Mater Dolorosa

Procession with the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows

We honor today the Sorrowful Mother as she stands by the cross waiting for her Son to die, His body to be placed on her lap soon afterwards. An image that has been painted, sculpted and drawn by many artists. Many countries honor the Sorrowful Mother (Mater Dolorosa) on this Friday before Holy Week, as seen in this procession held in Malta in the city of Valletta. thousands of people accompany the procession, also attending Mass and going to confession on a day of atonement and repentance.

"Stood the mournful Mother weeping"

O Blessed Mother, who had to see your Son grow into a handsome young man, and then let Him go, we ask your protection on our children and young people. May they feel protected from the world's dangers, and feel safe in your care. As you saw your Son tortured and killed, we pray for those mothers who had to see their children killed in wars, sudden accidents, through suicides and other terrible disasters. May these mothers find compassion in you, O Blessed Mother, and we ask that you give them the comfort they so much desire. This week we stand by you, and suffer with you, as we witness once again the passion, death and eventual resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ.

Light in the darkness

The approach of Holy Week sets everything into a dim light, as the anticipation of Easter approaches. But there is no light without first roaming through the darkness. There is no Alleluia before first hearing the strains of 'Crucify Him.' There is no joy without first experiencing some pain. There is no celebration without first suffering through the passion and death of Christ.

Prayer before the Crucified

All you who are crying, come to Him, because He is crying too.
All you who are suffering, come to Him, because he can heal you.
All you who are afraid, come to Him, because He always has a smile waiting for you.
All you who are hungry, come to Him, because He’ll feed you the Living Bread.
All you who are in darkness, come to Him, because He will guide you with His Light.
All you who are lost, search for His guiding hand, and you will never get lost from now on.
All you who feel persecuted, come to Him because He had his share of persecution too.
All you who are lonely, come close to Him, because He too was very lonely on the Cross.
All you who feel being punished unfairly, just look at Him. He died for you, unfairly.
All you who are dying, come to Him, and you will live forever.

Pope Francis installed

Pope Francis during his inauguration Mass

Pope Francis officially inaugurated his papacy by a Solemn Mass in the sun-drenched yet chilly square of St Peter's, surrounded by close to a million people. During the Mass he received the pallium and the ring of the fisherman, symbolic of his supremacy as Supreme Pontiff. Yet, what distinguished him during this celebration is his simplicity and keeping away from the pomp and ceremonials that are connected with such a high position. He still wore his black shoes, rode on a jeep instead of the bullet-proof Popemobile, and mingled with the people, kissing babies and blessing even the handicapped attending the Mass.

The Vatican unveiled the new coat-of-arms of Pope Francis, which are basically the same that he used as Archbishop of Buenos Aires. The shield has a bright blue background, at the center top of which is a yellow radiant sun with the IHS christogram on it representing Jesus (it is also the Jesuit logo). The IHS monogram, as well as a cross that pierces the H, are in red with three black nails directly under them. Under that, to the left, is a star representing Mary, Mother of Christ and the Church. To the right of the star is a nard flower representing Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church. With these symbols the Pope demonstrates his love for the Holy Family.  What distinguishes his coat of arms as pontiff is that, instead of the wide-brimmed, red cardinal's hat atop the shield, it is now crowned by the papal tiara and crossed keys.
His motto—“Miserando Atque Eligendo” (because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him)—is taken from the Venerable Bede's homily on the Gospel account of the call of Matthew. It holds special meaning for the Pope because—when he was only 17-years-old, after going to confession on the Feast of St. Matthew in 1953—he perceived God's mercy in his life and felt the call to the priesthood, following the example of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

The Pope's sweetheart

Amalia Damonte - the Pope's girlfriend from 1948

“I froze in front of the television. I couldn’t believe that Jorge was the Pope!” confessed the 77-year-old lady with white hair and spectacles outside her home at 555 Membranilla Street in the Flores district of Buenos Aires last night. She had one more little admission – about a man who is now pontiff and a love letter from long, long ago. It was 1948 or 1949 – Amalia Damonte can’t be entirely sure – when the young son of Italian immigrants slipped a letter in her hand declaring his undying love for her. She does know that he was 12 years old at the time and that she spurned his advances in part because her parents didn’t think that much of him. “He wrote me a letter telling me that one day he would like to marry me, even drawing a picture of what our dream house would look like with a red roof” she said standing outside the same house that she grew up in, just four doors from down what used to be the childhood home of Jorge Bergoglio at number 531, where he lived with his mother and railway-worker father.“He said that if I didn’t say yes, he would have to become a priest. Luckily for him, I said no!”

Jorge Bergoglio, aged 12

That she left the young man with his romantic yearnings unrequited is not something she has forgotten and although it was more than 60 years ago, she may still harbor a smidgen of regret. “He had a crush on me, you know. We used to play on the streets here. It was a quiet neighborhood then, and, well, he was very nice.” Amalia eventually moved away from Membranilla Street but returned when her parents died. She did marry in the end and admitted that she wished the boy from down the road had been there, albeit in his official capacity as a priest. Their lives have since diverged in a way neither could have imagined, but today they were reunited in the media. While Amalia told her story to a handful of reporters in Buenos Aires, her “Jorge” was starting the first day of his new life as leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, with a sizeable number of the world’s news reporters on his tail. Perhaps Amalia’s parents were wrong about the boy from down the road all those years ago.

Pope Francis' photo album

From the Calgary Sun, Canada

A Latino newspaper declaring "The Pope is ours!"

I will share a few more posts on Pope Francis until Tuesday, when he is officially crowned as Supreme Pontiff. Then I will focus on Holy Week. The media of course has been riveted by the news of an Argentinian Jesuit Pope, and these are just a few front pages of newspapers reporting this historic election, besides a few other photos from Jorge Bergoglio's photo album.

Fr Jorge Bergoglio as a young priest, preaching

Cardinal Bergoglio with Pope John Paul II in 2001

Silence and Simplicity

As Cardinal Bergoglio, kissing the feet of babies

The two qualities that came out of Pope Francis’ first appearance were silence and simplicity. He asked the thousands of people gathered at St Peter’s square to silently bow their heads in prayer and then bless him, before he returned the favor. One could hear a pin drop in those 20 seconds of silence. Obviously his humility and simplicity were all over his personality. His Papacy will definitely be different, as he will certainly be known as the Pope if the poor and the underprivileged.
Pope Francis has the trait of all his previous predecessors. He has the seriousness and decisiveness of Pius XII, the affability and down-earthedness of John XXIII, the ecumenical perspective of Paul VI, the pastoral humility of John Paul I, the charm and attractiveness of John Paul II and the theological knowledge of Benedict XVI. Many details about his early life are coming out. He reportedly had a girlfriend, Amalia whom he asked to marry when he was 12. His only surviving sibling is a sister, Maria Elena. 

Family photo: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, second from left in back row, poses for a picture with his family in an unknown location. Top row from left to right, his brother Alberto Horacio, Bergoglio, his brother Oscar Adrian and his sister Marta Regina. Bottom row from left to right, his sister Maria Elena, his mother Regina Maria Sivori and his father Mario Jose Bergoglio.

He loves to dance the Tango and is a fan of Buenos Aires’ San Lorenzo de Almagro soccer team. He’s near to the people; he’d always take the subway to go to these poor neighborhoods of Buenos Aires. This is a humble man and a joyful man who prays a lot. He prays two hours in the morning since he became a Cardinal in 2001. 

With a limo waiting for him, Pope Francis prefers the bus with the other Cardinals

Pope Francis caught the last bus of Cardinals returning to the Santa Marta guesthouse in the Vatican following the conclave Wednesday, and ignored the special limousine waiting for him.. At the toast made to him that night at dinner, he responded: “may God forgive you for what you’ve done.”
The day he was departing for the conclave, a couple of friends brought him a pair of shoes. He’s always very humbly dressed…and the shoes he was wearing were not in very good shape. So even in those little things you see the humility, the austerity of this pastor. In Buenos Aires he’s very much devoted to the work of justice and peace. He founded a Vicariate called ‘Priests for the Favellas’ (a very poor and disadvantaged slum area). So in our diocese he has a little structure of priests working just in the favellas. He himself would go there; he would cook for them on Christmas day – even as Cardinal.

Bergoglio First Holy Communion - Jorge on left and Oscar on right

Pope Francis' first messages

Pope Francis during his first, unscripted, improvised homily

Newly-elected Pope Francis spoke in a homily to the cardinals who elected him, and the next day he spoke to them again informally, and these are a few phrases that he shared, without any comments:
Walking: our life is a journey and when we stop, there is something wrong. We have to walk always, in the presence of the Lord, in the light of the Lord,.....Let us continue to build the Church, with living stones, anointed by the Holy Spirit, the cornerstone of which is the same Lord......We can walk as much we want, we can build many things, but if we do not confess Jesus Christ, nothing will avail. When one does not walk, one stalls. When one does not built on solid rocks, what happens? It’s what happens to children on the beach when they make sand castles: everything collapses, it is without consistency. Whoever does not pray to God, prays to the devil. When one does not profess Jesus Christ, one professes the worldliness of the devil. But remember that in walking, in building, in professing, there are sometimes shake-ups, some bumps - there are movements that are not part of the path: there are movements that pull us back. 

Pope Francis giving his blessing at the end of his first Mass

When we walk without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, and when we profess Christ without the Cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly, we are bishops, priests, cardinals, Popes, but not disciples of the Lord.
Let us never give in to the pessimism, to that bitterness, that the devil places before us every day. Let us not give into pessimism and discouragement. We are in old age. Old age is the seat of wisdom, and like good wine that becomes better with age, let us pass on to young people the wisdom of life.

Pope Francis’ initial actions suggest he will bring a new style to the papacy, favoring humility and simplicity over pomp and grandeur.

Pope Francis

Pope Francis on his first appearance in front of his people.

Taking the name Pope Francis, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, putting the world's 1.2 billion Catholics under the direction of a pope from the New World for the first time in Christianity's 2,000 year history. A mild-mannered man who cooks his own meals and until now traveled by bus to his job as the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis is the first Jesuit to hold the Catholic church's highest office. His election is likely to shift the role of the papacy from theological teacher to pastor of the flock. It also reflects the shifting demographics of Roman Catholicism: Latin America is now home to more than one-third of the world's Catholics, with 483 million Catholics from Mexico all the way down to Tierra del Fuego in Chile. Argentina has 36 million Catholics. Mexico has 100 million and Brazil 150 million Catholics.

As a young Jesuit with some members of his family

Pope Francis immediately embraced his mission as shepherd in Rome and the world, leading more than 100,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square in the Lord's Prayer and then asking for them to pray for him with a moment of silence. He asked the people to bless him before he could bless them in his first blessing. His election also breaks new ground for the Society of Jesus, a religious order renowned for its skepticism of authority and hierarchy. St Ignatius of Loyola, the order's founder, didn't want Jesuits to be bishops because he didn't want prestige and power associated with it, but he wanted them to work as priests. What is unclear is whether the new pope, who has no experience with the central administration of the Vatican, will be adept in tackling some of the problems that face the so-called Curia.

In many ways, Cardinal Bergoglio is an ideal figure to transition from a centuries-old line of European popes. His father was an Italian immigrant, giving him roots in a country that is, along with Spain, considered a mother country of Argentina. Argentines rejoiced at the appointment, evoking the new pope's missionary actions in the working-class districts of Buenos Aires. He is a man of enormous modesty. In fact the day after his election, he returned to the Church-run residence where he was staying before becoming pontiff, the Domus Internationalis Paulus VI, and insisted on paying the bill, out of his own money.

As a Cardinal of Buenos Aires, Argentina (1998-2013)

Born in Buenos Aires on December 17, 1936, Jorge Bergoglio was ordained a Jesuit priest on December 13, 1969, and was consecrated as bishop on June 27, 1992. He was elevated to a Cardinal and Archbishop of Buenos Aires on February 21, 2001. His rise came as Catholicism has grown in Latin America. A century ago, 65% of the world's Catholics lived in Europe. But by 2010, only 24% did, and in the meantime, Latin America's share has risen to 39%—more than Europe and U.S. combined.

The choice of the name of Francis reflects his humble life. Having become archbishop of Buenos Aires 1998, he left empty the sumptuous episcopal residence next to the cathedral. He went to live in an apartment a short distance away, together with another elderly bishop. In the evening he was the one who saw to the cooking. He rarely rode in cars, getting around by bus in the cassock of an ordinary priest. But he is also a man who knows how to govern. During the terrible 1970's, when the Argentinian dictatorship was raging and some of his confrères were ready to embrace the rifle and apply the lessons of Marx, he energetically opposed the tendency as provincial of the Society of Jesus in Argentina. While he has served his entire priestly ministry in Argentina, the new Pope is well acquainted with the Vatican. At the time of his election to the papacy he was a member of the Congregations for Divine Worship, the Clergy, and Religious; the Pontifical Council for the Family, and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. He served as relator general for the Synod of Bishops in October 2001. 

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio

Jesuits are not known for their regalia and showmanship in liturgy and other ceremonial functions. I don’t expect him to fancy many elaborate outfits and staying above the people, but rather he would mingle with the people as a humble pastor. Maybe even the Popemobile may end up in a Vatican museum. We saw that image of him already as he appeared at the balcony dressed only in the white cassock. He wore the same pectoral cross he used as a Cardinal, and even asked the people to bless him, bowing down and silencing the huge crowd to a whisper, where one could hear a pin drop in the Vatican square.

The Mass of consecration will be held on Tuesday, March 19, the feast of St Joseph, most probably in the Vatican square, and hopefully on a dry day.

Habemus Papam!

Pope Francis I

At 7:09PM Rome time, the white smoke came out of the chimney above the Sistine Chapel, signifying that a Pope has been elected. It was after the fifth vote that the decision has been reached, on the second day of voting. Thousands of rain-drenched people gathered in the St Peter's Square to welcome the new Pope. Cardinal Tauran of France appeared in the balcony and announced the much-awaited  words...

"Annuntio Vobis Gaudium Magnum - Habemus Papam.....Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Cardinalem

Jorge Bergoglio, cui nomen imposuit, Franciscum I

Pope Francis I - Jorge Bergoglio from Argentina

Born December 17, 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Entered the Society of Jesus: March 11, 1958
Ordained priest: December 13, 1969
Consecrated Bishop: June 27, 1992
Elevated to Cardinal: February 21, 2001
Elected Pope: March 13, 2013
He was a son of Italian immigrants, one of 5 children. He is known to be very humble, rides the bus, cooks his own meals, and even asked to people to bless him just after he was elected.

Vatican history through stamps

Blessed Pope John XXIII

As the world continues to wait for the white smoke, signifying a new Pope, I share with you today some beautiful and historic stamps from the Vatican past. Each stamp tells a story, as a great history can be written just by admiring these stamps.

Pope Clement VI

1994 Pope John Paul's visit to Spain

1967 - anniversary of Sts Peter and Paul's martyrdom

Conclave starts

Cardinals process inside the Sistine chapel

This is a historic day in the life of the Catholic Church. We pray that the Cardinals discern well with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to choose the right person for the Papacy, to lead us into the next decade and more.The first vote was inconclusive as the black smoke came out of the chimney, the target of everyone's attention over the next few days. Four more votes will taken tomorrow.

The black smoke coming out of the chimney

Conclave notes - part 4

Images of past Popes at St Paul's basilica, Rome.

Choosing a papal name is not a required Catholic practice, but over the centuries, it has become a tradition. The first pope to change his name was John II in 533. His birth name was Mercurius or Mercury, the name of a pagan god. Once an exception, the practice became tradition in 996, when Bruno, the first German pope, became Gregory V. The last pope to keep his birth name was Marcellus II in 1555.
Among the names that the new Pontiff may choose are these, with the respective Roman numeral or number after each name. He may be one of these, besides others who were chosen in the early centuries: 
John Paul III, Benedict XVII, Paul VII, John XXIV, Pius XIII, Gregory XVII, Innocent XIV, Julius IV, Leo XIV, Clement XV, Alexander IX, Sixtus VI, Urban IX, Marcellus III, Adrian VII, Callixtus IV, Nicholas VI, Eugene V, Martin VI, Boniface X, Celestine VI, Honorius V, Lucius IV, Anastasius V, Gelasius III, Paschal III, Victor IV, Stephen X, Damasus III, Sylvester IV, Sergius V, Agapetus III, Marinus III, Felix V, Theodore III, Romanus II, Formosus II, Valentine II, Zachary II, Constantine II, Sisinnius II, Severinus II, Agatho II, Adeodatus II and Vitalian II.

Cardinal Prospero Grech, OSA

After the Cardinals enter the Sistine chapel, they will hear a sermon of exhortation from an illustrious preacher, and tomorrow the preacher chosen is the Maltese Cardinal Prospero Grech. He hails from Vittoriosa, and was born on December 24, 1925. He joined the Augustinian Order in 1943 and three years later was sent to Rome to further his theological studies. He was ordained priest on March 25, 1950. Cardinal Grech has been working with Pope Benedict XVI for 20 years. Their working relationship started when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It continued to develop when Grech was nominated member of the Pontifical Theological Academy. Cardinal Grech’s election to the College of Cardinals on February 18, 2012, is first and foremost, a personal honor. It signified the great esteem in which he is held by the Holy See. His nomination as a Cardinal was in recognition of the bountiful contribution that the Church in Malta has made and continues to make to the universal Church. And his being chosen to preach at such a momentous moment is a further affirmation of this.

Conclave notes - part 3

The Pope's cassocks on display at the Gammarelli Store

The first image of the newly-elected Pope is a memorable scene that will be recorded and re-played throughout history, especially in this day and age of social media. The pope will appear at the central balcony dressed in a white cassock with the red mozzetta (half-cape,) a pectoral cross and a decorative red stole, as well as the white zucchetto (skull-cap.) The Pope would have had less than an hour to fit into all this vesture, and a tailor would be on hand to see that everything fits well, ready for any quick adjustment. Three cassocks of different sizes will be at hand, crafted by the famous religious vestment company Gammarrelli. 

Lorenzo Gammarelli holding a Cardinal's zucchetto

Along with the Barbiconi company, they specialize in Cardinals and Bishops vestments, miters, etc. 5 shoes sizes in red velvet are also at hand, one of which will hopefully fit the feet of the new Pontiff. The vesting room where the Pope gets vested is called the “Room of  Tears” as a very emotional scene occurs in there, just before the Pope is announced to the world.

Sede Vacante

Commemorative coin for the Sede Vacante - MMXIII=2013

From March 1st until a Pope is elected, the Vatican State is considered to be without any kind of leadership, even though some of the top Cardinals are still making sure work goes on as best as possible. But this is what is referred to as Sede Vacante (Vacant Seat.) Commemorative coins are issued to honor this situation and most of the Vatican stamps in circulation are over-printed with the words Sede Vacante, and they become a hot item among philatelists. The Pope is not just the leader of the Catholic Church world wide, but also the Bishop of Rome, and hopefully within a week, we should have a new Pontiff as the Cardinals start their conclave on Tuesday. 

Commemorative stamps for the Sede Vacante period

The Sistine chapel is being prepared to welcome the 115 Cardinal electors, and even the outfit which the new Pope will wear upon his election, is being displayed by the Gammarelli Religious Clothing Store, but more about this tomorrow.

Conclave notes - part 2

When the Conclave starts, it may take a few days until a two-thirds majority is reached by one of the Cardinals. The first time the conclave was held inside the Sistine Chapel was in 1878 when Pope Leo XIII was elected. Before that, elections were held either at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican itself, close to the Papal apartment, or at the Quirinale Palace, the residence of the Italian President. The above chart shows the duration of the recent conclaves, and how many votes it took to elect a Pope in each of the conclaves over the last 100 years or so.

Cardinals during a prayer service inside the Vatican

The eighth General Congregation of the College of Cardinals has decided that the Conclave will begin on Tuesday, 12 March 2013. A “pro eligendo Romano Pontifice” Mass will be celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica in the morning. In the afternoon the cardinals will enter into the Conclave.

Conclave notes - part 1

The urns where the voting ballots will be deposited

It is now apparently certain that the Conclave will start within a few days. All the cardinals electors are now in Rome, and in anticipation for this historic event, I share with you some important notes relating to the conclave. When the Cardinals go up to vote, they write the name of the Cardinal they prefer and then place the ballot in a receptacle or urn, and cover it with the lid. The container used to be a large ciborium, but since 1978, these urns are being used, one of which is smaller to collect the ballots of those Cardinals who are infirm and cannot be at the Sistine chapel. The ballots are then counted and the names announced, waiting for anyone to get a two-thirds majority. 

The two adjacent stoves where the ballots and chemicals will be burned

When the ballots are inconclusive, they are strung together and placed in an oven. In an adjacent stove some chemicals are burned and they create the black smoke, until of course a Pope has been chosen, at which time, a different kind of chemical is added to create the white smoke. Then both the smoke from the ballots as well as the smoke from the added chemical will mix and out of the chimney the smoke is released, black or white. Since there are two votings in the morning and two in the afternoon, the two combined ballot papers are burned together, at noon Rome time, and again at 7 PM Rome time. This would be respectively at 4 AM and 11 AM USA Pacific time. If a decision is reached after the first voting, the white smoke will appear a little earlier. The new Pope will be announced approximately an hour later with the famous words “Annuntio Vobis Gaudium Magnum - Habemus Papam!”

The Vatican Obelisk

St Peter's Basilica with the obelisk in the foreground

An interesting story is told about the obelisk that is in the center of the St Peter’s square, where thousands of people will gather over the next few days to greet the new Pope. It was Pope Sixtus V who ordered the obelisk to be brought from Egypt and erected in the famed piazza. The obelisk was originally erected at Heliopolis by an unknown pharaoh around c. 2494 BC – 2345 BC. During its history of c. 4400 years, the obelisk has been successfully moved 3 times. The Emperor Augustus (c. 63 BC – 14 AD) had it moved to the Julian Forum of Alexandria, where it stood until year 37 A.D. In 37 A.D., Caligula ordered the forum demolished and the obelisk transferred to Rome. He had it placed along the center of the Circus of Nero, where it would preside over Nero's countless brutal games and Christian executions.
It was moved to its current site in 1586 by the engineer-architect Domenico Fontana under the direction of Pope Sixtus V. His feat of engineering took the concerted effort of 900 men, 75 horses and countless pulleys and meters of rope. The men that were brought in to help erect it, were told not to say one word while it was being brought up.  As the obelisk was being put in place, one sailor noticed that the ropes were going to break unless something is done to them. So he broke the silence and yelled “water to the ropes, water to the ropes!”
The organizers took notice of this and threw water on the ropes, and the obelisk continued its journey up in its permanent place, and no one got hurt. 

The base of the Obelisk

The Pope instead of punishing the man, wanted to reward the courageous and law-breaking sailor, named Benedetto Bresca, and he asked if he could provide the palms for Palm Sunday every year from the region where he lived. And so the tradition has been for the past 400 years that the palms are always brought from the San Remo region on the coast of Northern Italy. By the way, the obelisk is 83 feet in height and weighs 331 tons!

The Cardinals talk, discuss

Cardinals meet, talk, discuss and pray

This is a very interesting time for the 115 Cardinals who will decide who will be the next Pope. Even those over 80 are meeting together in the Vatican to talk, discuss and pray before their important conclave. Cardinal Thomas Christopher Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, Canada described the atmosphere of what is about to happen over the next few days in the Vatican: “In the whole process there is a great deal that is very human. Discussion, in fact, is required. It’s part of the rule of the Conclave you must have time to discuss things, think things through. But at the same time it’s Divine. There is the praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we make this choice. There are these two dimensions which go together, like faith and reason. The Cardinals who are working together with the Holy Father in Rome, they meet one another all the time and so are very familiar with the different issues they are dealing with. The Cardinals who, like myself, are responsible for dioceses around the world, which is the majority of the voting cardinals, we are not in Rome that often – we do have to go to various meetings – but most of our responsibilities is to care for the people entrusted to our care in our own dioceses. So I think one of our chief responsibilities is to be very conscious of the needs of the Universal Church and also to get to know the other cardinals, we don’t always have an opportunity to do that and so these days before the Conclave but after the See is vacant is a tremendous opportunity for all the cardinals to discuss the issues with one another, to get to know one another better and therefore to be better prepared for the moment when those who are cardinal electors enter into the Conclave.  

A collage of the Cardinal electors, as appeared in NY Times

I think that my concern will be to listen to the cardinals from around the world. I think that in the Western part of the world, North America and Europe and so on, the issue of secularism is very important. But in other parts of the world it is not so important, there are other issues, persecution, social justice issues, many others…so I think as each cardinal speaks from his own perspective all of us will begin to get a broader picture of the whole concern that people have. Because the Holy Father has to be responsible for the whole world, and therefore sometimes, each cardinal coming from his own perspective will think certain things are very important, others not so much, whereas it’s the reverse with other cardinals, so it’s important to get the whole picture and I think that’s what we’ll do.”

Vatican stamps

Stamps with Pope John XXIII on the 50th anniversary of the Lateran Treaty

Over the next two weeks, most of my posts will relate to the Vatican and the upcoming Conclave. Today I share with you a few of the beautiful stamps that the Vatican State issues from time to time. 

Pope John Paul II's visit to the USA in 1987

They are some of the most meaningful stamps ever issued for circulation. Most of them would have the image of the current Pope, and obviously they are all related to religious topics, pilgrimages, anniversaries and other historical events. The current stamps in circulation are over-printed with the words Sede Vacante, until a new Pope is elected.

Calligraphy and Illumination issue from 1972

Benedict's Tweets

Pope-Emeritus Benedict sending a Tweet from his IPad

Since we're still waiting for our new Pope, it is worth reflecting on some phrases spoken or written by Pope-Emeritus Benedict, especially in the Tweets he shared with his followers over the past few weeks. For those who are unfamiliar with Tweeting, it is a short message not longer than 114 characters send by social media. Here are some of Benedict's tweets, worth meditating upon. The first one is actually his last tweet, a great message.
- May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ in the center of your lives.
- If only everyone could experience the joy of being Christian, being loved by God who gave his Son for us!
- Lent is a favorable time in which to rediscover faith in God as the foundation of our lives and of the Church’s life
- Everything is a gift from God: it is only by recognizing this crucial dependence on the Creator that we will find freedom and peace.
- During the season of Lent, we renew our commitment to the path of conversion, making more room for God in our lives.
- Every human being is loved by God the Father. No one need feel forgotten, for every name is written in the Lord's loving Heart.
- What does Sunday, the day of the Lord, mean for us? It is a day for rest and for family, but first of all a day for Him.
- Many false idols are held up today. For Christians to be faithful, they can’t be afraid to go against the current.
- If we have love for our neighbor, we will find the face of Christ in the poor, the weak, the sick and the suffering.
- What does the Lord ask of us as we work for Christian unity? To pray constantly, do justice, love goodness, and walk humbly with Him.
- Following Christ’s example, we have to learn to give ourselves completely. Anything else is not enough.
-When we entrust ourselves to the Lord completely, everything changes. We are children of a Father who loves us, and never leaves us.
- We can be certain that a believer is never alone. God is the solid rock upon which we build our lives and his love is always faithful.
- Offer everything you do to the Lord, ask his help in all the circumstances of daily life and remember that he is always beside you.
- Everyone's life of faith has times of light, but also times of darkness. If you want to walk in the light, let the word of God be your guide.
- Mary is filled with joy on learning that she is to be the mother of Jesus, God's Son made man. True joy comes from union with God.

From Lent to Easter

St Julian's church during Lent

Many of the churches in my home country of Malta have a special way of decorating their sanctuaries. It is very somber during Lent, and very festive during the Easter season. A case in point is my native parish church of St Julian’s. It was built between 1962 and 1969, and I served in this parish from 1977 to 1981. Pope John Paul II visited this church in 1990, and for that occasion the color scheme was changed by artist Richard England, which included the colors pink, blue and purple - a strange scheme at that time, but was accepted after a while.
When I was visiting Malta during Holy Week in 2010, the Lenten decorations were quite impressive as a large purple drape covered the image of the Risen Christ above the main altar, an image made of bronze-like fibre glass, crafted by Marco Cremona. The image of the Sorrowful Mother with Christ crucified is placed temporarily on the side by the main altar.

St Julian's church at Easter

Then on Easter Sunday, the purple is removed to be replaced by the white drapes hanging around the cross, with white flowers adorning the entire sanctuary. These two photos I took clearly show the stark contrast between Lent and Easter, between penance and celebration, between the strains of “Crucify Him” and “Alleluia,” ultimately between darkness and light.