Day two of preparations

At 1:00pm local time in Rome this afternoon, a Press Conference was held in order to inform the accredited journalists about the developments which have taken place during the meetings of the Cardinals gathered in the Synod Hall.  Father Frederico Lombardi, SJ conducted the Press Conference and was assisted by Father Thomas Rosica, CSB and Father José Maria Gil Tamayo who are present to respond to the questions raised by the journalists.

The second General Congregation was held yesterday afternoon, from 5:00pm until 7:00pm. Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap., preacher of the Pontifical Household, gave the first of two meditations which are provided for by the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis.

(In order to prepare well for the Conclave, the Cardinals) shall entrust to two ecclesiastics known for their sound doctrine, wisdom and moral authority the task of presenting to the Cardinals two well-prepared meditations on the problems facing the Church at the time and on the need for careful discernment in choosing the new Pope;  (UDG, 13d)

The second meditation provided for in the above-mentioned passage will take place in the Sistine Chapel after the Cardinal electors have assembled there, and have taken the Oath.  More details about this part of the process will be communicated when the Conclave begins.

Five additional Cardinal electors who had arrived in Rome swore the oath yesterday afternoon: Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï, O.M.M., Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, who came from Lebanon; Cardinal Joachim Meisner, Archbishop of Cologne, Germany; Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, Archbishop of Berlin, Germany; Cardinal Théodore-Adrien Sarr, Archbishop of Dakar, Senegal; and Cardinal Dominik Jaroslav Duka, O.P., Archbishop of Prague, Czech Republic.

It was decided that, on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Congregations will only be held in the morning.

Nine members of the College of Cardinals then addressed the gathering.

The third General Congregation took place from 9:30am until 12:40pm today.

Seven newly arrived cardinals took the oath. Three are Cardinal electors: Antonio María Rouco Varela, Archbishop of Madrid, Spain; Zenon Grocholewski, Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Catholic Education, and Anthony Olubunmi Okogie, Archbishop emeritus of Lagos, Nigeria. The other four are cardinals over the age of 80: Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu, Archbishop emeritus of Bangkok, Thailand; Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala, Archbishop emeritus of Kampala, Uganda; Cardinal Eusébio Oscar Scheid, S.C.I., Archbishop emeritus of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi, Archbishop emeritus of Douala, Cameroon. In total there were 148 cardinals present this morning, 110 of whom are Cardinal electors.  That means that there are still five other Cardinal electors who are expected within the next days.

There were 11 interventions from Cardinal fathers discussing topics related to: activities of the Holy See and its relations with bishops throughout the world; Church renewal in light of Vatican Council II; and the Church's position and the need for the New Evangelization in today's world with its diverse cultural environments.

In the 33 interventions that have been given since the beginning of the Congregations, each of the continents has been represented and a wide range of topics has been covered. The Cardinal fathers address the gathering in the order that they have made the request to speak.

Number 37 of the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis was read, with the changes introduced by the recent Motu Proprio, regarding the beginning date of the Conclave.

"I furthermore decree that, from the moment when the Apostolic See is lawfully vacant, fifteen full days must elapse before the Conclave begins, in order to await those who are absent; nonetheless, the College of Cardinals is granted the faculty to move forward the start of the Conclave if it is clear that all the Cardinal electors are present; they can also defer, for serious reasons, the beginning of the election for a few days more. But when a maximum of twenty days have elapsed from the beginning of the vacancy of the See, all the Cardinal electors present are obliged to proceed to the election." (UDG, 37)

The Cardinal Dean proposed a text for the telegram to be sent to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at Castel Gandolfo, which the Congregation approved.

This afternoon, work begins in the Sistine Chapel to prepare for the Conclave. It is therefore now closed to the public.