The Vatican just announced the papal conclave will convene Tuesday afternoon, March 12. The last cardinal arrived very recently, allowing for four to five days of prayer and group discussions between the participants prior to the actual balloting.
The cardinals will discuss the role of priests in the Church and specific candidates for the papacy who exemplify that role. Many religious orders in the Church traditionally have required their initiates to take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
The vows and what they impose are ordered by the religious orders (or institutes), and are approved by the Vatican. A vow of poverty usually requires the initiate to forswear all but the most basic personal possessions and lead a simple life. The vows vary from order to order, and parish priests are usually exempted from a strict vow of poverty, but are encouraged to lead a simple existence, so as not to interfere with delivering Christ's message and the message of the Old Testament.
Chastity means a direct personal service to God and to the Church and its mission. As described in the Roman Catholic Catechism, the requirement of chastity is for religious "who live a celibate life and who intend to remain celibate 'for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.' Called to consecrate themselves with undivided heart to the Lord and to 'the affairs of the Lord', they give themselves entirely to God and to men."
The Code of Canon Law defines obedience as: "The evangelical counsel of obedience, undertaken in a spirit of faith and love in the following of Christ who was obedient even unto death requires a submission of the will to legitimate superiors, who stand in the place of God when they command according to the proper constitutions." People who seek admittance to religious orders must take these vows to become priests, monks or nuns. People who break any of the vows are disciplined and sometimes excommunicated. Vows are made freely, but are required for initiation into the priesthood or a religious order. Generally speaking, these vows are non-negotiable once made.
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— go to most recent comments1 - Baronius
A couple of things. There aren't more than two or three cardinals who are members of religious orders. "Secular" priests - those who aren't in orders - take different vows.
Chastity isn't the same thing as being celibacy. Celibacy means staying single. Chastity means proper use of the sexual function; that is, sex only within marriage. In that sense, everyone is called to chastity.
As for the message of the Gospel, it's not so much the teachings of Christ as the identity of Christ: God incarnate, dying for our sins. The teachings are important, but they would not be enough to attain heaven without Christ's sacrifice.
Last thing: while the new Pope's philosophy and experience are going to be important, you should also mention his personal piety and, in all probability, his organizational skills as factors in the cardinals' decision. I'm glad that you didn't mention his skin color / place or origin, because I can't imagine that's going to play a factor. That's the kind of thing that outsiders assume will be important, but that's based on caricatures. If you're in a room with 116 others trying to choose which one should be your leader, you're going to be thinking about personal qualities, not race.
2 - Dr Joseph S Maresca
First, the editors did some insertions from my original text. Second, I researched the definition of chastity for you and it is set forth below.
Source: New Catholic Dictionary
Chastity, vow of (definition)
Forbids all voluntary sexual pleasure. It constitutes a matrimonial impediment. If the vow be a simple one, which may be anyone of four kinds (of virginity, of not marrying, of receiving Sacred Orders, or of entering religion), it is a hindering impediment, rendering a marriage unlawful although valid, unless a dispensation be obtained. If the vow be solemn, which means that it is made publicly and for life in a religious community wherein such vows are administered, it constitutes a diriment impediment. In certain other communities which have received a special permission from the Holy See to that effect, simple vows would cause a diriment impediment. In either case a dispensation may be given by the Church. The reception of Sacred Orders (that is, of the first of the major orders, which, in our Latin Rite, is subdeaconship) imposes a solemn vow of chastity; and while the Church has the power of dispensing from this, this has been very seldom done.
3 - Deano
Yes but more importantly - who do you think is going to win, this most Catholic of horse races?
FYI, my money is on the Bishop of Milan.
4 - Dr Joseph S Maresca
Probably. Remember, lots of cardinals have been promoted by Pope Emeritus Benedict over the past 8 years. Usually, the previous occupant of the papacy is no longer alive at the time of the voting.
If the field narrows on the first vote, then a concensus will be needed. Much depends upon what the cardinals want in the next Pope.
I think that the candidate chosen will be no older than early seventies because the job involves a lot of administration and travel. This will be the first time in over 6 centuries that an Emeritus Pope is on the scene and still participating in some way to the continuing discussions within the Church.
5 - Baronius
I think it's doubtful that Benedict will have any input, beyond having chosen many of the cardinals. I mean, if you want to be the power behind the scenes, you're not the kind of person who walks away from the papacy. There's nothing in Benedict's personality that indicates he covets power.
6 - Dr Dreadful
Actually, the job doesn't have to involve a lot of travel. It's only the last three popes (I'm excluding John Paul I here because he barely stuck around long enough to blink, let alone go anywhere) who've made global travel a feature of the papacy. Before Paul VI and Vatican II, popes were traditionally sedentary and seldom left Rome unless forced into exile.
7 - Dr Joseph S Maresca
The new Pope may make visits as part of the push for evangelization which is to bring the message of Christ across the globe. The Church needs to enforce the vows made by the clergy while simultaneously creating more opportunities for people to participate in a surrogate or supporting role.
The Church has made some important concessions like allowing masses in English or the host language, permitting pop music at mass, doing away with the requirement for "no meat? on Friday and outreach into the community.
8 - Baronius
Joseph, most of those things you call concessions look like bad moves to a lot of people. Changes in the Mass have diminished the sense of the sacred and made it easy for a lot of people to transition to Protestant or evangelical churches. Some types of outreach (I'm thinking of charismatic ecumenism) have done the same.
As for the Friday abstinence, what was so harmful about that? You're a food activist. You have no problem with encouraging people to eat differently for their health. We live in a society where vegetarianism, veganism, and organic/local farming are common. Was it so out-of-bounds to ask Catholics to inconvenience themselves a bit on Fridays?
I'm not alone in this thinking. The past two popes have been increasingly supportive of the Tridentine Mass movement. Vocations are booming in Latin-only orders. England and Wales recently reintroduced the Friday obligation.
9 - Clav
The Church needs to enforce the vows made by the clergy...
With the major exception of the pederast problem, the Church never stopped enforcing its vows. Ask any nun or monk.
The problem with priests is serious, and has been for some time, although there does seem to be a new attitude emerging on the part of the Vatican. I suspect whomever the new Pope is, he will direct a great deal of his attention to this blot on the Church's reputation.
And Baronius is right: in much of the world, the Church is stronger than ever; the major exception being the Americas, North and South. In North America, secularism is rapidly gaining ground, while in South (and Latin) America, the protestant religions have been making significant inroads for decades now in what used to be almost exclusively Catholic territory.
10 - Dr Joseph S Maresca
Enforcing the vows will mean that only the people interested in service will stay there.
The Church needs to get back to the message of Christ through Evangelization.
11 - Dr Dreadful
Exactly how does one "enforce" a vow anyway? Aren't they voluntary?
12 - Clav
Sort of, Doc. If you want into the order demanding vows, you MUST take them.
How to enforce? Good question, but since most priests do not take vows (as Baronius has pointed out), and priests are, for the most part the perpetrators of the pedophiilia, the Church should have by now figured that out.
I think if the Church hierarchy had been serious about addressing this very real moral problem, they long ago would have started serious action, including defrocking the priests involved, AND turning them over to civil authorities.
The lack of appropriate attention to this indefensible problem is easily one of the most serious mistakes the Roman Catholic church has made; it has cost them credibility and standing, and likely has lost them substantial numbers of faithful.
13 - Glen Contrarian
Criticisms?
Chris' absence speaks volumes.
14 - Glen Contrarian
But Clav is doing his part and good on him.
15 - Glen Contrarian
No, the Catholic church is not stronger than ever. While it has gained in overall population, that does not translate into "strength".
We all know how the RCC has been significantly weakened in America, and it is less well-known here that it is weakening in Europe even while it has made gains in poorer areas of the world.
I pointed out a long time ago that the higher the standard of living of a nation, generally speaking, the more secular that nation will become. Catholicism - like most other religions - is declining in most nations that have high standards of living, but remains strong where there is much poverty.
You can form your own opinions as to how this affects the 'strength' of the RCC.
16 - Clav
This just in: White smoke rose from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel less than an hour ago.
A new Pope has been named, but his name will not be revealed until he steps out on the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square to address the gathered multitudes.
17 - Christopher Rose
An openly gay black pope would be the best possible outcome for this dismal crew but I wouldn't put money on it!
18 - Christopher Rose
So they went with the bloke from Argentina - wonder if he can do the Tango?
19 - c i n d y
Make that...an openly gay black female pope...
20 - roger nowosielski
There go the hopes for an openly gay black pope!!!
21 - Christopher Rose
Even better, Cindy!
22 - roger nowosielski
An openly gay black lesbian pope, and a cross-dresser too ...
23 - Clav
The new Pope is Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, which makes him the first New World Pope and would appear to signal the Church's concern with its status in the Americas. Notably, he is of Italian descent.
He will rule as Pope Francis.
24 - roger nowosielski
and he or she could tango ...
25 - Clav
My bet is probably can, and well...