Bishop of the Church in Rome and as Pastor of the Universal Church" (Ordo Funeral of the Roman Pontiff, later OERP, edition 2005, n. 68) to receive the homage of the faithful. Once upon a time the Pope's body was displayed in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, on a reclining catafalque which allowed the faithful to touch his feet for the final act of veneration. Today, more significantly, the coffin is placed in front of the altar of Confession, at the tomb of the Apostle Peter.

The procession it is accompanied by the singing of some psalms and evangelical canticles suitable for the occasion, while at the entrance to the Basilica the litanies of the saints are sung. For a few days, the Pontiff's body will remain on display in the basilica and will receive homage from the faithful: «Near the body, the faithful will raise incessant prayers to God for the late Pontiff" (OERP, edition 2005, n.87).

During these days various moments of community prayer are planned, in particular the celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours.

And in my flesh I shall see God, my savior. The third station: Funeral mass and burial

The Holy Funeral Mass represents the culminating moment of the funeral of the Roman Pontiff. The Constitution Dominic Flock which regulates the phases of the Vacant Apostolic See, establishes that this moment occurs within the 4th and 6th day of the Pope's death. It is the Cardinals who establish the place of the solemn funeral, ma, given the foreseeable participation of the people, generally these take place in St. Peter's Square.

The day before the funeral the rite of closing the coffin takes place, an occasion full of meaning, since it is the moment in which the body of the Pope is removed from now on from the sight of the people of God. After reading and signing the Deed, a document that recalls the main events and acts of the Pontiff's life, the Pope's face is covered with a white veil «in the lively hope that he can contemplate the face of the Father, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the Saints" (OERP, edition 2005, n.95). So the Deed and some coins minted during the pontificate are placed in the coffin before its actual closure.

The funeral Mass is presided over by the Cardinal Dean and concelebrated by the Cardinals and Patriarchs of the Eastern Churches. These funerals do not differ, in their main structure, from those of any Christian. As the first reading, a text from the Acts of the Apostles is proclaimed (10,34-43); as a response the Salmo 23 ("The Lord is my shepherd") followed by a passage from the Letter to the Philippians (3,20–4,1) and the famous evangelical passage of John which directly recalls the Petrine ministry: «Simone, you love Me? man, you know that I love you" (GV 21,15-19).

A characteristic element of the funeral liturgy of the Supreme Pontiff is represented byLast Recommendation and Farewell which corresponds to the greeting that the community of believers addresses to its brother and to the Pastor of the universal Church. At the Pope's funeral this greeting is given:

– From the Church of Rome to its bishop, through the mouth of the Cardinal Vicar, invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary The health of the Roman people, the apostles, and martyrs, i papi, i santi e sante romani;

– From the Eastern Churches, through the mouth of a Patriarch united with the other representatives of the Eastern Churches;

– From the entire Catholic Church to its pastor, through the mouth of the Cardinal Dean.

This triple entrustment of the soul of the deceased, ends with a renewed profession of faith, expressed by school that, during sprinkling and censing, sings:

"I believe: The Lord is risen and lives,
and one day I too will rise again with him.
May I contemplate you, my God and my Savior.
My eyes will open to his light,
and my gaze will rest on him.
May I contemplate you, my God and my Savior.
I keep this hope firm in my heart:
May I contemplate you, my God and my Savior".

At the end of the funeral celebration, the coffin is picked up and accompanied to the burial site. Burial in the Vatican caves, under St. Peter's Basilica, it has become traditional; however the Pope can decide differently, as did Pope Francis who chose to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore.

The novendials

It's tradition, also confirmed by the reform desired by Pope Francis, that starting from the funeral Mass there will be nine days of Eucharistic celebrations in suffrage of the deceased Pope. All the people of God are involved in these celebrations, even if they are entrusted to particular categories of people: faithful of the Vatican City, of the Church of Rome, the Chapters of the Papal Basilicas, the members of the Roman Curia, the Eastern Churches.

The whole Church spread throughout the world unites in prayer and strengthens faith and hope; thus even death becomes a gift of grace and an opportunity to thank and bless the God of all consolation.

«A Pope dies, another one is made»

This famous saying, which may even sound fatalistic, And, in fact, what happens after the death of every Roman Pontiff. It could be said that the Vacant office it is that powerful moment in which the Pontificate enters into a sort of "anonymity" so that the deceased pontiff and his elected successor, because they belong to something bigger, they seem to pass on the soul of the role. This is what the famous Roman poet Giacchino Belli states: the dead Pope gives the spirit of the important task to the newly elected. The external forms of the body or even the brain can vary, but that will be the legacy, since wanted by the eternal. With bold verses, but significant, the poet says: it almost seems as if the body of the new Pope falls from the sky without a soul, but only with vital breath. Because dignity, the soul of the role of each pontiff is left to him by those who preceded him.

I now leave Ariel to Father reading poetry Is passa-mano, published by Gioacchino Belli on 4 October 1835:

"Is Papa, is Visceddio, Our Lord,
He is an eternal Father like the Eternal Father.
Ciove doesn't die, O, ppe ddí mmejjo, more,
But more only at the outside.

Because there his body leaves the government,
The soul, stop the ancient honor at the end,
Non go nn in paradise the hell,
Steps subbit in the chief arch.

That's how the brain changes a bit,
The stommium, the ears, is naso, is pelo;
Ma is Papa, in quant’ a Ppapa, it's always that.

And so every body is distinct
To that indignity, ccasca gift even
Soulless, and in a den door, what a breath".

Florence, 1° May 2025

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WHEN THE ROMAN PONTIFF DIES. A BRIEF HISTORICAL-LITURGICAL EXCURSUS

Every Pope, in his role as Vicar of Christ, does not belong entirely to himself; this is particularly evident when death comes. In the recent past, Popes rarely managed to die in peace, in silence, far from prying eyes or preamble rituals. A Pope almost never passed away alone but, like an ancient sovereign, was surrounded by his courtiers.

— Liturgical pastoral —

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The death of the Roman Pontiff is a special moment in the life of the Catholic Church; a passage technically defined Vacant See, which brings with it a set of acts, events and rites that, by their nature, are unique in their kind.

We do not want to make a systematic treatment of it here, but rather touch, also by recourse to history, on some liturgical and ritual aspects that passed before our eyes on the occasion of the death of Pope Francis.

Dying as Pope. The First stage

Every Pope, in his role as Vicar of Christ, does not belong entirely to himself; this is particularly evident when death comes. In the recent past, Popes rarely managed to die in peace, in silence, far from prying eyes or preamble rituals. A Pope almost never passed away alone but, like an ancient sovereign, was surrounded by his courtiers. At the first signs of agony, in fact, a series of meticulous ceremonial actions were set in motion that accompanied the Pontiff towards his earthly end.

The first thing to do: notify all the cardinals residing in Rome, and all the heads of the various Dicasteries of the Holy See; a silent procession before the dying man to pay him their last respects. The Anointing of the Sick and the Viaticum administered by the Cardinal Vicar, while it was the task of the penitentiaries and canons of the Vatican Basilica to raise the prayers accompanying him in his agony, especially the Litanies of the Saints canonized by the dying Pontiff.

After the Pope’s last breath, his death is certified by the doctor; the Master of the Chamber covered the deceased Pontiff’s face with a white veil and, while the celebrations of the Holy Masses for his soul began in the private chapel, the first vestment was carried out: the white cassock, the rochet and the papal mozzetta. Only at this moment was the Cardinal Camerlengo introduced, who in fact, in the Vacant Apostolic See, assumed the “regency” of the Church. Escorted by the Swiss guards, he performed the act of official recognition of the Pontiff’s death for the entire Church. The Camerlengo, having intoned the De Profundis, removed the veil and struck the deceased’s forehead three times, calling him by his baptismal name: «(Name). are you dead?»; at the third blow, receiving no response, he announced: "Truly the Pope is dead". This rite no longer occurs today. The reform desired by Pope Francis establishes that the official certification of death takes place in the chapel, after the Pope’s body has already been composed.

Today those rituals that may even seem “folkloristic” around the agony and death of the Pope have given way to moments of ecclesial prayer, to affirm faith in God to whom we always belong and in whose hands we always are, whether alive or dead. The Pope who has just left this world is recommended to God the Father and the Virgin Mary, with the singing of the Hi Regina, is asked to show the deceased Pope the face of Jesus, the blessed fruit of her womb. The task of the Cardinal Camerlengo, in this phase, is to break the Ring of the Fisherman and cancel the Papal Seal.

The body of the Roman Pontiff is embalmed to allow for its preservation during the days of public display. At one time, this process, which involved the use of ancient embalming techniques, also included the removal of the viscera, while the heart of the deceased Pope was preserved in an urn in the choir of the Church of St. Vincenzo e Atanasio at the Trevi Fountain. It is believed that this practice took place for the last time on the occasion of the death of Leo XIII. Today, to avoid excessive manipulation, less invasive methods are used.

The body of the Roman Pontiff, under the supervision of the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, is dressed in pontifical vestments: the alb, the red chasuble, the cloak, the white miter edged with gold, the white skullcap, an episcopal ring and the pectoral cross. Red is the liturgical colour of “papal mourning”, used by the Pontiff even in life, for example when he presides over the funeral rite. As we know, it is a colour that recalls the blood of the martyrs and the living presence of the Holy Spirit; for this reason the Pope, as the successor of Peter, is wrapped in red vestments that symbolize his service entirely consecrated to Christ and to the Church, in the testimony of faith.

With the deposition of the body of the deceased in the catafalque — once it was placed on a stretcher, but Francis, reforming the rites of papal funerals, has arranged otherwise — the First Station begins, which takes place in the place where the Pope died. It is therefore a moment reserved for the people closest to him, accompanied by prayers of suffrage.

See Peter. The Second Stage

On the day and at the time established by the College of Cardinals, the body of the deceased Pontiff is transferred to St. Peter’s Papal Archibasilic “where he often exercised his ministry as Bishop of the Church in Rome and Pastor of the Universal Church” (Order of Roman Pontifical Funerals, hereinafter, 2005 edition, n. 68) to receive the homage of the faithful. In the past, the body of the Pope was exposed in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, on a reclining catafalque that allowed the faithful to touch his feet for the final act of veneration. Today, more significantly, the coffin is placed in front of the Altar of Confession, in correspondence with the tomb of the Apostle Peter.

The procession is accompanied by the singing of some psalms and evangelical hymns appropriate to the occasion, while at the entrance to the Basilica the litanies of the saints are intoned. For a few days, the body of the Pontiff will remain exposed in the basilica and will receive the homage of the faithful: “At the body, the faithful will raise incessant prayers to God for the deceased Pontiff” (Order of Funerals of the Roman Pontiffs, 2005 edition, n.87).

During these days, various moments of community prayer are planned, in particular the celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours.

And in my flesh I shall see God, my savior. The Third Stage: Funeral Mass and Burial

The Funeral Mass is the culminating moment of the funeral of the Roman Pontiff. The Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis which regulates the phases of the Apostolic See Vacant, establishes that this moment occurs within the 4th and 6th day after the death of the Pope. The Cardinals are the ones who establish the place of the solemn funeral, but, given the foreseeable crowd of people, generally these take place in St. Peter’s Square.

The day before the funeral, the rite of closing the coffin takes place, an occasion full of meaning, since it is the moment in which the Pope’s body is removed from the sight of the people of God from now on. After the reading and signing of the Deed, a document that recalls the main events and acts of the Pontiff’s life, the Pope’s face is covered with a white veil “in the fervent hope that he may contemplate the face of the Father, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the Saints” (Order of Roman Pontifical Funerals, 2005 edition, n.95). Then the Deed and some coins minted during the pontificate are placed in the coffin before its actual closing.

The funeral Mass is presided over by the Cardinal Dean and concelebrated by the Cardinals and Patriarchs of the Eastern Churches. These funerals do not differ, in their main structure, from those of any Christian. As the first reading, a text from the Acts of the Apostles is proclaimed (10:34-43); as a responsory, Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shepherd”), followed by a passage from the Letter to the Philippians (3:20-4:1) and the famous Gospel passage from John which directly recalls the Petrine ministry: “Simon, do you love me? Lord, you know that I love you” (Jn 21:15-19).

A characteristic element of the funeral liturgy of the Supreme Pontiff is represented by the Last Recommendation and Farewell which corresponds to the greeting that the community of believers addresses to the brother and the Pastor of the universal Church. In the funeral of the Pope this greeting is given:

– From the Church of Rome to its Bishop, through the mouth of the Cardinal Vicar, invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary The health of the Roman people, the apostles, the martyrs, the popes, the Roman saints and saints;

– From the Eastern Churches, through the mouth of a Patriarch united with the other representatives of the Eastern Churches;

– From the entire Catholic Church to its pastor, through the mouth of the Cardinal Dean.

This triple entrustment of the soul of the deceased ends with a renewed profession of faith, expressed by the choir which, during the sprinkling and incensing, sings:

«I believe: The Lord is risen and lives,
and one day I too will rise with him.
That I may contemplate you, my God and my Savior.
My eyes will open to his light,
and my gaze will rest on him.
That I may contemplate you, my God and my Savior.
I keep this hope firm in my heart:
That I may contemplate you, my God and my Savior».

At the end of the funeral celebration, the coffin is collected and accompanied to the place of burial. Burial in the Vatican Grottoes, under St. Peter’s Basilica, has become traditional; however, the Pope can decide otherwise, as Pope Francis did, who chose to be buried in the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Greater.

The novendials

It is a tradition, also confirmed by the reform desired by Holy Father Francis, that starting from the funeral Mass, nine days of Eucharistic celebrations follow in suffrage of the deceased Pope. All the people of God are involved in these celebrations, even if they are entrusted to particular categories of People of God: faithful of the Vatican City, of the Church of Rome, the Chapters of the Papal Basilicas, members of the Roman Curia, the Eastern Churches.

The entire Church throughout the world unites in prayer and strengthens faith and hope; thus even death becomes a gift of grace and an opportunity to thank and bless the God of all consolation.

«When a Pope dies, another one is always made»

This famous saying, which may even sound fatalistic, is, in fact, what happens after the death of every Roman Pontiff. One could say that the Vacant See is that moment in which the Pontificate enters into a sort of “anonymity” so that the deceased pontiff and his elected successor, since they belong to something greater, seem to pass on the soul of the role.

This is what the famous Roman poet Gioacchino Belli stated in 1835: the dead Pope hands over to the newly elected the spirit of the important task. The external forms of the body or even the brain may vary, but the legacy will be the same, since it is willed by the eternal. With bold but significant verses, the poet says: it almost seems as if the body of the new Pope falls from the sky without a soul, but only with the breath of life. Because the dignity, the soul of the role of every pontiff is left to him by those who preceded him.

Florence, May 1st 2025

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«I'M NOT COMING TO THE CONCERT, I AM NOT A RENAISSANCE PRINCE" SAID THE HOLY FATHER, HOWEVER, THIS DOES NOT MEAN CLEARING THE WORST OF THE SLOPPERNESS

Our wise teachers warned us from a young age about several insidious dangers, making us aware that the non-conformism of conformists exists, which is the worst conformism; the contempt of clericalism by the clericals, which then translates into the worst clericalism; the fascism of anti-fascists, which ends up manifesting itself as a violent form of neo-fascism even worse than that of the Fascist Twenty Years.

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Eleven years have passed since then, it was June of 2013 when the Holy Father Francis left the seat empty in the center of the Paul VI hall, while guests and authorities listened for a while’ the «Great classical music concert for the Year of Faith» banned, all in absence, rather than presence, of the pope. A few days earlier, speaking to nuncios from all over the world, the Holy Father had denounced the "spiritual worldliness" which is the "leprosy" of the Church, "giving in to the spirit of the world" which "exposes us pastors to ridicule", that "sort of bourgeoisie of spirit and life that pushes us to settle down, to seek a comfortable and peaceful life". The fact is that no one has ever announced what happened to Archbishop Rino Fisichella when everyone, Everyone 17,30, they were waiting for the pontiff to enter the room: «The Holy Father will not be able to be present due to an urgent and urgent task» (cf.. Gian Guido Vecchi, Corriere della Sera, WHO).

I'll try to be brief, but not because there is a lack of arguments, quite the opposite: there would be too many topics and, if in some cases one just cannot remain silent, it is good to be very measured.

Who among us has had the grace of having authentic teachers - and each of us Fathers of the Isle of Patmos, by divine grace, he had them - he was able to learn what perhaps someone did not have the opportunity to learn in Buenos Aires before as a religious, then as a Jesuit priest, finally as bishop. Finally arrived at the sacred throne a 77 year old, It's not easy to change your view and perspective as an elderly person, for this to happen it would be necessary for the Holy Spirit to land on the head of the chosen one not like a dove but like an Andean condor.

Our wise teachers they warned us from a young age about various insidious dangers, making us aware that the non-conformism of conformists exists, which is the worst conformism; the contempt of clericalism by the clericals, which then translates into the worst clericalism; the fascism of anti-fascists, which ends up manifesting itself as a violent form of neo-fascism even worse than that of the Fascist Twenty Years.

Some people think that exposing "us pastors to ridicule" are only the parades of those characters, so-called lace & laces, which aestheticize the sacred liturgy in an exasperated and sometimes exasperating way? No one denies the existence of the element of ridicule in these subjects, if we want even grotesque, but the ridiculous has many faces, therefore it should be considered no less ridiculous than the Cardinal Sebastian Francis, Bishop of Penang Diocese in Malaysia you celebrate Holy Mass sitting at a table with other concelebrants and you raise the Body of Christ with your head covered by the red skullcap; all when even us, at the time we were altar boys, we knew that the bishop stands bareheaded before the exposed Blessed Sacrament and that during the liturgies, until the Eucharist was placed inside the tabernacle, he doesn't cover his head again (cf.. Ceremonial of the Bishops, NN. 153-166). It's here, be clear, it's not about being hyper-critical, because the photos that document everything are truly disturbing.

Cardinal Sebastian Francis, who will surely be a holy man, has 72 year old. If the happily reigning Pontiff does not reach his centenary, he will enter the conclave as an elector, where he will find himself faced with brother cardinals of specific tendencies, but above all from rich countries capable of supporting entire local Churches in poor countries, who will point out the bag of money with one finger, with another finger they will indicate the candidate to write on the ballot.

This happens when you fall into the non-conformism of the conformists, in contempt of the clericalism of the clericals, in the fascism of anti-fascists. But the beauty, if beautiful we want to call it, everything is still to come. And may God help us!

Florence, 1September 2024

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Dear Readers,
this magazine requires management costs that we have always faced only with your free offers. Those who wish to support our apostolic work can send us their contribution through the convenient and safe way PayPal by clicking below:

Or if you prefer you can use our
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Editions The island of Patmos

n Agency. 59 From Rome
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For international bank transfers:
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If you make a bank transfer, send an email to the editorial staff, the bank does not provide your email and we will not be able to send you a thank you message:
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HOLY THURSDAY 2024. A HOMILY OF GREETING FROM CARDINAL GIUSEPPE BETORI

Affirm that today, from the eagles and hawks that were we are moving on to chickens or, good going, to turkeys, it is not an ungenerous and irreverent statement but a fact: in recent years we have witnessed the episcopal appointments of embarrassing individuals, but what's worse is that they are all the same, or as they say molded, cloned for emulation. All this in the face of the plurality of voices within the Church!

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This article inspired me - which is not so, because it involves reporting the text of a homily pronounced by Cardinal Giuseppe Betori Metropolitan Archbishop of Florence - it was Father Ariel, who a few weeks ago dedicated a tribute to his Bishop in these columns of ours, S. AND. Mons. Andrea Turazzi; tribute done with a touch of class summarized in this sentence:

«A good priest is such if he waits for the end of his mandate to praise his Bishop […] Only now that he no longer has the power of pastoral governance over the Diocese and over me, I can publicly say how much I revered it, appreciated and loved my Bishop".

The Archbishop of Florence, despite having presented his resignation from the pastoral governance of our Diocese to the Supreme Pontiff, he is not yet emeritus, nor has his designated successor been made official yet. His mission among us, de facto, However, it is to be considered finished. As for his successor, it is almost certain that he has already been chosen and appointed, we just have to wait for the official announcement.

With Cardinal Giuseppe Betori - and now very few others who became bishops in their fifties under the pontificate of the Holy Pontiff John Paul II - an ecclesiastical and ecclesiastical season which also had its many problems is definitively closed, but in any case also populated by personalities of high pastoral level and cultural depth. Affirm that today, from the eagles and hawks that were we are moving on to chickens or, good going, to turkeys, it is not an ungenerous and irreverent statement but a fact: in recent years we have witnessed the episcopal appointments of embarrassing individuals, but what's worse is that they are all the same, or as they say molded, cloned for emulation. All this in the face of the plurality of voices within the Church!

Making the words my own addressed by a brother to his Bishop today I can say too:

«A good priest is such if he waits for the end of his mandate to praise his Bishop […] Only now that he no longer has the power of pastoral governance over the Diocese and over me, I can publicly say how much I revered it, appreciated and loved my Bishop".

Cardinal Giuseppe Betori has revealed itself to be a pearl now set in the diadem of the genealogy of the last Bishops donated to this Florentine Church of ours by Rome which was now, as the following homily demonstrates...

Florence, 28 March 2024

 

The Chrism Mass, which the Bishop concelebrates with the presbyters of the different areas of the diocese and during which he blesses the holy chrism and the other oils, it is considered one of the main manifestations of the fullness of the priesthood of the bishop and a sign of the close union of the presbyters with him". These are the words of the Roman Pontifical in the Premises to the rite of the Blessing of the Oils. With these words fifteen years ago I addressed you in my first presidency of the celebration of the Chrism Mass in the Florentine Church. I still refer to them today, in this celebration which can be presumed to be my last presidency of the Chrism Mass in this cathedral, to address you in particular to you Florentine priests, with whom I have shared the pastoral governance of the people of God that has been entrusted to me in recent years.

Mine are meant to be words of thanks, of reflection, of delivery for the future. However, I would like to avoid slipping into feelings, although important and not absent in my heart at this moment, to bring everything back to the light of the word of God. Gratitude, awareness, confident hope must in fact be measured by the faithfulness with which we have been able to correspond to the gift that Christ has given us, of how we feel obliged to delve into its forms in a way that is appropriate to the times, of how we hand ourselves over to it in the certainty that the presence of the Lord and his Spirit is among us, despite the uncertainties of the present, it will never fail.

In this horizon we welcome the revelation that comes to us today from the word of God regarding the mission of Christ, of the dignities and responsibilities that are given to his disciples, of the service of the word and of grace which is entrusted to us, his ministers, for the benefit of all. The image that summarizes this mystery is that of the anointing, with which the prophet expresses the consecration of the Messiah sent to bring the good news of salvation, to place themselves at the service of the poor and oppressed, to spread the consolation of mercy. We heard Jesus proclaim this same anointing as a sign of the mission for which the Spirit sends him as a liberator of humanity from all its fragility to enter the time of the Lord's grace. In the end, this anointing, now defined as regal and priestly, it is the sign of a redeemed people who live for the glory of the Father.

Announcement, priesthood and kingship from the person of Christ they pass to that of believers in him and our ministry as priests is placed at the service of this passage. Thank you therefore for your ministry at the service of the Word; May there always be within you the desire to know it ever more deeply and to be able to express it again with words that are able to meet the expressed and unexpressed questions of contemporary humanity, we look to the future with confidence, certain that in the inexhaustible richness of the word of God there is a sure orientation for the new challenges that loom over humanity in the days to come. Thank you for your ministry as pontiffs between humanity and its Creator, of generous transmitters of the grace that comes from above and of the voice of humanity and its expectations towards the Father of all; in a world that is built following the myth of self-sufficiency, feel that it is your particular commitment to reawaken in your people the need for invocation and the humility to welcome the gift of life, the new work of the sacraments; always nourish hope within you, so that no obstacle throws you into despair or even just into inertia, because nothing changes anyway, having within us the certainty that the Risen One has the power to make all things new. Thank you for how you animate your communities in your ministry, devote yourself to being, you take on the problems of the poorest in particular; We are indeed ministers of the Church, but our service is always for the coming of the Kingdom of God among us, in the signs of good that we help to blossom and in the contribution that as Christian communities we are able to offer for the affirmation of justice, of peace, of respect for the dignity of every man, of the common good; The place of the Church in society is rapidly changing and consequently that of the priest, therefore we are urged to abandon any nostalgia for centrality but also to reiterate that no one and no world can remain alien to the gift of ourselves in the Lord.

In the homily from fifteen years ago I was calling you to a communion that was not a massifying uniformity, but an interweaving of relationships in the diversity of experiences and in the modulation of the single truth. I asked you to avoid the tired repetition of a monotonous melody to seek a polyphonic harmony in which each voice seeks harmony with the others, for communication that expresses the intelligence of reality and the beauty of experience. I don't know how long we have managed to live like this in these years and I am also here to ask you for forgiveness for what I have not done or for what I may have done in the opposite direction.

The other reminder from fifteen years ago it was at the sacramental root of our ministry, so as not to allow ourselves to be reduced to social agents, although appreciated and well-liked, nor even to officials of a sacred place to resort to as a refuge from human anguish. Sacramentality means that what is decisive in us is the gift of grace, of which we have been and are recipients and of which we have the responsibility of being transmitters. I therefore reminded you and repeat to you that serving the sacramental dimension of the Church means first and foremost a commitment to showing how in the sacramental regime we can grasp the primacy of God in history and how it manifests itself to us and comes into contact with our life thanks to the mediation of Christ, who is the foundation and founder of the sacraments.

And this call to Christ makes me repeat even today that the extent of our being a priest is strictly dependent on our bond with him. Only by remaining united with him can both our identity and our service in the Church and in the world find truth and effectiveness. May this look to Christ never be lacking in our daily life, talk to him, let ourselves be guided and supported by him.

We have walked together over these years. It has been a great gift for me to be your bishop and to be able to count on your support. We don't know when, but in the future another bishop will guide you, to whom I will hand you over but to whom I also ask you to hand yourselves over with trust. The bishops pass, the Lord remains and he is our only true Shepherd, of which we are only signs, aware, as far as I'm concerned, of weakness and insufficiency. I ask the Lord for mercy and I ask you for human understanding. With affection.

 

Florence, 28 March 2024

Metropolitan Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

Holy Chrism Mass

 

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THE YELLOW SUBMARINE AND THE TRAGEDY. TO WHAT EXTENT ARE YOU REQUIRED TO SAVE HUMAN LIFE IN ALL WAYS?

It takes a lot of mercy, out of the question, because even snooty imbeciles deserve Christian and human mercy in any case, perhaps even more so than intelligent people, wise and prudent.

- Actuality -

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Man receives life on loan for use, he is not the arbitrary owner of it and cannot dispose of it as he sees fit, nor by taking life, as in the case of abortion, nor by taking his own life, as in the case of euthanasia, even if today it is difficult to talk about the salvific value of human suffering, theme to which the Holy Pontiff John Paul II dedicated his own encyclical: saving Passion. Human life crosses the same subjective reality of man who does not give himself life, but who receives it as a gift. So it can't be him who decides to self-suppress himself. It is true that life is in the hands of man, but at the same time it remains a gift that goes far beyond his hands. Because of this, that of life, it is a sacred gift that can be disposed of up to a certain point and within certain limits.

Here is an academic example extreme and terrible that can make the idea: a large group of SS. is about to cross a bridge, once it has been crossed, he will make a massacre of civilians in that country, just as it was at Sant'Anna di Stazzema. In fact, they suspect that partisans are hidden in that country, whose generality and identity they are ignorant of, for this they decided to solve the root problem by killing all the inhabitants, without sparing the elderly, women and children. The only access road to that town is a tens of meters high viaduct built between the wall of a mountain and that of the other mountain. Members of the resistance undermined it, ready to blow it up if necessary. While the soldiers of the S.S. they are about to cross it a completely unaware mother is crossing it with her child by the hand. Request: the bridge must be blown up or not?

To say that the lives of the innocent they can never and under no circumstances be sacrificed, it is a categorical affirmation based on illogical and surreal emotions, especially when the "no at all costs to the sacrifice of human beings" is pronounced in countries where babies are aborted every day, after having decided that in that case, however, we are not dealing with innocent victims, because abortion is a real right, indeed more: "A Great Social Achievement".

About thirty years ago it happened in the areas of my Tuscany that an eccentric young man with thehobby to keep very poisonous snakes in your home, while cleaning one of their cages he was bitten. In Italy, where the only poisonous snakes present in our area are vipers, no drug center had an antidote, which could only be found in Switzerland at a pharmaceutical company specialized in storing very rare drugs. In the hospital they only managed to slow down the effect of the poison that entered the circulation. In the meantime, an F104 plane was sent off from the Grosseto Air Force center which reached Switzerland in half an hour where a company employee gave the pilot the antidote without even getting off the powerful aircraft., then back to basics, all in just over an hour. This case was followed by controversy when it became known how much it cost to start an F104 and above all that at the time, the cost of that antidote, fu pari a 15 million of the old lire, obviously paid for by the state, equivalent to what they might be today in approximately current monetary value 25.000/30.000 Euro.

Some cynics asked the question if it was the case to spend all the money that was spent to save a person who in violation of the laws which already at the time forbade the purchase, conserve and breed certain reptiles, he had gone looking for trouble like that. But they were just cynics, with the aggravating circumstance of inhumanity, because life must always be saved at all costs, for example not by blowing up a bridge in the middle of which is a mother with a child. Then, the hundreds of people who shortly after will be slaughtered by the SS. just passed that pass, in any case they will die happy together with their children, for saving two lives.

Since few days television and the international press they're about a group of three multi-millionaires, plus a quarter who is the son of one of them, who wanted to take away the whim of going down to the depth of 3.800 meters to reach the steamer Titanic sunk off Terranova in 1912 after hitting a iceberg of ice. Tragedy in which they died 1.527 people on 2.232 passenger, solo 705 of which survived.

It's about the whims of the rich? No, the real rich, those who have been such for generations, those who know the delicacy and volatility of money and how difficult it is to keep and increase it; the truly wealthy who owe their wealth to their own particular entrepreneurial or financial genius, they don't do these braggart things, they are typical deeds of the rich. Why only capricious riches, sure you can afford anything, they could pay each 250.000 U.S.. $ to descend to the depth of almost 4 kilometers where the wreck of the Titanic is located, which is a shrine, a cemetery, which as such should be respected. Those depths cannot be the destination of stunts pushed to the extreme aboard a mini-submarine similar to a supposed underwater one in which the patrons could not even stand up, not even kneel, therefore unable to move, but only sitting in the space of 5 meters long for 1.60 of height [cf.. WHO]. A terrible death in the darkest depths of the sea, occurred due to suffocation in a narrow space where it is good not even to think what could have happened in the moments of panic that occurred in a claustrophobic space while oxygen was missing and the four multimillionaires, with the driver of the vehicle, they died of suffocation. It details it a The Print Paul Narcisi, resuscitation specialist, not failing to add:

“This tragedy, while respecting the people involved, forced a mobilization in the relief efforts that did not even take place for i 600 shipwrecked from a few days ago".

As for the guy bitten by the pet snake, also in this case air and sea means were used, sophisticated technological tools, personal, specialists and so on. Fair Enough, to save human life one must try everything. Without forgetting, however, that the four, before boarding, after paying 250.000 $ each signed a contract with a precise release for the company that organized their eccentric stunt, in which it is specified that the undertaking could also have involved the possibility of dying, all specified three times in the text signed and signed by the four rich men.

Say they went looking for it, it is neither lack of pity nor respect towards these dead in a very tragic way. It is a reality, not of lack of mercy: it was they themselves who signed up and declared that they were aware that they could also have met their death, which is to say, black on white, than if that happened, it was because they themselves had gone looking for it, after having been notified to this effect and having also signed it in a contract.

It takes a lot of mercy, out of the question, because even snooty imbeciles deserve Christian and human mercy in any case, perhaps even more so than intelligent people, wise and prudent.

Florence, 22 June 2023

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THE THE BODY OF THE LORD. A FESTIVAL TO BE REDISCOVERED IN A TIME WHEN EUCHARISTIC CULT SEEMS "OUT OF FASHION" IN THE STREETS DESERTED BY SHEPHERDS AND OCCUPIED BY "SACRED PROCESSIONS" OF THE "POLITICALLY CORRECT"

We are sorry to note - as evidenced by numerous messages from priests who arrived on our Island of Patmos in the past days - that in many of our cities by now the procession of The body of the Lord it has become a memory. Even the Diocese of Rome did not have its procession this year: on the other hand, on the eve of The body of the Lord however, it was used to carry out the meeting conference on human fraternity entitled Not Alone, which also included the presence of the Holy Father, did not materialize due to the last surgery.

— Liturgical ministry —

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In recent times we really saw more or less everything. Holy Masses celebrated on inflatable mattresses [cf.. WHO, WHO, WHO], on motorcycles or anything else used for altars; with sacred ministers in bathing suits or with clothes that to judge inappropriate for the Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice would be a mere understatement. Holy Thursday reposition altars that, from places that should express love and prayer towards the most precious treasure left to us by Our Lord Jesus Christ, which have become a place of outlet for the most extravagant priestly paturnies [cf.. WHO].

It then comes as dew on the fleece in the desert the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, commonly said The body of the Lord, which the Church celebrates on the first Thursday after the feast of the Most Holy Trinity, or the following Sunday. Was written:

“How the Most Holy Eucharist represents the center and summit of all our religious life, as well as the fulcrum of the liturgy, the highest moment of Christian life and the holiest of sacraments, so the holiday of The body of the Lord, apart from Easter and Christmas, it is the most radiant of the liturgical year, because it marks the triumph of the Eucharistic King, and its institution is the most eloquent expression of the religious and ecclesial life of the Middle Ages" (Bernhard Ridder, Ecclesiastical history textbook, Pauline, p. 368).

The origin of this holiday it is traced back historically in the year 1247 in the diocese of Liège, where the bishop introduced this celebration in reaction to the theses of Berengar of Tours (998-1088), according to which the presence of Christ in the Eucharist was not real but only symbolic. The Bishop was inspired by the mystic Saint Juliana of Cornillon (1192-1258), Augustinian nun of Mount Cornillon Convent, who had a vision of the Church as a young man, appeared to her under the guise of a full moon, marked by a dark spot, to indicate the absence of a holiday. Later she had the vision of Christ himself who entrusted her with the task of working to ensure that the feast of the Blessed Sacrament was established, to revive the faith of Christians in the real presence in the Eucharist and to expiate the sins committed against the Eucharistic Sacrament. Become in 1222 prioress of her convent sought advice from the leading theologians of her time (tra cui Jacques Pantaleon, future Pope Urban IV) to request the establishment of the party. This brought the bishop of Liège, Robert of Thourotte (+1246) to call in 1246 a local synod ― because at the time the synods dealt with serious things ... ― which established that from the following year the feast of the The body of the Lord in the diocese of Liège. Incidentally: at the time the bishops had the right to establish liturgical feasts within their own diocese.

In 1264 Pope Urban IV who had already contributed and supported the party of The body of the Lord in Liège, also following the recognition of the Eucharistic Miracle of Orvieto-Bolsena del 1263, with the bubble Pass out of this world, established the solemnity of The body of the Lord for the whole universal Church, raising it to a feast of obligation and fixing its celebration for the Thursday after the Octave of Pentecost. On the Eucharistic miracle of Bolsena-Orvieto, however, we leave the floor to our confrere from Orvieto Marco Nunzi, who is an expert connoisseur [cf.. WHO]. I am interested in underlining some liturgical particularities of this feast:

Eucharistic liturgy. The texts of the readings of the three Masses corresponding to the festive liturgical cycles A, B e C, first of all they present the symbolic figures of the Old Testament concerning the Eucharist such as the manna given as food to Israel in the wilderness, the burnt offerings e i sacrifices of fellowship with the Lord, the blood of the covenant, the bread and wine offered by Melchizedek to Abraham. In the second reading of the same three Masses, the Apostle Paul states that communion with the Body of Christ is an eloquent sign of unity, of intimate friendship and "incorporation" in Christ, as well as faith and complete self-giving to him. The text of the Letter to the Hebrews (B) presents Jesus offering himself to purify our conscience from the works of death in order to serve the living God. In the Gospel passages it comes part of Discourse on the Bread of Life held by Jesus in Capernaum (cf.. GV 6), the last supper of Jesus and the institution of the Eucharist (cf.. MC 14, 12-6. 22-26) and the multiplication of the loaves (cf.. LC 9, 11-17). In particular, the stupendous sequence should be underlined Lauda Sion who sings of Christ the true Bread of Life who “feeds us, it defends us and leads us to eternal goods in the land of the living".

Liturgy of the hours. Beyond the hymns of Put lingua, the Sacred festivals he was born in The word coming from above, unsurpassed in content and musical melody, the psalms of the Office of Readings, of Lauds and Vespers summarize all the sentiments that a believing and loving soul can express to the Lord, who in the Eucharist gives us the eloquent sign of his infinite love for us. The two readings present the Eucharist as the center of the whole history of salvation, which has its preparation in the Old Testament and its full implementation in the New Testament. San Tommaso Aquino, in the second reading, don't hesitate to say

"the Only Begotten Son of God, wanting to make us partakers of his divinity […] became man to lift us to the heights of God […] in fact, he offered his body to God the Father as a victim on the altar of the cross for our reconciliation. He shed his blood making it count as a price and as a lavage because, redeemed from humiliating slavery, we were cleansed of all sins. Because, at last, remain in us a constant reminder of so great a benefit, he left his Body as food and his Blood as drink to his faithful, under the species of bread and wine. Oh, wonderful banquet! What can be more valuable? No sacrament is healthier than this. The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's passion, it is the greatest of all the wonders he wrought, it is the admirable document of his immense love for men» (Opusc. 57, on the Feast of the Body of the Lord, lect. 1-4).

Eucharistic Procession. As we have already said, In order to encourage devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, Pope Urban IV extended the feast of The body of the Lord to the whole Church. While making no mention in the Bull of a Eucharistic procession, he immediately got into the habit of showing the faithful the Eucharistic Species during a solemn procession with the Blessed Sacrament, which evidently has always stood out for its special importance and significance in the pastoral life of Christian communities. It therefore agrees that, where current circumstances allow it and where the procession can truly be a sign of faith and adoration, it is preserved. In this case it is good that the procession with the Blessed Sacrament takes place immediately after Mass, in which the Host is consecrated and then carried in procession. The songs and prayers that are made along the way, lead everyone to manifest their faith in Christ, solely intent on the light of the Lord (cf.. Rite of Communion outside Mass and Eucharistic Worship, NN. 102 – 104).

Sorry to see - as attested by numerous messages from priests who arrived on our Island of Patmos in the past days - that in many of our cities by now the procession of The body of the Lord it has become a memory. Even the Diocese of Rome did not have its procession this year: on the other hand, on the eve of The body of the Lord however, it was used to carry out the meeting conference on human fraternity entitled Not Alone, which also included the presence of the Holy Father, did not materialize due to the last surgery.

That of Rome is just one example of an elegant episcopal "apology". ― with lots of shrugs to those who instead point out the importance of such a gesture ― to leave our streets and squares to others, most of the time transformed into large open-air trattorias, in this sense it would be enough to take a tour of Piazza del Duomo in Florence to realize it …

Perhaps on this trend of throwing away all our traditions to be "politically correct" it would be better to make a serene but urgent reflection, even if the discomfort and suffering that the priests and consequently the faithful are experiencing in an ever greater form, it would seem to matter little or nothing.

Florence, 11 June 2023

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