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Tag: New Pope

  • Cardinals enter Conclave to elect 267th Pope

    Cardinals enter Conclave to elect 267th Pope

    • Nigeria’s Okpaleke among 133 electors

    Cardinals will today move into the Conclave at the Vatican to elect a new Pope in succession to Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday.

    One hundred and thirty-three cardinal electors will perform the sacred assignment of picking the leader of the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide and the head of state of the Vatican.

    Nigeria’s Peter Okpaleke, the Bishop of Ekwulobia, Anambra State is the only one  of the four Nigerian candidates qualified to participate in the process.

    The 133 elector-cardinals are spread across 71 countries.

    Eighty per cent of them were appointed cardinals by Pope Francis.

    What will confront the electors is whether the new Pope should be a progressive, who will continue the way Pope Francis ran the church or a conservative who will reverse the order.

    They may also choose a centrist.

    Read Also: Atiku’s unfulfilled Nunc Dimittis

    The countries with the most electors are: Italy (17), the United States (10), Brazil (seven), France and Spain (five each), Argentina, Canada, India, Poland and Portugal (four apiece).

    How the Pope will be elected

    Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in a conclave.

    For the conclave, the cardinal electors proceed to the Sistine Chapel and take an oath of absolute secrecy. Thereafter the doors are sealed.

    The cardinals vote by secret ballot, processing one by one up to Michelangelo’s fresco of the Last judgment, saying a prayer and dropping the twice-folded ballot in a large chalice.

    Four rounds of balloting are taken every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote. The result of each ballot are counted aloud and recorded by three cardinals designated as recorders.

    If no one receives the necessary two-thirds of the vote, the ballots are burned in a stove near the chapel with a mixture of chemicals to produce black smoke.

    When a cardinal receives the necessary two-thirds vote, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks him if he accepts his election. If he accepts, he chooses a papal name and is dressed in papal vestments before processing out to the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

    The ballots of the final round are burned with chemicals producing white smoke to signal to the world the election of a new pope.

    The senior cardinal deacon, currently French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, announces from the balcony of St. Peter’s “Habemus Papam” (“We have a pope”) before the new pope processes out and imparts his blessing on the city of Rome and the entire world.

    On Monday, workers installed curtains on the balcony where the new Pontiff will appear. A temporary chimney is in place on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will cast secret ballots. White smoke will eventually signal the election of the next leader for the world’s Catholics.

    Over 179 cardinals are in Rome, participating in the 10th general congregation.

    The Nigerian connection

    Okpaleke was appointed a cardinal by the late Pope Francis in 2022 and will participate in the election of the new leader of the Catholic Church.

    His appointment as Bishop of Ahiara Diocese was met with resistance, but was eventually installed as Bishop of Ekwulobia.

    Three other Nigerian cardinals, Francis Arinze (92), Anthony Olubunmi Okogie (88) and John Onaiyekan (81), have no vote been more than 80 years old.

    Born on March 1, 1963, in Amesi, Anambra State, Bishop Okpaleke has had a distinguished career in the church, serving in various capacities, including as a priest, bishop, and cardinal.

    His educational background includes studying philosophy and theology at the Bigard Memorial Major Seminary in Ikot-Ekpene and Enugu.

    He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Awka on August 22, 1990.

    Despite the controversy, he has continued to serve the church and has held various positions, including Chairman of the Canon Law Commission of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).

  • New Pope, new hopes and expectations

    Argentina  in recent times has been widely known for the Falklands War   with  Britain and before that  for the debt default crisis of 2001 that almost collapsed the global financial system. On  a happier note  though Argentina is  respected   widely as the nation that gave the world soccer happiness – as the country that produced first Diego Maradona  and  now  Lionel Messi   of Barcelona.   Just last week the magic of Lionel Messi  put paid to   Italy‘s  AC Milan’s dream at the UEFA Champions League with a masterful display by the magical Argentine, Messi. Yet,   the  biggest  global news this last week  was the election of an Argentine by the Conclave of Cardinals  in  Rome  as the    new Pope  Francis and successor  to Benedict XVI, the first  Pope Emeritus in 600  years.

    However,  it was not only in Rome that an historic change  of guard or a unique event was taking place. Similar events in terms of magnitude and importance took place in China where  the Chinese Communist Party confirmed the new  President   Xi Jinping  as  president of the biggest nation on earth in terms of population; and in Kenya where  a new president Uhuru  Kenyatta was elected in spite of a case pending against   him  before the International Criminal Court at  the Hague.  Also  in Afghanistan President Hamid  Karzai rattled American nerves by lumping both ally and enemy together when he accused both the US military and the Taliban  of exacerbating the state of insecurity in his  nation on the eve of the departure  of US troops from Afghanistan next year .Similarly in Nigeria the Nigerian president gave  a State Pardon to his former  boss  who was jailed for embezzlement of public funds  and dashed  all  hopes of successfully fighting corruption in Africa’s biggest  black nation.    In essence then, from the speedy   and fruitful   Conclave in Rome, to the murder and mayhem on  the streets  of Kabul,  to the smooth transition in Beijing   and Nairobi; as well as the horror  created in Abuja, change  and transition underpin  the events and personalities on display in my analysis this week .I  will illustrate  my  observations in this regard with deductions which I think will be apparent to the discerning eye in all these situations.

    Again,  let us go back to Rome for the election of  Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario  Bergoglio   of Bueno Aires aged 76 as the new Pope  Francis. To  me this is a very  smooth  transition as some say  the  new Pope was second to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger at the last Conclave in 2005  that saw the emergence  of Ratzinger  as the next Pope  Benedict XVI. Which simply means that the Conclave decided that the no 2  should take over where the no 1 has stepped down. Which really should be expected  of a College  of Cardinals which is no more that a gathering of conservative minds,  very suspicious of any drastic change especially after the rude awakening from the fact that it is possible for a pope  to resign, something that  had not happened for a long time.

    However, it is in the choice of an Argentine that I want to dilate on,  in the light  of what Argentina represents in the comity of nations – in essence its sovereign reputation. First,   in global finance Argentina represents  something of  a way ward child,  and most finance houses hold their breath doing business with that nation because of the threat of debt default. Indeed  an Argentine ship was seized in Ghana  of recent on account of the debt default saga   that  happened  at  the start  of the millennium. In  politics  however  Argentina  is a  highly  legalistic nation in that it has brought to book all past military  leaders who staged coups and toppled   democratically elected governments to gain power.

    These  included past military generals like Viola  and  Videla  as well as Galtieri  who was jailed for taking Argentina to the Falklands war without proper preparation leading to a disgraceful defeat by Margaret Thatcher’s Britain. So  Pope Francis ascension to the papacy in Rome is a  boon and a great boost to the ego and pride of Argentina  as a Latino nation and to Argentines generally. I wonder  how Britain or Britons will  feel about the emergence of an Argentine  Pope given  the two nations well known truculence  over the  tiny Falklands  Islands. I  also cannot resist  chuckling at what Argentina’s former colonial lord, Spain,  now in austerity chaos  and distress that has caused Spaniards to take to the streets in riot, do  now that they have to pray to an Argentine Pope at mass. Really,   the emergence of a Pope  from the slums and dirty streets of Buenos Aires, after the highly intellectual Benedict XVI  shows  God is not sleeping after  all;  and that even the poor masses of the world have  their hope in high places  as their champion and  past traveler in the bitter  experience of  crass poverty now occupies the high and exalted seat of St Peter in the Basilica  in Rome.

    Similarly  in Beijing  the Chinese leadership  gave the western world a  lesson in orderly transfer of power from one generation to the other albeit in  a 10 – yearly mode. This is in spite of the fact of the skepticism of those in the west who call  the Chinese leaders despots with scant regard  for human rights. Yet  the Chinese are the largest creditors of the US in that they hold the largest chunk of US treasuries  in the world. The situation has been compared to cold war ideological war between the US  and the former US SR when  mutual deterrence or  annihilation  was the name of the game. Only  that this time the game between China and the US  has been called  the financial mutual deterrence or  annihilation war because one can not do without the other in terms of trade and global business and as such they must cultivate themselves in the interest  of   global peace  and  stability. Instead  of scoffing at the democratic credentials of Chinese leaders,  the west is better advised learn something from the slow but sure progress and order in China under their leadership.

    Kenya’s  successful  election has shown that democracy is maturing in that part of the world as the people spoke and showed that democracy in local display can be immune to international pressure and clamoring. Uhuru Kenyatta has been elected and there has been no violence as happened last time around. Although Rahoula Odinga has threatened to go to court he should let sleeping dogs lie  and allow peace in Kenya. This is because Kenya’s CJ is known to be close to Odinga and his verdict will not be respected or acceptable if he overturns the voters verdict. A  word is enough for the wise.

    President Hamid  Karzai’s outburst against both the US forces in Afghanistan and  his enemy the Taliban as birds of the same  feather, also is a fine example  of ingratitude in high places. But for the Americans Karzai  would  have been  ousted out  of power   long ago  in Afghanistan  by the Taliban. Now  for him to say that  both his enemy and ally are  prolonging the war is extremely strange  and nasty. Anyway  that seems to be the fashion that US allies  in the region reward the Americans after taking their money to help snuff out terrorists in the region. Just last week the President of Pakistan an ally of the US met with the President of Iran to sign agreement on the building of an oil  pipeline between the two nations. This is after the US has spent millions on Pakistan to fight terrorists that all parties in the region know are funded by Iran, an implacable enemy of the US.

    Lastly  in giving state  pardon to former  Governor Alamieyesiagha, to whom he was a deputy governor President Goodluck Jonathan  carried cronyism and impunity to  new heights in the fight against corruption  in Nigeria . Undoubtedly the cancer of corruption is a major hiatus  facing the Nigerian nation state . But  at least the government can avoid embarrassing itself  by not bringing opprobrium on itself in enacting a pardon which after all is just an act of mercy. It  leaves a bitter taste in the mouth to discuss  this pardon  which  is an  avoidable embarrassment to Nigerians  not only at home but in the diaspora. We  know that it is within the president’s power and that of the Council of State to do what has been done. We  also know that the saying is true that to whom much is given much is expected. This was one pardon too many and is a real pity for Nigeria’s  sovereign reputation.

  • Nigerians in Europe hail Pope Francis 1

    Nigerians in Europe hail Pope Francis 1

    Nigerians across Europe have welcomed the election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis 1, describing him as “God’s own choice.’’

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Pope Francis 1, the 266th Pope, was elected on Wednesday evening at the Vatican following an intense process which began on Tuesday afternoon.

    Speaking on the development, the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora (NIDO) Europe, Mr. Collins Nweke, said: “There is a divine angle to the choice of Pope Francis 1.’’

    The NIDO chairman said if Bergoglio was not destined to be Pope, someone else would have emerged given the tight contest which characterised his election.

    He, however, expressed hope that an African would someday emerge as a Pontiff.

    In a similar vein, a member, Central Association of Nigerians in United Kingdom (CANUK), Mr. Peter Agbo, said the Pope’s election was a “historic moment, as he is the first non-European Pope.”

    “I am particularly happy with his choice. As a Catholic, I had joined other faithful the world over in prayers for God’s will to prevail in the election.

    “Thank God for this choice. Latin America has a large concentration of Catholic faithful, and aside from that, we are similar culturally,’’ Agbo said.

    He said the coming of an Argentine as a pope was an indication there was hope for an African in the future.

    Others who spoke to the Western Europe Correspondent of NAN also expressed optimism that the new pontiff would sanitise the Catholic Church.

    They based their hope on the fact that the Catholic Church had been associated with homosexuality and corruption, among other claims in recent times.

     

  • Obama greets new Pope

    Obama greets new Pope

    United States President Barack Obama yesterday greeted the new Pope Francis.

    Obama, in a statement last night, said: “On behalf of the American people, Michelle and I offer our warm wishes to His Holiness Pope Francis as he ascends to the Chair of Saint Peter and begins his papacy.

    “As a champion of the poor and the most vulnerable among us, he carries forth the message of love and compassion that has inspired the world for more than two thousand years—that in each other we see the face of God.

    “As the first pope from the Americas, his selection also speaks to the strength and vitality of a region that is increasingly shaping our world, and alongside millions of Hispanic Americans, those of us in the United States share the joy of this historic day.

    “Just as I appreciated our work with Pope Benedict XVI, I look forward to working with His Holiness to advance peace, security and dignity for our fellow human beings, regardless of their faith.

    “We join with people around the world in offering our prayers for the Holy Father as he begins the sacred work of leading the Catholic Church in our modern world.”

  • Bergoglio is new Pope

    Bergoglio is new Pope

    ...Adopts the name Pope Francis

    Argentina’s Jorge Mario Bergoglio on Wednesday emerged as the new Pope.

    He became the first man from South America to lead the 1.2 billion world’s catholic population.

    The new Pope has adopted the name Francis.

    He was elected by Catholic Cardinals after three rounds of voting at the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

    His election was confirmed by the emergence of white smoke from a chimney in the Chapel.

    Bergoglio replaced Pope Benedict XVI who resigned from the position last month.

    The new Pope is expected to reform the Church, which is beset by problems ranging from a worldwide scandal over child sex abuse to allegations of corruption at the Vatican Bank.

     

  • Waiting for the new Pope

    Waiting for the new Pope

    As voting on who becomes new leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholic population continues, several candidates have been touted as possible replacement for Josef Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) who resigned from the position last month.

    The 85-year-old German stepped down, saying he was no longer strong enough to lead the Church, which is beset by problems ranging from a worldwide scandal over child sex abuse to allegations of corruption at the Vatican Bank.

    Four men – Italian Angelo Scola, Odilo Scherer from Brazil, Canadian Marc Ouellet and Sean O’Malley of the United States have been identified as key contenders for the position.

    There are two others with an outside chance to clinch the post.

    Each of them possessed unique qualities which stood them out from the chasing field. HAMED SHOBIYE, Assistant Editor, Online, examines the candidates’ chances  in the poll.

     

    Angelo Scola (Italy, 71)

    Scola is the oldest member of the contesting field.

    Scola is an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church, philosopher and theologian. He was appointed Archbishop of Milan by Pope Benedict XVI in June 2011. That position served as his springboard to the papacy.

    He had served as Patriarch of Venice from 2002 to 2011. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2003. He is considered a contender to succeed Benedict XVI.

    The Italian is very vocal in his rejection of abortion, genetic engineering and birth control.

    He is an expert in moral theology.

    Scola was long close to the conservative Italian Catholic group Communion and Liberation, which Benedict also favoured, but has kept his distance in recent years. He is familiar with Islam as head of a centre for Muslim-Christian understanding, with wide contacts abroad. His dense intellectual oratory could put off cardinals seeking a charismatic preacher.

     

    Odilo Scherer (Brazil, 63)

    Scherer is the leading candidate from Latin America, where 42 percent of the world’s Catholics live.

    He is the Archbishop of Sao Paulo, the biggest diocese in a country with world’s largest Catholic population.

    Scherer is a German- Brazilian and was born in Cerro Largo, Rio Grande do Sul to Edwino and Francisca (née Steffens) Scherer.

    In the international media, he has been mentioned as a possible successor to Benedict XVI.

    Scherer is considered to be theologically moderate. He is one of just a handful of cardinals that use modern social media routinely.

    He is also known for good sense of humour.

    His German family roots and stint working in the Vatican Curia give him important links to Europe, the largest voting bloc. Italian media said he enjoys support among Curia cardinals opposed to Scola.

    However, the rapid growth of Protestant churches in Brazil that woo away Catholics could count against him.

     

    Marc Ouellet (Canada, 68)

     

    Ouellet is a Canadian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the present prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and concurrently president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI in June 2010.

    Previously, he was archbishop of Quebec and primate of Canada. He was elevated to the cardinalate by Pope John Paul II in October 2003. Ouellet is considered a contender to succeed Pope Benedict XVI.

    An academic theologian of the Ratzinger School, he once said becoming pope “would be a nightmare.”

    Well-connected within the Curia, the Vatican bureaucracy. He also has ties to Latin America from teaching there and now heading a Vatican commission on the region. Factors against him include his rough time as archbishop of Quebec, where his conservative views clashed with the very secular society there and he left apologising for any hurt he had caused. His bland speaking style is another drawback.

     

    Sean O’Malley (United State, 68)

    Rumours have surfaced that O’Malley will opt for Francis 1 if elected as the next Pope.

    He is an American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as the Archbishop of Boston, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2006. O’Malley is a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, commonly known as the Capuchins. O’Malley is considered a contender to succeed Pope Benedict XVI.

    Appointed in 2003 to Boston, the third diocese in a row where he was called in to clean up after sexual abuse crises, he sold off Church properties to pay damages. He also shut down little-used churches despite strong protests, a sign of management mettle despite his humble appearance in the brown habit of his Capuchian Franciscan order. Conclaves have long been wary of picking a “superpower pope” from the United States but his calm authority and Franciscan humility have eased many of these concerns.

     

    Outsiders

     

    – Timothy Dolan (United States, 63)

     

    Dolan is an American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Appointed by Pope Benedict XVI, he is the tenth and current Archbishop of New York. Dolan also currently serves as the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and was granted the titular position as Cardinal Priest of Nostra Signora di Guadalupe a Monte Mario (English: Our Lady of Guadalupe of Mount Mario) in Rome.

    He is widely known for his conservative values and charismatic media personality. He previously served as Archbishop of Milwaukee from 2002 to 2009, preceded by service as an Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis from 2001 to 2002. Time Magazine named Dolan one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World” for 2012.

    Dolan has been named in the press as a likely papabile (a possible or likely successor) for election to the Papacy after Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation due to ill health.

    However, his detractors find him too informal, “too American,” and fear he might use too stiff a broom to clean out the Curia.

     

    – Leonardo Sandri (Argentina, 69)

    Sandri is an Argentine Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the current Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in the Roman Curia, having previously served as Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela (1997–2000), Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico (2000) and Substitute for General Affairs (2000–2007). He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2007.

    A “safe pair of hands”, he is often seen as an ideal Secretary of State, or deputy to the pope, rather than pontiff. He has no pastoral experience and his Curia job overseeing Eastern Rite churches is not a power position in Rome. He recently said women should be given more leadership positions in the Church. One drawback could be that he is identified with John Paul’s papacy.

     

  • New pope yet to emerge after three rounds of voting

    New pope yet to emerge after three rounds of voting

    Catholic cardinals meeting at the Vatican have been holding another round of voting to choose a new Pope, BBC reports.

    The session in the Sistine Chapel follows two inconclusive rounds on Wednesday morning, signalled by black smoke issuing from a chimney.

    Cardinals have been meeting for a second day to choose a successor to Pope Benedict, who resigned last month.

    The 115 electors are to remain isolated until two-thirds agree a leader for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

    The cardinals will vote four times daily until a single candidate garners a two-thirds majority.

    A successful vote would immediately be followed by white smoke and, soon afterwards, the Latin announcement “Habemus Papam” – we have a Pope.

    Before the conclave began there was no clear frontrunner to replace Benedict XVI.

    The 85-year-old stepped down last month, saying he was no longer strong enough to lead the Church, which is beset by problems ranging from a worldwide scandal over child sex abuse to allegations of corruption at the Vatican Bank.

    Voting takes place in silence, with no formal debate, until a decision is reached. If that does not happen after three days, there may be a pause for prayer and informal discussion for a maximum of one day.

     

  • Cardinals resume papal deliberations

    Cardinals resume papal deliberations

    Cardinals are beginning their second day of deliberations in the Vatican conclave to elect a new pope, after reaching no decision on Tuesday, BBC reports.

    The 115 cardinal-electors are shut off in the Sistine Chapel and a nearby residence until two-thirds agree on a leader for the world’s 1.2bn Catholics.

    Black smoke signalling an inconclusive first vote drew cheers from crowds in St Peter’s Square on Tuesday evening.

    There is no clear frontrunner to replace Pope Benedict XVI.

    The 85-year-old stepped down last month, saying he was no longer strong enough to lead the Church, which is beset by problems ranging from a worldwide scandal over child sex abuse to allegations of corruption at the Vatican Bank.

    The cardinals will vote four times daily until a single candidate garners enough support – at which point the smoke coming from the Sistine Chapel chimney will be white.

    After celebrating Mass this morning, they returned to the Sistine Chapel to resume voting.

    They can vote twice in the morning. If those ballots are inconclusive, black smoke will once again rise from the chimney and the election will resume after lunch.

    Voting takes place in silence, with no formal debate, until a decision is reached. If that does not happen after three days, there may be a pause for prayer and informal discussion for a maximum of one day.

     

  • Cardinals begin voting for new Pope

    Cardinals begin voting for new Pope

    Cardinals have entered the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, where they will begin voting to elect a new Pope.

    The 115 cardinal-electors were locked in the chapel after swearing an oath of secrecy, the BBC reports.

    They will vote four times daily until two-thirds can agree on a candidate.

    The election was prompted by the surprise abdication of Benedict XVI.

    There is no clear frontrunner to take over from him as head of the Roman Catholic Church.

    The 85-year-old Benedict stepped down last month saying he was no longer strong enough to lead the Church, which is beset by problems ranging from a worldwide scandal over child sex abuse to allegations of corruption at the Vatican bank.

    His resignation and the recent damage to the Church’s reputation make the choice of the cardinal-electors especially hard to predict, the BBC says.

    They will weigh pressure for a powerful manager to reform the Vatican against calls for a new Pope able to inspire the faithful, the report adds.

    On Tuesday morning, the cardinals attended a “Mass for the Election of the Supreme Pontiff” in St Peter’s Basilica. They filed in wearing bright red vestments to the sound of Gregorian chanting.

    In his homily, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, praised the “brilliant pontificate” of Pope Benedict and implored God to grant another “Good Shepherd” to lead the church.