JMJ It was and is invalid. By Fr. Paul Kramer A crucial excerpt from Antonio Soccis new book, Its Not Francis, on the canonical irregularity of Bergoglios election and the canonical nullity of his pontificate (in intelligible but less than perfect English). __________________________________________ That afternoon of March 13, 2013, in Rome it was raining. Not many expected a puff of white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel for the conclave was only the second day. Instead it was announced l Habemus Papam. He was elected Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. At the fifth vote, she told herself. But after some time it became known that he was in fact elected in the sixth, that she should not be done in the afternoon. What had happened? Elisabetta Piqué is a good Argentine journalist, working for the newspaper La Nación of Buenos Aires dealing with the Vatican (and Italy) and is a collaborator of CNN in Spanish and Deutsche Welle. It is a very good friend for years of Bergoglio, it is even his biographer. Indeed, to read the book Francis. Life and Revolution will notice a decidedly apologetic tone. In the pages dedicated to the fatal hour of the Conclave, the Piqué describes the evolution of votes, nominations, reactions, and on pages 39 and 40 - among other things - relates in a few lines a curious anecdote on just the fifth vote: After the vote and before the reading of the sheets, the cardinal scrutineer, which first mixes the papers placed in the urn, realizes that there is one more: they are 116 and not 115 as they should being. It seems that, by mistake, a cardinal has deposed two ballot sheets: one with the name of his chosen and one in white, that had remained attached to the first. Stuff happens. Nothing to do, this vote is immediately canceled, the package will be burned later without having been seen, and there shall be a sixth vote. It is precisely from this sixth vote that elected Bergoglio released. The anecdote is a mere curiosity, at first glance seems to be part dellaneddotica. A friend of the Vatican-Argentine journalist and very close, too, to Pope Bergoglio, whose rooms have access, Andrea Tornielli, on Vatican Insider,November 16, 2013, at the exit of the book of Piqué signed an advance which illustrates all the attributes of volume and shows, among other things (like a small scoop) the new episode revealed by the author. The book has a release in the Vatican media fanfare, almost official biography. In fact, 19 November 2013 the Piqué being interviewed by Vatican Radio, 3 directed by Father Federico Lombardi. While November 16 already, LOsservatore Romano had exalted the volume suggesting that the same Bergoglio he were the prime source: Its a Bergoglio told first-hand, direct and true, what coming out from the pages of Elizabeth Piqué in the book Francisco, vida y Revolución (in bookstores in Italy from November 21 editions Lindau under the title Francis. Life and Revolution ). Seven months of inquiry old-fashioned, seeking confirmations and crossing sources in 373 pages full of new details on the Conclave and the lives of Jorge Bergoglio. Pages to understand Francis, the Pope calls, writes and speaks clearly. Its a bit peculiar praise of the new details on the Conclave made by Observer (since it would be in force and the pontifical secret grave sin, even excommunication, to disclose the outside of the Sistine Chapel), but if you really like lets imagine in the preceding lines, to reveal them was just Bergoglio there is no violation because he, as Pope, he did not need permission to talk about it. In any case, no one has had anything bad to say about those details of the Conclave, which indeed have all been accredited by these indisputable sources. There is only one - so to speak - small problem that nobody seems to have noticed so far: according to the facts reported by Piqué - and so authoritatively confirmed - the election of Bergoglio is nothing. In fact, article 69 of the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis , which regulates the Conclave reads: Where in vote counting the Scrutineers should discover two ballots folded to look like completed by one elector, if they bear the same name they are counted by a single vote, but if you bring two different names, neither the vote will be valid; However, in none of the two cases will cancel the vote. The first violation of the rules that you can catch a glimpse of it then having canceled a vote that had to be considered valid and scrutinized. But as if that was not enough you can recognize a second violation, because we proceeded with a new vote - the fifth of that day (the one that has elected Bergoglio) - where the same Apostolic Constitution, however, requires that we should make four votes per day two in the morning and two in the afternoon (Article 63). Because it would be violations that involve the nullity of the election? Because Article 76 of the Universi Dominici Gregis says: If the election had taken place otherwise than as prescribed in this Constitution or were not observed the conditions set forth herein, the election is for that reason nothing and void, without the intervention of any statement in purpose and, therefore, it does not confer any right to person elected. Nor is it possible that the Conclave has been able to change the Running those rules because John Paul II, in the Apostolic Constitution, remember several times that the Conclave has absolutely no power to change the rules. Not even by voting unanimously. So - if that is the facts are - I think we can conclude that the election to the papacy of Bergoglio simply never existed. Nor is it a problem remedied a posteriori because you can not heal what has never existed. That the regularity of canonical election is conditio sine qua non of its validity, the rest of the formula says the same ritual of acceptance and proclamation of the elect. Indeed, Article 87 of the Universi Dominici Gregis reads: Happened canonically [ sic ] the election, the last of the Cardinals Deacon summons into the election, the Secretary of the Board Cardinals and the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations; therefore, the Cardinal Dean, or the first of Cardinals Order and seniority, on behalf of the entire college of electors calls the consent of the one with the following words: accept your election canon [ sic ] as Supreme Pontiff? And just received consensus, asks: How do you want to be called ? Then the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations, with the function of notary and having two witnesses who will be called Masters of Ceremonies at that time, draw up a document about the acceptance of new Pontiff and the name taken by him. If there is no regularity rectory there was no election. As I have already stated, the invalidity of the procedures followed in the Conclave and the subsequent election does not imply any fault on the part of Bergoglio. And the invalidity of the election is in no way a value judgment on the person. By Antonio Socci, It is not Francis (Knopf) Link to the original Italian: antoniosocci/2014/10/lanticipazione-della-premessa-di-non-e-francesco-e-delle-prime-pagine-del-capitolo-sul-conclave-del-2013/
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 01:16:25 +0000