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ReligionLink:
Resources for Reporters Habemus
papam.
UPDATED
12:47 a.m. Eastern
Joseph Cardinal
Ratzinger of Germany was elected the 265th pope of the Roman Catholic Church after
only two days of secret voting by the College of Cardinals in Rome. He took
the name of Benedict XVI.
• Biography at Catholic-Hierarchy.org
• Prefect Emeritus of Doctrine
of the Faith at the Roman Curia.
ReligionLink offers
these resources to help reporters interpret these events on the world, national
and local stage.
WHAT'S
NEXT?
From "A
handbook on Pope John Paul II and electoral politics in the Vatican"
(ReligionLink, April 1, 2005): After the white smoke appears from the chimney
in the Sistine Chapel roof (visible to the right as you are facing the basilica)
the new pope is introduced on the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square. The
new pope is then "inaugurated" (it is no longer a coronation) at a
Mass in St. Peter's a few days later. If tradition holds, the time from the
death of a pope to the installation of his successor will be about three to
four weeks.
• The U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops web site has a helpful backgrounder
on papal transitions.
• Read "What
happens after the election?" by the Rev. Thomas Reese, editor of America
magazine.
• Catholic News
Service has posted an online interregnum
on the papal transition.
• John L. Allen Jr. of the National
Catholic Reporter explains the election and installation process in
"How
a pope is elected."
THE
INSTALLATION
In 1978, the newly
elected Pope John Paul I rejected traditional coronation rituals and instead
chose a simpler installation Mass. His successor John Paul II followed the new
practice of a comparatively scaled-down ceremony that emphasized continuity
and service.
• Read about installation tradition and protocol in "A
centuries-old ceremony," a press release from the University of Dayton
quoting associate professor of religious studies Maureen Tilley.
• Read "Gazette
reporter recalls scene of installation of John Paul II in 1978" (April
3, 2005) by Billings Gazette reporter Ed Kemmick.
HISTORY
AND BACKGROUND
• The Catholic
Encyclopedia has an online list
of popes.
• View documents
and film archives of the conclave and public events at the Vatican on the
Holy See's press page.
• Read a list of cardinals
who participated in conclaves during the 20th century and discussion of
each conclave's issues and politics, compiled by Salvador Miranda at Florida
International University, Miami.
THE
CONTENDERS
Speculation about
who would be elected the next pope ran the gamut, and included African and Hispanic
contenders as well as cardinals long ensconced in the Holy See. Read a Beliefnet
article, "The
Next Pope," by Holly Lebowitz Rossi and David Gibson. Among
the contenders often mentioned in news stories were:
• Francis Cardinal Arinze, Prefect Emeritus of Divine
Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Roman Curia (biography at
Catholic-Hierarchy.org)
• Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio, S.J., Archbishop of Buenos Aires,
Argentina (Archdiocese
home page; biography at Catholic-Hierarchy.org)
• Cláudio Cardinal Hummes, O.F.M., Archbishop of São
Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil (Archdiocese
home page; biography at Catholic-Hierarchy.org)
• Carlo Maria Cardinal Martini, S.J., Archbishop Emeritus of Milan,
Italy (Archdiocese home
page; biography at Catholic-Hierarchy.org)
• Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect Emeritus of Doctrine
of the Faith, Roman Curia (biography at Catholic-Hierarchy.org)
• Norberto Cardinal Rivera Carrera, Archbishop of México,
DF (Archdiocese
home page; biography at Catholic-Hierarchy.org)
• Oscar Andrés Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga, S.D.B.,
Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras (Archdiocese home page is offline, but was
at http://www.arquidiocesistegu.org/arquidiocesis_tegucigalpa.htm;
biography at Catholic-Hierarchy.org)
• Dionigi Cardinal Tettamanzi, Archbishop of Milan, Italy (Archdiocese
home page; biography at Catholic-Hierarchy.org)
NEW
ON THE JOB
The new pope will
face a number of pressing issues from the outside world and from within the
Catholic Church.
• Read "Long
lists of issues face next pope" by Steve Levin, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
(April 17, 2005).
• Read "Divisive
issues await new pope" by Kim Kozlowski and Lisa Zagaroli, Detroit
News
(April 17, 2005).
LOCAL
IMPACT
• Find biographies
of American members of the College of Cardinals at the web site of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops.
• Catholic-Hierarchy.org
gives current contacts and historical information about bishops and dioceses.
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