When the Pope takes possession

In one of Wednesday's posts, I provided the outline of liturgies at which the Holy Father will be present and presiding (at least in the coming weeks).  One of those celebrations is his visit to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran which is scheduled to take place this coming Sunday.

The final paragraph of the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis (which provides the guidelines for the election of the Roman Pontiff) specifies that:

After the solemn ceremony of inauguration of the Pontificate and within an appropriate (length of) tiime, the Pope will take possession of the Patriarchal Archbasilica of the Lateran, according to the prescribed ritual (UDG, 92).

As I stated in previous posts, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran (or the Archbasilica as is mentioned above) is the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome, so like Bishops who take possession of their proper Dioceses, the Pope effectively takes possession of the Diocese of Rome through the celebration of the ceremony of enthronement.  The folks at ZENIT had a chance to ask Bishop Luca Brandolini, CM (a priest of the Congregation of the Mission, otherwise known as Vincentians), the Vicar of Saint John Lateran to explain a bit of the history of the ceremony of enthronement and its significance.


He explained that Sunday's celebration is the ancient rite of enthronement on the Roman Chair and not (strictly speaking) a taking possession because the Pope doesn't take possession of anything. Whereas the rites of the consigning of the pallium and of the Fisherman's ring made evident the universal dimension of the ministry of the elected Pontiff, the rites that will be celebrated on Sunday spotlight the exquisitely ecclesiological root, placed by the providence of God, in the Church of Rome, from which springs, in fact, the Petrine ministry. It takes place in the Basilica of the Most Holy Savior (better known as Saint John Lateran), because, by an ancient custom, it is pointed out as mother and head of all the churches of Rome and of the whole world, as is written on the columns of the Basilica's façade.

As with every cathedral, it is the cathedral because of the reference to the Chair, the episcopal seat from which the bishop carries out his doctrinal and liturgical service, the symbol of the power to teach that is an essential part of the mandate of binding and loosing which the Lord conferred on Peter, as Benedict XVI said when he was enthroned on May 7, 2005.

Hence, the celebration exalts the Spirit as origin of the charism and of the ministry of Peter, which initiates and fulfills everything.

Asked to describe the ceremony itself, Bishop Brandolini explained:

Pope Francis will be received at the main door of the Basilica by the cardinal archpriest; the Cardinal Vicar, Agostino Vallini; by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, Vicar-emeritus; by the Episcopal Council of the Diocese of Rome and by the Council of parish prefects. Then he will kiss the Crucifix, will carry out the aspersion (sprinkling rite) and will be accompanied in procession to the Vicariate's Palace where he will put on the vestments for Mass. Then the celebration will begin with a greeting of the cardinal archpriest inspired by a very ancient patristic-liturgical tradition, after which Pope Francis will ascend to the Chair to be acclaimed as Bishop of Rome. 

In a second moment, 12 people will carry out the rite of obedience: the Cardinal Vicar and the Vice-director; two priests: a parish priest and an associate pastor; two deacons: a permanent one and another preparing for the priestly ministry; two Religious at the service of the Diocese of Rome; two adults, usually a man and a woman; and two youngsters who have recently been Confirmed. Once this is finished, the Eucharist will be celebrated in the normal way.

The ceremony of enthronement will begin at 5:30pm local time in Rome on Sunday, the Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday.