A Hypothetical Question About Papal Inaguration

[mwscott]

So, I was explaining to a friend of mine how the election of the Pope works. After I was done explaining he asked me what would happen if the man elected was not already ordained a Bishop. I simply said that he would have to be ordained before the Papal Inauguration. I was not satisfied with my own answer so I did some research.

UNIVERSI DOMINICI GREGIS (ON THE VACANCY OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE AND THE ELECTION OF THE ROMAN PONTIFF) says,

1. After his acceptance, the person elected, if he has already received episcopal ordination, is immediately Bishop of the Church of Rome, true Pope and Head of the College of Bishops. He thus acquires and can exercise full and supreme power over the universal Church.

If the person elected is not already a Bishop, he shall immediately be ordained Bishop.

I assume then that the elected man must first accept his election and choose a name, then he must be ordained. So, do they burn the ballots after he accepts but not make the traditional announcement (“Habemus papam”) until after his ordination?

Also, must the ordination be within a Mass?

 

[mwscott]

Ok so I was stupid and failed to read something important in the following paragraphs. It does say that “homage” is to be paid to the man elected but the traditional announcement is not given. Is this “homage” from just the College of Cardinals or to the world. It does not say. And still… Must the ordination be part of the Mass?

 

[FrDavid96]

I can answer a little bit of that:

He doesn’t become the pope until he’s ordained a bishop–since only a bishop can actually be the Bishop of Rome.

He would have to accept before being ordained a bishop. Because, naturally, if he does not accept, there would be no necessity to ordain him. Also, without a pope to appoint the new bishop (or the authority to ordain one who has accepted the office), the ordination itself would be an act of schism.

The last part I can answer is that the announcement can’t be made until he accepts, and is ordained. Think about that part: the Cardinal can’t announce “we have a pope” until we do have a pope. It’s not like he can throw out his red hat and someone announces “the previous election is under further review”

I’m curious to know about whether or not the Cardinals would have to celebrate Mass in order to do the ordination. Yes, a new bishop can be ordained outside of Mass, but would they do it this way?

The fictional book “Vicar of Christ” has an interresting take on this, and it’s mostly accurate.

 

[PacoG]

I am guessing that the guy they would be electing wouldn’t be a cardinal. Therefore, he would not be at the conclave. They would have to secretly send for him, sneak him into the conclave and offer him the papacy. So the announcement would not be immediate (as it would be if a cardinal were elected).

It’s interesting that the documents don’t lay out instructions on how to send for the pope-elect if he isn’t a member of the conclave.

 

[bpbasilphx]

\I’m curious to know about whether or not the Cardinals would have to celebrate Mass in order to do the ordination. Yes, a new bishop can be ordained outside of Mass, but would they do it this way?\

I’ve never heard of this being done. Can you provide any historical precedents or other examples of this?

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Pope St Damasus was the archdeacon in Rome in 355 under Pope Liberius. He followed Pope Liberius into exile but later returned to Rome. He was elect Pope after the death of Pope Liberius.

The early Church is full of examples of priests and deacons being elected Pope.

I know of no modern example. It seems that the majority of popes in modern times have been elected from the College of Cardinals.

 

[FrDavid96]

\I’m curious to know about whether or not the Cardinals would have to celebrate Mass in order to do the ordination. Yes, a new bishop can be ordained outside of Mass, but would they do it this way?\

I’ve never heard of this being done. Can you provide any historical precedents or other examples of this?

It’s the simple fact that it is not strictly required for validity that an ordination occur within the context of Mass.

I’m not saying they would do it this way, only that I’m curious to know if that issue is addressed in the procedures, and if not, what might they do?

 

[kage_ar]

You might want to watch the movie “Shoes of the Fisherman” - the end is terrible, but, the portrayal of the pontifical election process is very interesting!

 

[johnnykins]

I am guessing that the guy they would be electing wouldn’t be a cardinal. Therefore, he would not be at the conclave. They would have to secretly send for him, sneak him into the conclave and offer him the papacy. So the announcement would not be immediate (as it would be if a cardinal were elected).

It’s interesting that the documents don’t lay out instructions on how to send for the pope-elect if he isn’t a member of the conclave.

Actually a cardinal need not be a Bishop - e.g., Avery Cardinal Dulles. Historically many cardinals were not Bishops: Cardinals Wolsey and Mazarin come immediately to mind. Pope John XXIII changed the rule such that cardinals must be Bishops unless the Pope dispenses with the requirement - again, e.g., Fr. Dulles.

Naturally if someone were elected who was not in the conclave, he would need to be questioned on the matter. I don’t see sneaking or even immediate attendance being required.

 

[johnnykins]

I can answer a little bit of that:

Also, without a pope to appoint the new bishop (or the authority to ordain one who has accepted the office), the ordination itself would be an act of schism.

Can’t be the case in this one particular instance - this must be the exception. The Sacred College (Dean?) must have the authority to consecrate if needed as part of it’s authority to elect.

 

[FrDavid96]

Can’t be the case in this one particular instance - this must be the exception. The Sacred College (Dean?) must have the authority to consecrate if needed as part of it’s authority to elect.

Yes, that’s true. The point I was making is that the mandate to ordain him as a bishop only applies if he accepts election to the office of pope. Until he accepts the election, the mandate to ordain isn’t yet there.

The point is that the Cardinals can’t ordain him first, then ask him if he accepts. After all, that wouldn’t even make any sense to do it that way.

 

[johnnykins]

Yes, that’s true. The point I was making is that the mandate to ordain him as a bishop only applies if he accepts election to the office of pope. Until he accepts the election, the mandate to ordain isn’t yet there.

The point is that the Cardinals can’t ordain him first, then ask him if he accepts. After all, that wouldn’t even make any sense to do it that way.

Agreed

 

[PacoG]

Can’t be the case in this one particular instance - this must be the exception. The Sacred College (Dean?) must have the authority to consecrate if needed as part of it’s authority to elect.

There is always a chance that the dean won’t be at the Conclave. Carlo Cardinal Confalonieri wasn’t present at both 1978 Conclaves as he was an “Over-Eighty.”

There are all kinds of issues arising from such an election:

1. How do they send for, transport and bring the guy who has been elected pope to the conclave without breaking secrecy?
2. If both the dean and subdean are over 80 (and thus excluded from the conclave), who consecrates the pope-elect to the order of bishop? Do they break secrecy and send for the dean and/or subdean? What of the Cardinal Proto-Priest and the Cardinal Proto-Deacon…do they do the ordaining? The Camerlengo (since he is the guy running the Church during the interregnum)?

Interestingly enough, as of today, the Cardinal Proto-Deacon (Cardinal Agostino Cacciavillan) the Cardinal Proto-Priest (Cardinal Eugênio de Araújo Sales), the Cardinal Subdean (Cardinal Roger Marie Élie Etchegaray), and the Cardinal Dean (Cardinal Angelo Sodano) are all over 80.

 

[johnnykins]

THE ACCEPTANCE AND PROCLAMATION OF THE NEW POPE AND THE BEGINNING OF HIS MINISTRY
87. When the election has canonically taken place, the junior Cardinal Deacon summons into the hall of election the Secretary of the College of Cardinals and the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations. The Cardinal Dean, or the Cardinal who is first in order and seniority, in the name of the whole College of electors, then asks the consent of the one elected in the following words: Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff? And, as soon as he has received the consent, he asks him: By what name do you wish to be called? Then the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations, acting as notary and having as witnesses two Masters of Ceremonies, who are to be summoned at that moment, draws up a document certifying acceptance by the new Pope and the name taken by him.
88. After his acceptance, the person elected, if he has already received episcopal ordination, is immediately Bishop of the Church of Rome, true Pope and Head of the College of Bishops. He thus acquires and can exercise full and supreme power over the universal Church.
If the person elected is not already a Bishop, he shall immediately be ordained Bishop.
89. When the other formalities provided for in the Ordo Rituum Conclavis have been carried out, the Cardinal electors approach the newly-elected Pope in the prescribed manner, in order to make an act of homage and obedience. An act of thanksgiving to God is then made, after which the senior Cardinal Deacon announces to the waiting people that the election has taken place and proclaims the name of the new Pope, who immedi- ately thereafter imparts the Apostolic Blessing Urbi et Orbi from the balcony of the Vatican Basilica.
If the person elected is not already a Bishop, homage is paid to him and the announcement of his election is made only after he has been solemnly ordained Bishop.
90.** If the person elected resides outside Vatican City, the norms contained in the Ordo Rituum Conclavis are to be observed**.
If the newly-elected Supreme Pontiff is not already a Bishop, his episcopal ordination, referred to in Nos. 88 and 89 of the present Constitution, shall be carried out according to the usage of the Church by the Dean of the College of Cardinals or, in his absence, by the Subdean or, should he too be prevented from doing so, by the senior Cardinal Bishop.
vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_22021996_universi-dominici-gregis_en.html

I Have not searched for the Ordo Rituum Conclavis which seemingly has provisions for someone living outside Rome - and therefore outside the Conclave… Clearly this constitution assumes the presence of the elected person to be asked in Conclave if he accepts (though the Ordo may have something different)…

 

[johnnykins]

Actually a cardinal need not be a Bishop - e.g., Avery Cardinal Dulles. Historically many cardinals were not Bishops: Cardinals Wolsey and Mazarin come immediately to mind. Pope John XXIII changed the rule such that cardinals must be Bishops unless the Pope dispenses with the requirement - again, e.g., Fr. Dulles.

Naturally if someone were elected who was not in the conclave, he would need to be questioned on the matter. I don’t see sneaking or even immediate attendance being required.

Synaptic glitch - of course Wolsey was a Bishop - he was Archbishop of York. Oooops