Video: Procession opens the papal conclave; Update: Embed fixed
posted at 11:21 am on March 12, 2013 by Ed Morrissey
(VATICAN CITY) After weeks of discussion and debate, the papal conclave begins today with the procession of 115 cardinal electors of the Roman Catholic Church from the Pauline Chapel to the Sistine Chapel, expected to last an hour until the declaration of “Extra omnes” — “everyone else out!” — and the clanging of the doors. At that point, the decision rests on the cardinals and the will of God. I’ll embed the NBC News live video feed, as they’re supposed to broadcast this live:
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
There seems to be very little consensus on the direction of the former, and George Weigel told NBC News that he sees a split between reformers and those seeking “institutional maintenance”:
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
NBC also has brief profiles of their top ten list of papabili, which makes for a handy scorecard, even when we’re not even sure whether these are really the players. As I say in an interview later in this post, handicapping this process is a bit like attempting to guess a Super Bowl winner in September by reviewing what the players eat for breakfast. You may guess right, but it’s probably just luck.
If we know little about the minds of the College of Cardinals, we know much more about the procession. It begins at 11:30 and should last one hour. If the NBC feed doesn’t work (and I’ll be checking it), the procession will be streamed live by the Vatican. The cardinals enter in groups by order: the Order of Bishops, the Order of Presbyters, and Order of Deacons. The first cardinal in procession will be Cardinal Giovanni Re, and last will be Cardinal James Harvey, one of the newest raised to the College, chosen as cardinal by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in November 2012.
Today’s schedule will differ from the norm over the next few days, given the late start. After the procession ends at 5:30 local time, the cardinals will take their vows of secrecy, have a meditation period, and potentially take a vote today — although the Vatican informed us yesterday that a vote is not necessarily required on the first day. The day ends in the Sistine Chapel with vespers (evening prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours), transfer back to the Domus Santae Marthae, and dinner at 8 pm. We’ll supposedly get a heads-up if the vote is skipped in favor of an early retirement, otherwise we’ll be waiting in the media center until deep in the evening.
Tomorrow and succeeding days, the schedule gets firmer:
- 6:30-7:30: Breakfast
- 7:45: Transfer to the Pauline Chapel
- 8:15: Mass
- 9:30 Discussion and voting in the Sistine Chapel (2 ballots)
- 12:30 Transfer to Domus Santae Marthae
- 13:00 Lunch
- 16:00 Transfer to the Palazzo Apostolico
- 16:50 Voting in the Sistine Chapel (2 ballots)
- 19:15 Vespers
- 19:30 Transfer to Domus Santae Marthae
- 20:00 Dinner
In other words, most days we’ll have a lid on by around 7. Of course, no one expects this to go more than a few days, so this may not be in play for long.
George Weigel talked about the battle between reformers and institutional maintenance in his spot for NBC News last night. For a different — but not exclusive — perspective on these issues, I interviewed veteran Vatican analyst Fr. Thomas Reese of Georgetown University and National Catholic Reporter earlier today:
Reese has an article up today at NCR discussing the two different types of “reform” proposed, and which is more likely to be addressed by an incoming Pope:
Many of the cardinals are looking for a pope who can reform the Vatican curia, but it is not clear what they mean by “reform.” “Reform” is, after all, in the eye of the beholder.
I would distinguish between two types of reform: 1) Better management, 2) Comprehensive reform.
Much of the scandals surrounding the curia recently are simple management problems: financial corruption, sexual impropriety, petty infighting among factions, leaking of documents. Dealing with these issues is neither rocket science nor theology. …
Speaking about reforming the curia is like speaking about reforming the U.S. tax code. Everyone is for it until it affects them.
Even members of the Roman curia speak about the need for reform, but for a curial cardinal, reform means he gets more power and his opponent in another office gets less. For conservatives, reform means having a strong curia that speaks with one voice in imposing the Vatican’s vision on the rest of the church. For moderates, reform means a decentralization of power and more collegiality. In other words, you cannot reform the curia until you know what you want it to do.
When you hear of “reform,” just realize that it’s a word that carries several meanings and contexts here at the Vatican. Be sure to read it all, and also read his suggestion that Americans should learn a lesson from conclaves in dealing with Congress … especially a certain 13th-century conclave.
Related Posts:
Breaking on Hot Air
Bobby Jindal: Paternalistic, big-government liberalism is the biggest loser here
Super Nannies: EU bans olive oils, Germany ponders Autobahn speed limit
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Cool beans
Having fun storming the castle :)
cmsinaz on March 19, 2013 at 8:08 AM
The blurry shots adds a sense of excitement..
:)
Electrongod on March 19, 2013 at 8:12 AM
Thank you for the on-scene insight.
I was particularly impressed with Pope Francis’s stopping and going over to the disabled gentleman. (This is not to say that previous popes wouldn’t have done it, but I thought it was such a beautiful thing to do by any pope.)
Kevin K. on March 19, 2013 at 8:16 AM
.
Aw yeah … get the evil behind you as quickly as possible.
Use the rest of your guests to “recover” from the first one.
( I still think she looks hot, though )
listens2glenn on March 19, 2013 at 8:16 AM
I’ve got to wonder just how long before the security people begin throwing fits.
Happy Nomad on March 19, 2013 at 8:18 AM
Having Joe Biden there representing us reminds me of the Chris Rock line about Marion Berry being on stage at the Million Man March. To paraphrase – Even in a moment of positivity… we have an idiot on the stage.
Sugar Land on March 19, 2013 at 8:38 AM
The security people are apparently already throwing fits. Many, many fits. But you knew that the open air jeep was going to happen especially after what happened on Sunday.
Illinidiva on March 19, 2013 at 8:49 AM
Okay, I’ll bite. What happened on Sunday?
Happy Nomad on March 19, 2013 at 8:56 AM
While I want Pope Francis to live in persona Christi, and therefore want him safe, I must remember that he is also called to die in persona Christi, as are all Catholics.
Scott H on March 19, 2013 at 9:07 AM
He left his security detail behind and plunged into the crowd to greet people. The crowd loved it … his security detail, not so much.
Ed Morrissey on March 19, 2013 at 9:09 AM
A historic inauguration mass…
First time the Chief Rabbi of Rome attended…and the Orthodox Patriarch attends for the first time since the great schism of 1054.
It’s nice to hear St. Joseph, as guardian father to Jesus and protective husband to Mary emphasized in the homily on his feast day.
workingclass artist on March 19, 2013 at 9:26 AM
Papa Francisco deidced to individually bless and thank each of the people attending Mass at St. Ann’s and then actually greeted and shook hands with the crowd that was outside near the street. The security people looked beside themselves in the videos. I actually caught some of the Mass live on CNN and they were joking that the only people not charmed by Papa were his security detail. I’m sure that they’ll be able to adjust.
Papa Francisco is a huge breath of fresh air and probably what the Church needs right now. I do appreciate Benedict’s humility in resigning, but I’m thinking that Bergolio should have probably been elected in 2005 instead and Ratzinger could have retired and spent time writing. The modern day Papacy is more suited to someone with Bergolio’s pastoral experience and political and personal skills.
Illinidiva on March 19, 2013 at 9:30 AM
He’s already lost it, but it’s not too late to get it back, with prayer and repentance.
Ward Cleaver on March 19, 2013 at 9:35 AM
The Holy Spirit sends us the right person at the right time. And, Benedict continued to write even during his pontificate. He’s written something like 40 books, so it’s not like he needed to spend the last eight years writing.
Ward Cleaver on March 19, 2013 at 9:37 AM
Pope Benedict XVI was an important Pope and it serves no constructive purpose to denigrate the contributions of his pontificate…imho
The modern day papacy is a media meme.
workingclass artist on March 19, 2013 at 9:42 AM
I’m sure the gaggle of dignitaries will be laughing at Biden as he tries to take front and center on the stage. What a boob.
ultracon on March 19, 2013 at 9:54 AM
Vatican City and the Church are quite a mess with the leaks scandal and report as well as child abuse scandals and cover ups all over the world. The same issues that were facing Benedict in 2005 are still present today. In fact, alot of people think the Cardinals voted for Ratzinger because they wanted the pitbull to come in and knock heads and clean out the corruption. I think that alot of his Papacy was spent on stuff that wasn’t the central issue. The Church’s main problem isn’t liturgical departures from Vatican II council; it’s transparency and openness (i.e. not covering up child abuse.)
Illinidiva on March 19, 2013 at 9:56 AM
Apparently Biden managed not to make an idiot of himself. He was told if he behaved, he’d get a cookie.
Illinidiva on March 19, 2013 at 9:59 AM
So, Ed was trampled by a pack of rogue nuns??!!
Blake on March 19, 2013 at 10:10 AM
That is your opinion.
I doubt Pope Francis shares it as he seems to go out of his way to pay respect to his predecessor, who is now in seclusion.
Each pontificate is different and Pope Francis will have his pastoral and governing focus just as Benedict XVI and Blessed John Paul II did.
The Church is need of reform that renews and each of these Popes play their role in that renewal.
workingclass artist on March 19, 2013 at 10:14 AM
Illinidiva on March 19, 2013 at 9:56 AM
You just can’t help yourself, can you.
annoyinglittletwerp on March 19, 2013 at 10:15 AM
THIS. So very much.
Illinidiva,
You either believe the Holy Spirit guides the process or you don’t. There’s a time for each one and each call is answered accordingly. Each pope has a purpose. Pope Benedict XVI was a great pope. Everyone were simply disappointed that he wasn’t the rock star that Pope JP II was. Not his fault. He served and he served well. Even Pope Francis preferred Pope Benedict XVI to be elected at that time if the reports about that conclave are to believed. So, please stop. We get it. You like pope Francis, a lot. But there’s no need to bring down the Benedict XVI papacy to do that. In EVERY SINGLE THREAD.
MISFern on March 19, 2013 at 10:37 AM
Considering some of the really awful and corrupt Popes that we got in the Middle Ages, the conclave hasn’t always been guided by the Holy Spirit or lots of Cardinals weren’t listening. It seems like there is alot of politicking and horse trading was going on (if you’ve ever seen the Borgias.) Even with the modern conclaves, they definitely discuss the criteria for the next Pope and trading among different factions. There are some fascinating leaks to come out of this last conclave. I prefer to think that the Holy Spirit provides the Cardinals with general wisdom for them to use rather than choosing the next successor. But that is just my take.
As for Benedict, I appreciate that he resigned when he felt that he physically couldn’t take it anymore. In fact, given the scandals associated with the Church really started when JP II got ill, I think that he should have really resigned when he got weaker torward the end.
Illinidiva on March 19, 2013 at 10:52 AM
Alternate Headline -
Enjoy the holiday Ed, I hope HotGas revenues this year can cover all the cannoli’s you’re quaffing down….
powerpickle on March 19, 2013 at 10:59 AM
I understand the concern about the cover up of child molesting priests but then you have to ask about this wee small problem that you only ever hear about on a case by case basis and never as the the problem the Church had as a institution wide problem and this affects schools …. unions at a rate some have said is 100 times more frequent that priestly abuse ever was
The Church’s main problem isn’t liturgical departures from Vatican II council; it’s transparency and openness (i.e. not covering up child abuse.)
_________________________________________________________________
Especially not teachers. And yet …
Consider the statistics: In accordance with a requirement of President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act, in 2002 the Department of Education carried out a study of sexual abuse in the school system.
Hofstra University researcher Charol Shakeshaft looked into the problem, and the first thing that came to her mind when Education Week reported on the study were the daily headlines about the Catholic Church.
“[T]hink the Catholic Church has a problem?” she said. “The physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests.”
So, in order to better protect children, did media outlets start hounding the worse menace of the school systems, with headlines about a “Nationwide Teacher Molestation Cover-up” and by asking “Are Ed Schools Producing Pedophiles?”
No, they didn’t. That treatment was reserved for the Catholic Church, while the greater problem in the schools was ignored altogether.
As the National Catholic Register’s reporter Wayne Laugesen points out, the federal report said 422,000 California public-school students would be victims before graduation — a number that dwarfs the state’s entire Catholic-school enrollment of 143,000.
Aggie95 on March 19, 2013 at 11:01 AM
Well done, Ed. You really are having a once in a lifetime experience. Thanks for the great report and narrative. Now on to your next assignment. Find Joe Biden and catch him saying something that only Biden can say. Maybe asking the Pope how his wife is?
simkeith on March 19, 2013 at 11:23 AM
The cover-up is always worse than the crime. The issue with the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal is rather than removing the priests who were abusing kids from ministry and turning over cases to the authorities the abusers were shuffled from parish to parish and more kids fell victim. That opaqueness needs to be ended.
I think that the whole thing was exasperated because it came at the end of JP II’s papacy when he was ailing. So the approach was piecemeal. The U.S. has righted its ship, but there really needed to be a more global approach as allegations popped up in places like Ireland.
Illinidiva on March 19, 2013 at 12:04 PM
Which is all true but they too served a purpose and the Church has greatly learned from that. Every pope and every occurrence has served the Church to learn from their past mistakes and grow in strength. Even the Reformation had it’s purpose. I have no problem with your opinions or you stating them, honestly. You have made your preference for Pope Francis over Pope Benedict but do you have to say it in every single thread about Pope Francis? That’s my only grouse.
MISFern on March 19, 2013 at 12:18 PM
That’s all she does on just about every topic — denigrate. Her shtick got old over 5 years ago.
Blake on March 19, 2013 at 12:19 PM
Well, if Biden is now worried about his soul, that’s a good start.
However, his chosen penance is a bit weak.
unclesmrgol on March 19, 2013 at 12:44 PM
Is there a way we can, like, turn off seeing any comments from particular people? If HotAir had that capability, I’d use it in an instant.
unclesmrgol on March 19, 2013 at 12:45 PM
Why do I have a feeling this is going to be a really short Papacy?
unclesmrgol on March 19, 2013 at 12:46 PM
The new pope’s name is Bergoglio.
Schadenfreude on March 19, 2013 at 1:26 PM
That word fits him so well it seems actually to have been invented just for him.
While I’d rather he were around a good long time, I’m sure he’s very spiritually ready to go.
God’s in charge in any case. If it’s a short papacy, am sure God can use that for the good of the Church too, in ways we can’t even imagine. (Look what happened after the shock of the short papacy of Pope John Paul I, for example.)
inviolet on March 19, 2013 at 1:33 PM
Especially if Joe Biden is in the audience. Did he bring his double-barreled shotgun, or did he leave it behind with his wife?
Seriously, Pope Francis seems to be a breath of fresh air, with his call to service, starting with his own service to God and fellow man. He sounds a lot like our FIRST President, George Washington, who eschewed fancy titles and called himself the servant of all his countrymen.
Steve Z on March 19, 2013 at 3:04 PM
I agree. But there is the problem that we, or the cardinals to be technical, have to be willing to listen. In the past several conclaves, I think they have.
Kevin K. on March 19, 2013 at 3:14 PM
Benedict XVI was well aware of the sex abuse scandals, and made serious efforts from the start of his Papacy to crack down on seminaries which encouraged the admission of gay men to the priesthood, which were the root of the sex abuse scandals. A priest is assumed to sacrifice his sexuality for God, and a man not sexually attracted to other men will concentrate his thoughts on his studies in the all-male environment of a seminary. But a seminary is a target-rich environment for a gay man, who will tend to prey on boys once he is admitted to the priesthood.
After the death of Pope John Paul II, there was much turmoil in the Church over who could succeed him, and whether a more socially “liberal” Pope should be elected, who would condone homosexuality or Marxism. Cardinal Ratzinger was John Paul II’s right-hand-man, who co-wrote many of John Paul II’s encyclicals during his later years, when John Paul’s health was failing. His election as Pope was a way of continuing John Paul’s papacy without him, and Benedict XVI enabled the various tendencies in the Church to be harmonized before turning over the reins to a younger leader.
Steve Z on March 19, 2013 at 3:18 PM
.
That’s what it takes to get your soul back ?
Oooooooooooooooooooooooh ……………………………… (face contorted into grimace)
Well ….. least he has this quote from a famous historical figure going for him:
Entire passage, in context: [Matt 19:16-26]
listens2glenn on March 19, 2013 at 4:06 PM
St. Peter’s List has some Biden memes from the Papal Inaugural Mass today…Pretty funny…
http://www.stpeterslist.com/10636/disapproving-joe-biden-5-memes-from-pope-francis-inaugural-mass/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+StPetersList+%28St.+Peter%27s+List%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
workingclass artist on March 19, 2013 at 4:18 PM
Illinidiva on March 19, 2013 at 12:04 PM
google up union cover up of teacher sex abuse
Aggie95 on March 19, 2013 at 4:23 PM