I’m looking forward to this section becoming livelier very soon.
I do have a specific question that perhaps our clergy can answer. Since the current Pope is resigning, will sede vacante be handled heraldically in the same manner as following the death of a Pope, with the ombrellino etcetera? Would it only begin on March 1?
Also would like to know who our clergy speculate will succeed Benedict.
Mark Olivo;97531 wrote:
will sede vacante be handled heraldically in the same manner as following the death of a Pope, with the ombrellino etcetera?
If the current Pope wishes to resign, why set a date at all? Why not just call a conclave, and remain Pope until his successor is named – thus skipping the period of sēde vacante altogether?
Since “Benedict” is his regnal name, will he revert back to being Cardinal Ratzinger? and his former arms?
http://www.araldicavaticana.com/Ratzinger Joseph (1927-Ad Multos).jpg
Mark Olivo;97531 wrote:
I do have a specific question that perhaps our clergy can answer. Since the current Pope is resigning, will sede vacante be handled heraldically in the same manner as following the death of a Pope, with the ombrellino etcetera? Would it only begin on March 1?
It will be reflected with the Camerlengo, Cardinal Bertone, using the ombrellino on his coat of arms and the symbol of the vacant See will be the ombrellino over the crossed keys.
The Holy See will become vacant at 8:00, PM (7:00, PM GMT) on February 28, not on March 1.
steven harris;97532 wrote:
If the current Pope wishes to resign, why set a date at all? Why not just call a conclave, and remain Pope until his successor is named – thus skipping the period of sēde vacante altogether?
That’s canonically impossible. The Holy See must become vacant by death or resignation of the pope before a Conclave can be convened. There is only one pope at a time.
steven harris;97532 wrote:
Since “Benedict” is his regnal name, will he revert back to being Cardinal Ratzinger? and his former arms?
http://www.araldicavaticana.com/Ratzinger Joseph (1927-Ad Multos).jpg
Popes don’t have "regnal" names. They have papal names. The name Benedict XVI is that under which he served as pope, a position he is resigning. So, it seems likely he will revert to using his baptismal name. He remains a bishop but it is not clear yet if he reverts to being a cardinal. In any case he would likely continue to use the arms he uses now (with the moor’s head, bear and scallop shell) surmounted by whatever external ornaments are proper to his status either as an archbishop or as a cardinal.
The NPR story I heard gave me the impression he would revert to being a cardinal, although of course they are not the final authority on this.
Being 85, of course he would be precluded from taking part in the conclave in any event.
gselvester;97536 wrote:
That’s canonically impossible. The Holy See must become vacant by death or resignation of the pope before a Conclave can be convened. There is only one pope at a time.
fair enough
gselvester;97536 wrote:
That’s canonically impossible. The Holy See must become vacant by death or resignation of the pope before a Conclave can be convened. There is only one pope at a time.
So the Conclave itself is considered a "Pope?"
Or is the problem that there’d technically be two Popes in the minutes between the official election and telling Benedict about it?
No, the Conclave isn’t considered a pope. Unlike a monarchy where the passing of sovereignty from the monarch to his heir is immediate upon the death of the monarch the Church spends a period of time where there is no pope.
Since there is no "heir" to the papacy and a successor must be chosen there is a period, known as the Sede Vacante (the empty seat) when the government of the Church is in the hands of the Camerlengo (Chamberlain) of the Holy Roman Church in conjunction with the College of Cardinals. During the Sede Vacante they are entrusted with the care of the Church and there is no pope.
Whether it is by the death of a pope or by his abdication there must first be a vacancy in the papacy before a conclave may even be convened.
My thoughts are that Benedict will revert to being a Cardinal when he abdicates. Since he is already past the age of mandatory retirement, he will not likely be given any active role within the Curia, or the Church elsewhere.
As far as his arms are concerned, as a Cardinal, he will revert to the red galero. Also, since retired bishops continue to use the episcopal cross behind their arms, and retired archbishops continue to use the archepiscopal cross behind theirs, it seems only logical that Cardinal Ratzinger could make use of the seldom-seen three-barred papal cross as a retired pontiff. I see this as less problematic than his contented use of the other papal additaments (miter, keys, etc).
If I may:
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5260/cardinalratzinger2013.png
gselvester;97547 wrote:
Since there is no "heir" to the papacy and a successor must be chosen there is a period, known as the Sede Vacante (the empty seat) when the government of the Church is in the hands of the Camerlengo (Chamberlain) of the Holy Roman Church in conjunction with the College of Cardinals. During the Sede Vacante they are entrusted with the care of the Church and there is no pope.
The current Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church is Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, a Salesian from Italy, correct?
steven harris;97548 wrote:
My thoughts are that Benedict will revert to being a Cardinal when he abdicates. Since he is already past the age of mandatory retirement, he will not likely be given any active role within the Curia, or the Church elsewhere.
As far as his arms are concerned, as a Cardinal, he will revert to the red galero. Also, since retired bishops continue to use the episcopal cross behind their arms, and retired archbishops continue to use the archepiscopal cross behind theirs, it seems only logical that Cardinal Ratzinger could make use of the seldom-seen three-barred papal cross as a retired pontiff. I see this as less problematic than his contented use of the other papal additaments (miter, keys, etc).
It is not immediately apparent that he reverts to being a cardinal. The last pope who abdicated had to be created a cardinal once again by his successor. The title that Cardinal Ratzinger had has already been given to someone else. I believe this will be worked out prior to feb. 28 and, of course, his successor may bestow on him whatever rank he sees fit. So far all that is certain is that Pope Benedict after Feb. 28 will still be an archbishop. As to whether or not he will be a cardinal remains to be seen. In addition, since these events are setting precedents for the modern era perhaps he will simply be known as "Bishop of Rome Emeritus". Since he plans to spend a secluded life away from the public I don’t think much of this will matter to him.
As for the cross I don’t agree with you. The so-called "papal" cross with three bars is a complete invention and while one was actually made for Leo XIII it has not been used heraldically. I suppose given the extraordinary nature of these events and the unique position Josef Ratzinger will hold in the Church after his abdication anything is possible.
Unless it is definitively determined prior to his abdication that he will retain the rank of cardinal then his arms would use the ornaments proper to an archbishop: green galero with 20 tassels and a double-barred cross. If he is a cardinal (or created one immediately after his successor’s election) then the galero would be red with 30 tassels. But there is no reason to have a special cross. Even as pope he is a bishop (actually an archbishop and metropolitan of the Roman province). Becoming pope makes one the head of the College of Bishops, a juridical distinction, not a special and different kind of bishop, a sacramental distinction. There is simply no good reason to create a heraldic distinction for a former pope. Former popes remain bishops (or archbishops). When a bishop or archbishop retires there is no special heraldic distinction to mark them as emeriti. I see no reason to do so in this case.
I agree with your depiction, however, that if he uses arms at all he will retain the same shield he used as pope rather than reverting to the design on the shield he used as an archbishop in Munich and a cardinal in the Curia.
Let me add, too, that he certainly was an innovator with regards to his papal arms so who knows if another innovation will emerge for his coat of arms as a former pope?
gselvester;97547 wrote:
Whether it is by the death of a pope or by his abdication there must first be a vacancy in the papacy before a conclave may even be convened.
Sounds like they just need to change the bylaws. 
Actually this is the great man’s last opportunity to reform his arms once again and to get - at last - an impeccable coat of arms, instead of the unnecessarily partitioned mess. But I bet he will not as he has other matters to consider, more important than even heraldry.
Michael Y. Medvedev;97553 wrote:
...he has other matters to consider, more important than even heraldry.
Bite your tongue!
gselvester;97550 wrote:
It is not immediately apparent that he reverts to being a cardinal. The last pope who abdicated had to be created a cardinal once again by his successor.
Fair enough. Could his successor re-create him a Cardinal immediately upon his election, or does some time need to pass? Can a consistory be called while all of the Cardinals are still in town from the conclave?
Quote:
The title that Cardinal Ratzinger had has already been given to someone else.
Yes, Ratzinger was Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria Consolatrice al Tiburtino (1977-1993) before being elevated to Cardinal-Bishop. That title has been held by Cardinal Ricardo María Carles Gordó, Archbishop of Barcelona, since 1994.
Quote:
As for the cross I don’t agree with you. The so-called "papal" cross with three bars is a complete invention and while one was actually made for Leo XIII it has not been used heraldically. I suppose given the extraordinary nature of these events and the unique position Josef Ratzinger will hold in the Church after his abdication anything is possible.
I respect your more-learned opinion in matters both ecclesiastical and heraldic, but given the admitted rarity of a papal resignation in the first place, I think that we’re going to be in the uncharted area of heraldic innovation no matter what. I took the three-bar papal cross and a relatively reasonable innovation for the reasons already stated (post 9, above). In addition to the one used by Pope Leo XIII (d.1903), there is one in a statue of Pope Sylvester (d.335) in Mantua, Lombardy (Italy):
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/San_Silvestro.JPG/180px-San_Silvestro.JPG
and in much more recent times it would appear that John Paul II also used one:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2623/4140553605_d1d81ea9b5_o.jpg http://www.seiyaku.com/images/cross/pope02.jpg
I might respectfully question the characterization of something that physically exists and that has actually been carried by a pope as “a complete invention” – no disrespect intended, of course.
