Taking possession

The day could not come to a close without a celebration of some sort.  In Rome, there are always occasions to be celebrated ... moments small and significant.

Tradition has dictated that the Pope, the Bishop of Rome is elected by the clergy of Rome.  In actual fact, the modern-day electors are the Cardinals, so in keeping with the tradition of the local clergy of the Eternal City being the electors, each Cardinal is given titular claim to one of the Basilicae in Rome upon his creation as one of the elete electors.

In total, there are usually a total of up to 120 Cardinals who are eligible to elect at any given time.  Cardinals are eligible to enter a conclave, and to vote for the next pope up to the day they celebrate their 80th birthday.

As it happened, one of the recently created Polish cardinals, Kazimierz Nycz, currently the Archbishop of Warsaw, Poland was taking possession of his Basilica and we managed to find our way into the midst of the celebration.  The liturgy was presided by His Eminence in Italian and in Polish and took place at the Basilica of St. Sylvester and St. Martin in the hills just above the Colloseum.

In truth, this celebration is simple but deep in its meaning.  The parishioners gather to welcome their Cardinal elector, who functions for all intents and purposes as a figurehead pastor.  Because of the fact that in many cases, the Cardinals are actually resident in far-off lands, the responsibility for day to day administration of the Roman Basilicae falls to the local pastors who are entrusted with their care, much as a Rector is entrusted with the ongoing responsibilities for a Cathedral.

Since there were so many Poles in Rome for the Beatification, this made for the perfect occasion for a celebration of joy such as this.  As it happened, even the local clergy joined in the singing of songs to welcome the newly installed Cardinal, and the celebration continued even outside the Basilica in the square and down the street long after the final Amen was uttered.