Popes

A:

Pope Gregory VII wanted total mastery, both spiritual and secular, over Europe. In his view, he was the actual personification of the apostle Peter. He was also the first pope in several centuries to attempt to rigorously enforce the Church's ancient policy of celibacy for the Catholic clergy, yet there is strong evidence that as pope, he had a mistress, the Countess Matilda. He attempted to organise a crusade into Spain and a military expedition to the Holy Land.

Gregory VII claimed supremacy over the secular authorities, with supreme legislative and judicial power, and the right to depose all princes and to have all Christians as his subjects. He also claimed what was then another innovation - the sole right to appoint bishops, with a council held in the Lateran in 1075 decreeing that the pope alone could appoint or depose churchmen or move them from see to see.

In 1074, Gregory wrote to Emperor Henry IV reproaching him for his conduct and telling him that like everybody else, he was bound to obey papal decrees. If Henry did not, he would have to suffer the consequences. Henry, furious at such insolence, summoned at Worms a synod of German bishops, who were themselves smarting under Gregory's dictates. The synod denounced Gregory as a usurper of the papacy and accused him of perjury, immorality of various kinds, and abuses of papal authority in the dioceses of Germany. It pronounced Gregory deposed, a sentence confirmed by bishops of Lombardy.

A few weeks later, Gregory held a synod in Rome, that excommunicated Henry and all the bishops who had sided with him, released Henry's vassals from their oath of fealty, and declared him deposed. Henry, placed on the defensive and with his throne endangered, had to agree to allow Gregory to come to Augsburg in Germany to settle the affair. Gregory accepted the invitation, set out but had difficulty getting through Lombardy because of the strong sentiment against him. Finding his passage to Germany blocked by the Lombards, Gregory accepted Henry's plea for forgiveness at Canossa, and Henry was able to return and present to his subjects his absolution as the definitive settlement of the affair.

Now feeling secure in Germany, Henry marched into Italy with his troops in 1081 and laid siege to Rome. In desperation Gregory appealed to the Normans. Henry's forces withdrew, without giving battle. The Normans had freed the city from the emperor but then looted and burnt at least a third of it. The result was one the worst sacks in the history of Rome, for which the Romans held Gregory responsible. He managed to get out of the city unscathed, though cursed, and made his way to Salerno where the Normans ensured his safety.

Gregory died in exile, defeated and powerless. He had achieved none of his main objectives, but brought about his own ruin. John W. O'Malley S.J. (A History of the Popes) says that no pope ever died hated by more people than Gregory VII.

15 days after the previous Pope has died, or in this case resigned, the Camerlingo assembles the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City. There are usually 4 "favourites" known as the prefereti. And although any male from the Catholic Church can be elected it is usually reserved for Cardinals.

All potentials MUST be under 80. The offcial voting is done in a process called conclave liturally meaning "with key". The Cardinals (also non-voting cardinals and assistants to the cardinals may be inside conclave they are sworn to absolute secrecy) vote by secret ballot. Should the electoral process take more than a day, the cardinals have lodging at St. Martha's house. They are "sequestered" like a jury however, and have no contact with the outside world.

All ballots are burned and if the vote has elected a new pope, this burning causes white smoke to float above the Vatican, signifying the world has a new pope. If the vote is unsuccessful, water or a chemical is added to the burning ballots to cause gray smoke to appear. This signifies a vote without an election.

How a Papal Conclave works:

• A pope dies and is buried (or in the case of Benedict, resigns)

• The cardinals come to Rome for the conclave that will elect the new pope. The word conclave (Latin, cum • clavis, literally, "locked with the key") designates:

• The place in a locked section of the Vatican where the cardinals under the age of eighty elect a new pope.

• The actual gathering of the cardinals.

• The conclave begins 15 to 20 days after the pope's death.

• The cardinals pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit during a Mass

• The cardinals, sealed in the Sistine Chapel, vote every morning and afternoon.

• A two-thirds majority plus one is required for election for the first 30 ballots. After that, a simple majority is required.

• After each vote, they burn the ballots and add special chemicals to make the smoke white or black.

• Black smoke means no new pope yet.

• White smoke announces the election of a new pope.

• The cardinals may elect any fully initiated Catholic male over the age of 18.

• They ask the one elected if he accepts. If he is already a bishop, then the moment he accepts, he is pope. If he is not yet a bishop (ie, if he is only a priest, deacon, or layman) he will be ordained bishop and at that moment be pope.

• The pope chooses his "Papal" name.

• Then the new pope is announced to the world.
Popes are elected by the College of Cardinals meeting in Conclave when the place of Pope is vacant. Type of election for Pope is balloting system.
The Pope is elected by members of the College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.
By a vote of the Cardinals in Conclave.

For the vast majority of people who are not Catholic, the pope speaks only for himself. Protestant denominations hold the belief that God speaks through the Bible, and that any Christian who is properly disposed (e.g. by prayer) will be able to discern God's will by reading its contents. There is no need for a pope or religious leader to "speak for God".

Catholics also believe that the Bible is the word of God, and that it contains wisdom that may be discerned through prayerful reading. However, Catholicism also holds that it is Christ's will that the Church be led by a person who represents Him (i.e. Christ) on Earth, and that this person (the pope) is guided by the Holy Spirit in a special way.

When the pope speaks, it may be about several things, each with a different level of importance:

1. He may given an opinion on a particular situation in the world e.g. the Middle East or in the Catholic Church e.g. whether or not nuns should wear a religious habit. In such cases, this is his own opinion and it is not considered to be Church teaching. People are free to disagree, and Catholics do not believe the pope speaks for God.

2. The pope may speak on a matter of Church discipline such as whether or nor priests in the Latin branch of the Catholic Church must be celibate; in this case, he is re-emphasising an existing position of the Church. Catholics should listen, but are free to disagree whil still being Catholics in good stead as celibacy is a matter of discipline and not a divine law (dogma) or doctrine. Again, the pope is not considered to be speaking for God, though he may be speaking about something the Church considers to be important.

3. The pope may speak on a matter of dogma or doctrine (official teaching) of the Church e.g. the presence of Christ in the Euharist or the Incarnation' in these cases he is explaining, or developing what the Church already believes and teaches. In this sense, Catholics believe he is speaking for God - but no pope can change doctrine.

4. The pope may also speak 'ex cathedra' (i.e. "from the chair") on matters of faith or morals. When this happens, the pope is speaking in the name of the whole Church, and not on his own. In such instances, Catholicism teaches that what he says is to be believed as being revealed by God. This has happened only twice in the 2000 years of the Church's history and in both instances concerned faith not morals: the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary, Mother of Christ.

There are some Protestants and non-Christians who see the pope as being a prophet in the sense that he may defend traditional moral values such as the family and the sacredness of human life; in this meaning of prophet, the pope would be "speaking" for God. (See related links)

There is no pope in the English Church even though it is a Catholic Communion! There is no sight of him in the Revelation of Christ, or in Scripture or Holy Tradition!

When Augustine head of the Roman Mission met the British Bishops they are alleged to have replied to him,

"be it known and declared that we all, individually and collectively, are in all humility prepared to defer to the Church of God and to the Bishop of Rome and every sincere and Godly Christian so far as to love everyone according to his degree, in perfect charity and to assist them all by word and deed in becoming the Children of God. But as for any other other obedience we know of none that he, whom you term the Pope or Bishop of Bishops can demand. The deference we have mentioned we are ready to pay to him as to every other Christian, but in all other respects our obedience is due to the Jurisdiction of the Bishop of Caerleon , who alone under God, is our ruler to keep us right in the way of salvation".

[Spelman, Concilia,pp108/109.]

The above answer contains enough terms that someone who could legitimately ask a question like "who is the pope of England" would not understand that the following may be more useful:

The Church of England does not have a "Pope". The head of the church is officially the Archbishop of Canterbury, which office is currently (Sep 2010) filled by Rowan Williams.

Answer 1: Pope Benedict XVI is the current pope (2011) and was born Joseph Alois Ratzinger.

Answer 2: Benedict XVI is no longer the Pope. The above answer was made when he was still Pope.

The current Pope is Francis (the first), born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17 December 1936. He is is the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church, elected on 13 March 2013 after Pope Benedit XVI announced his resignation on 11 February 2013, which resignation took effect on 28 February 2013. Though of Italian descent, Frances was born in Buenos Aires (in Argentina). He was ordained to the priesthood in 1969, and served as Argentina's Provincial superior of the Society of Jesus from 1973 to 1979; so he was already, then, on a fast track to high rank in the Roman Catholic hierarchy in Argentina. He became the country's Arch Bishop in 1998; then its Cardinal in 2001. He is the first Latin-American Pope.

Benedict XVI was the first Pope to resign since Pope Gregory XII in 1415, and the first to do so on his own initiative since Pope Celestine V in 1294. He now holds the title "Pope Emeritus," and lives in retirement in the newly renovated Mater Ecclesiae monastery at the Vatican.