Conclaves: the second great act of faith

Plan du conclave avec touttes les cérémonies observées à l'élection du nouveau Pape fait pendant le siége vacant du Pape Clément IX qui la tenu 11 ans V moys XIX jours dans lequel Messeigneurs les cardinaux sont entrez le XX Décembre 1669 oû le cardinal Altieri Romain a esté eleu le 29 avril 1670 sous le nom de Clément X

Print engraving

1670

Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris

Sebastiano Ricci 1659 –  1734

Il Conclave  

1686 - 1688

Oil on canvas 126 x 87 cm

Palazzo Farnese - Musei Civici Autore, Piacenza

The Conclave to elect Pope Alexander VII

Print engraving

317 cm. x 230 cm

From Giovanni-Dominico De Rossi`s Album Louis-Philippe

Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, Versailles

Christoph Weigel 1654 – 1725

Der Grund-Riß der Conclave und die Beschreibung aller Solennitaeten, welche in Rom nach Absterben eines Pabstes und bey der Erwählung seines Nachfolgers vorzugehen pflegen

1721

Engraving

Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nürnberg

Hans Makart (1840-1884)

A Conclave 

1863/65

Oil on canvas 

49.3 cm. x  78.3 cm

Neue Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Munich

Conclaves have always made good copy. For centuries

The whiff of intrigue, secret deals and other secular practices in the guise of religious ritual: conclaves have always been seedy by those outside the conclave  in these terms

In an inter-regnum in an system of elective autocracy, imagination and speculation can and do run amok

The newspapers and other media on the 24 hour news cycle cannot be really be blamed. They simply reflect the popular taste and demand. But soon fortunately it will be back to normal

The Holy See Press Office has a special microsite on the College of Cardinals with factual information so that journalists and others do not go too far astray

It tries its best but it is like the infamous Dutch boy with his finger in the dyke against a great tsunami

As for the Holy season of Lent, well... gone for a burton really despite the sterling efforts of Father Z and others

On 23 February 2013 the Secretary of State published a statement on this subject:

"Over the course of the centuries, Cardinals have had to face many forms of pressures, exerted upon individual electors or upon the College of Cardinals itself, that sought to influence their decisions, following a political or worldly logic.  

If in the past the so-called powers, i.e., States, sought to influence the election of the Pope, today there is an attempt to do this through public opinion, which is often based on judgements that do not capture the typically spiritual aspect of this moment that the Church is living"

What has been lost in the current news coverage of the Conclave is the spiritual purpose of this stage in the process to elect a new Pope.

The rules are set out in Blessed Pope John Paul`s Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis as amended

It is a document well worth the reading

It is a codification and updating of past rules written in the style of an explanatory commentary

At the very beginning of the document it states:

"The Shepherd of the Lord's whole flock is the Bishop of the Church of Rome, where the Blessed Apostle Peter, by sovereign disposition of divine Providence, offered to Christ the supreme witness of martyrdom by the shedding of his blood. It is therefore understandable that the lawful apostolic succession in this See, with which "because of its great pre-eminence every Church must agree", has always been the object of particular attention. 

Precisely for this reason, down the centuries the Supreme Pontiffs have deemed it their special duty, as well as their specific right, to establish fitting norms to regulate the orderly election of their Successor"

Unfortunately few in the media appear to have read it. Indeed a number of clergy and church dignitaries who have been quoted in the Press appear not to have read it either

From this weekend`s press coverage, the following paragraphs appear to have been overlooked:

"80. In the same way, I wish to confirm the provisions made by my Predecessors for the purpose of excluding any external interference in the election of the Supreme Pontiff. Therefore, in virtue of holy obedience and under pain of excommunication latae sententiae, I again forbid each and every Cardinal elector, present and future, as also the Secretary of the College of Cardinals and all other persons taking part in the preparation and carrying out of everything necessary for the election, to accept under any pretext whatsoever, from any civil authority whatsoever, the task of proposing the veto or the so-called exclusiva, even under the guise of a simple desire, or to reveal such either to the entire electoral body assembled together or to individual electors, in writing or by word of mouth, either directly and personally or indirectly and through others, both before the election begins and for its duration. I intend this prohibition to include all possible forms of interference, opposition and suggestion whereby secular authorities of whatever order and degree, or any individual or group, might attempt to exercise influence on the election of the Pope. 

81. The Cardinal electors shall further abstain from any form of pact, agreement, promise or other commitment of any kind which could oblige them to give or deny their vote to a person or persons. If this were in fact done, even under oath, I decree that such a commitment shall be null and void and that no one shall be bound to observe it; and I hereby impose the penalty of excommunication latae sententiae upon those who violate this prohibition. It is not my intention however to forbid, during the period in which the See is vacant, the exchange of views concerning the election. 

82. I likewise forbid the Cardinals before the election to enter into any stipulations, committing themselves of common accord to a certain course of action should one of them be elevated to the Pontificate. These promises too, should any in fact be made, even under oath, I also declare null and void. 

83. With the same insistence shown by my Predecessors, I earnestly exhort the Cardinal electors not to allow themselves to be guided, in choosing the Pope, by friendship or aversion, or to be influenced by favour or personal relationships towards anyone, or to be constrained by the interference of persons in authority or by pressure groups, by the suggestions of the mass media, or by force, fear or the pursuit of popularity. Rather, having before their eyes solely the glory of God and the good of the Church, and having prayed for divine assistance, they shall give their vote to the person, even outside the College of Cardinals, who in their judgment is most suited to govern the universal Church in a fruitful and beneficial way."

As well as the rules of Canon Law and the terms of the Apostolic Constitution, this period is of great Liturgical significance. There is a special Ordo Rituum Conclavis

Universi Dominici Gregis states in chapter 5 that for the Pope’s Funeral and the Conclave the two rites Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis and Ordo Rituum Conclavis are to be carefully followed (cf. n. 27).

The Constitution also establishes certain norms with regard to the duties of the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations during the Vacant See and the services to be rendered by the Masters of Ceremonies in the places destined for the Cardinal electors during liturgical celebrations and the election of the new Pope (cf. n. 46).

In 2005, the then Master of Liturgical Celebrations, Archbishop Piero Marini published a detailed article on the importance of the liturgical rites during this period

"A second powerful moment of faith is demanded of the Church during the period of the election of the Successor of Peter. At this time the Church must be deeply united with the Bishops and above all with the Cardinal electors in imploring «from God the new Supreme Pontiff as a gift of his goodness and providence. Indeed, like the first community of Christians described in the Acts of the Apostles (cf. 1:4), the whole Church must persevere in prayer with one accord in spiritual union with Mary, mother of Jesus, to obtain from the Lord a worthy Shepherd»."

To compare the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI to a CEO of a State or large corporation resigning or the election of a new Pope to the selection of a new President of a state or CEO of a multinational corporation by its board of directors is to fundamentally misunderstand the nature of the Papacy and the Church and how it does and should go about its business

A Portrait of a Holy Man

William Thomas Roden 1817–1892

Portrait of His Eminence Cardinal Newman 

1879 

Oil on canvas

125.7 x 100.4 cm

Birmingham Museums Trust, England 

The painting was commissioned to commemorate the event of Cardinal Newman being ade a Cardinal

It was paid for by subscription

At the time it was acclaimed by many as a truly lifelike portrait 

Before being made cardinal in 1879, Newman passed  many years in silence and in the recollection of Edgbaston, or in the retreat of Rednal.

There is some controversy as to whether Newman had renounced the offer of cardinal and at first Cardinal Manning indicated to Rome that Newman had declined. However these machinations were corrected by Bishop Ullathorne and the Duke of Norfolk.

On 16th April 1879 Newman set out for Rome 

He received his red hat. It was a most significant appointment at the time and for the history of the Church

Pope Leo XIII said of the opposition he faced in his nomination of Newman, the simple priest:

“My Cardinal! It was not easy, not easy… They said he was too liberal; but I had determined to honour the Church in honouring Newman. I always had veneration for him. I am proud that I was allowed to honour such a man.” 

Pope Benedict XVI has always had a similarly high regard for Newman. 

See the talk given by the then Cardinal Ratzinger in the centenary year of Newman’s death (1990) during a Symposium organized by the International Centre of Newman Friends,

"In January 1946, when I began my study of theology in the Seminary in Freising which had finally reopened after the confusion of the war, an older student was assigned as prefect to our group, who had begun to work on a dissertation on Newman’s theology of conscience even before the beginning of the war.  

In all the years of his military service he had not lost sight of this theme, which he now turned to with new enthusiasm and energy.  

Soon we were bonded by a personal friendship, wholly centred on the great problems of philosophy and theology. Of course Newman was always present. Alfred Läpple – the above mentioned prefect named – published his dissertation in 1952 with the title: Der Einzelne in der Kirche (The Individual in the Church). 

For us at that time, Newman’s teaching on conscience became an important foundation for theological personalism, which was drawing us all in its sway.  

Our image of the human being as well as our image of the Church was permeated by this point of departure.  

We had experienced the claim of a totalitarian party, which understood itself as the fulfilment of history and which negated the conscience of the individual. 

 One of its leaders had said: 

“I have no conscience. My conscience is Adolf Hitler.” The appalling devastation of humanity that followed was before our eyes"

In his homily for the Beatification for Blessed John Henry Newman, Pope Benedict XVI went further:

"[I]t is right and fitting that we should recognize today the holiness of a confessor, a son of this nation who, while not called to shed his blood for the Lord, nevertheless bore eloquent witness to him in the course of a long life devoted to the priestly ministry, and especially to preaching, teaching, and writing ... 

In Blessed John Henry, that tradition of gentle scholarship, deep human wisdom and profound love for the Lord has borne rich fruit, as a sign of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit deep within the heart of God’s people, bringing forth abundant gifts of holiness. 

Cardinal Newman’s motto, Cor ad cor loquitur, or “Heart speaks unto heart”, gives us an insight into his understanding of the Christian life as a call to holiness, experienced as the profound desire of the human heart to enter into intimate communion with the Heart of God. 

He reminds us that faithfulness to prayer gradually transforms us into the divine likeness. 

As he wrote in one of his many fine sermons, “a habit of prayer, the practice of turning to God and the unseen world in every season, in every place, in every emergency – prayer, I say, has what may be called a natural effect in spiritualizing and elevating the soul. A man is no longer what he was before; gradually … he has imbibed a new set of ideas, and become imbued with fresh principles” (Parochial and Plain Sermons, iv, 230-231) ... 

The definite service to which Blessed John Henry was called involved applying his keen intellect and his prolific pen to many of the most pressing “subjects of the day”. 

His insights into the relationship between faith and reason, into the vital place of revealed religion in civilized society, and into the need for a broadly-based and wide-ranging approach to education were not only of profound importance for Victorian England, but continue today to inspire and enlighten many all over the world. 

I would like to pay particular tribute to his vision for education, which has done so much to shape the ethos that is the driving force behind Catholic schools and colleges today. 

Firmly opposed to any reductive or utilitarian approach, he sought to achieve an educational environment in which intellectual training, moral discipline and religious commitment would come together"

But was he speaking only of Newman ? Was he perhaps also speaking of himself ?

Vaticinia de Pontificibus

Miniature of Pope Celestine V kneeling in prayer. 

From Vaticinia de Pontificibus 

1425 - 1450

Illustrated manuscript

285 x 195 mm

Italy, Central (Florence)

Harley 1340 f. 3

The British Library, London

Miniature of Miniature of Pope Gregory XII

From Vaticinia de Pontificibus 

1425 - 1450

Illustrated manuscript

285 x 195 mm

Italy, Central (Florence)

Harley 1340 f. 9v

The British Library, London

The Vaticinia Pontificum was a work of black propaganda falsely attributed to the mystic Joachim of Fiore (c. 1135 – March 30, 1202)

They allegedly made prophecies regarding the popes: who was to be elected and what were their attributes or main characteristics

Many regard the work as a crude attempt to influence future conclaves

Unfortunately the practice still continues today among Catholics and non-Catholics

Pope Gregory XII

School of Le Marche

The Tomb of Pope Gregory XII

1417

Sculpture, painting on stucco

275.0 x 232.0 x 53.0 cm

Co-Cathedral of St. Flavian, Recanati, Province of Macerata

School of Le Marche

Pope Gregory XII

17th century

Fresco

Diameter 105 cm

Co-Cathedral of St. Flavian, Recanati, Province of Macerata

School of Le Marche

Tablet commemorating Pope Gregory XII

1793

Engraved black marble

60.0 x 91.0 x 11.0 cm

Co-Cathedral of St. Flavian, Recanati, Province of Macerata

The inscription on the tomb reads:

"MAXIM. EC. PRINCEPS SUMQ. MONARCHA/ ORDINE GREGORI BISSENO CLAUDIT ARCHA/ HIC PR. PACE DATUS CELESTINOME SEMPER/ FERBUIT

ETHNEOS SUPERIS UNIR. DECENTE/ AST. BIS SCISM. MALU FCA HEC DEMTIA PISIS/ IPE PI. RELEVAT PURA ET CONSTANTIA TESTIS/ CARDINE BIS SACRO PASTORIS COSCIA TED./ MAR(C)HIA SUSCEPIT RACANAT. FLAVI. EDE/ SUB ANNO DNI MCCCCXVII"

The inscription on the tablet reads:

"GREGORIUS XII P. O. M. / VIR SANCTUS A D. ANTONINO DICTUS/ ET PROPTER SUMMAM IN ADVERSIS CONSTANTIAM/ S. STEPHANO MARTYR I COMPARATUS/ RECINETI XV KAL. NOV. AN. MCCCCXVII DEFUNCTUS/

ET IN HAC PRINCIPE ECCLESIA TUMULATUS/ ANGELI EPISCOPI A SE CARDINALIS RENUNCIATI/ ACCIPIENS DIGNIOREM LOCUM/ SOLEMNI E

MORTUALI RITU RENOVATO/ TRANSLATUS EST TERTIO/ CURANTE CAPITULO OB NOVI SACELLI/ PRO INSIGNIBUS RELIQUIIS A GREGORIO ETIAM/ ELARGITIS ASSERVANDIS DEDICATIONEM/ DIE XVIII JUL. AN. MDCCXCIII"

As we all know by now, thanks to the press, Pope Gregory XII (c. 1326 – 18 October 1417),was Pope from 1406 to 1415.

Prior to Benedict XVI, he was the last Pope to abdicate

He resigned office in a letter read by his  procurator Carlo Cardinal Malatesta, on July 4, 1415, in the Council of Constance.

It was this resignation which paved the way to resolving the Western Schism when three claimants claimed the papacy.

It was Gregory`s claim which was the only true claim

After his abdication Gregory`s  cardinals that had been created by him were accepted as cardinals, and he was appointed Bishop of Porto and perpetual legate at Ancona.

He did not live to see the election of his successor Martin V, one of his cardinals

He was buried in what was then a new Cathedral. His tomb has been moved several times in the cathedral. 

Of this period the German Lutheran historian  Ferdinand Gregorovius (January 19, 1821 – May 1, 1891) wrote: 

"A temporal kingdom would have succumbed thereto; but the organization of the spiritual kingdom was so wonderful, the ideal of the papacy so indestructible, that this, the most serious of schisms, served only to demonstrate its indivisibility" (Geschichte der Stadt Rom im Mittelalter, (History of Rome in the Middle Ages),  VI, 620).

It is in Recanati in that small forgotten area of Le Marche we can still see how one man`s act of sacrifice was a tool for the revival of the Church in a way never at all contemplated when he made his historic act.

St Peter Celestine

Bartolomé Román (c. 1587-1647)

St Peter Celestine, Pope

Oil on canvas

208 cm x 110 cm

Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Pope Saint Celestine V (1215 – 19 May 1296) was a monk and hermit  who founded the order of the Celestines. 

In 1294, he was elected pope but after only five months of poor administration, he resigned. 

In 1313, he was canonized

Our view of this great man has been unduly coloured by Dante`s Inferno where some have argued he is portrayed as a nameless figure in the antechamber of  Hell "Who by his cowardice made the great refusal" —Inferno III, 59–60

In another section of the Inferno (28, 58), Pope Boniface is called "Prince of the Pharisees" and declares: 

"I can open and close Heaven, as you know, with the two keys that my predecessor, Celestine, did not prize."

Dante appears to have been critical of Celestine because his resignation paved the way for the succession of Pope Boniface VIII whom Dante detested and placed firmly in the centre of Hell

But Dante`s view of Celestine was perhaps exceptional and coloured by how the acts and decisions of Boniface VIII materially and adversely affected him. 

On the other hand, Petrarch regarded Celestine V as one of the great figures who ever occupied the Papacy.

In his treatise De vita solitaria, he wrote:

"This gesture [of abdication] by the solitary and Holy Father Celestine may be attributed by those who will to cowardice of spirit, since the diversity of temperaments allows us to express on the same argument opinions which are not only different, but conflicting. For myself, I believe the gesture was above all useful to himself and to the world. 

In fact, for both [the world and himself] that lofty dignity could be full of dangers and risks and disturbances, because of Pietro's inexperience of human things -- he had neglected them in order to contemplate divine things too much -- and because of his constant love of solitude. ... 

I consider his act as the act of a most lofty and free spirit which knew no impositions, of a truly divine spirit. I think a man could not have so acted if he had not rightly evaluated human affairs and had not set beneath his foot the proud head of fortune. ..."

Celestine was of course canonised. His resignation or abdication was not a bar to his canonisation. Rather, his resignation was a sign of his heroic virtue

Pope Paul VI saw the abdication of Celestine as being derived from Celestine`s virtue and  sense of obligation and duty and certainly not cowardice:

"Ed ecco rifulgere la santità sulle manchevolezze umane: il Papa, come per dovere aveva accettato il Pontificato supremo, così, per dovere, vi rinuncia; non per viltà, come Dante scrisse - se le sue parole si riferiscono veramente a Celestino - ma per eroismo di virtù, per sentimento di dovere." 

The Spanish Baroque painter depicted Celestine in his simple  Benedictine garb. He does not appear in grand dress

The three tiered papal tiara is at his feet as a symbol of his renunciation

He has turned his back on the tiara. His attention is on Christ on the crucifix and Scripture, the only things needful

There are other symbols of the hermetic life which he embraced: meditation and contemplation on Scripture and on death

The Professor`s Last Lesson: Truth and Conscience

The historic declaration by His Holiness on Monday 11th February 2013 shocked, stunned and greatly saddened the Church

The inelegant clunky translation from Latin into English by the Vatican  obscures rather than clarifies what the Pope had to say

One sentence of the Declaration sticks out on this very sad occasion:

"After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry."

To publicly state this underlines the great humility, bravery and nobility of the man

Pope Benedict XVI has often spoken about conscience: true conscience and the errant conscience. The papacy itself is subject always to the Truth and the true conscience

One of the best known examples was at the 10th Workshop for Bishops in February 1991 (over twenty years ago) in Dallas, Texas when the then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger said:

"Newman was much more taken by the necessity to obey recognized truth than his own preferences, that is to say, even against his own sensitivity and bonds of friendship and ties due to similar backgrounds.  

It seems to me characteristic of Newman that he emphasized truth's priority over goodness in the order of virtues. Or, to put it in a way which is more understandable for us, he emphasized truth's priority over consensus, over the accommodation of groups.  

I would say, when we are speaking of a man of conscience, we mean one who looks at things this way. A man of conscience, is one who never acquires tolerance, well- being, success, public standing, and approval on the part of prevailing opinion, at the expense of truth.  

In this regard, Newman is related to Britain's other great witness of conscience,Thomas More, for whom conscience was not at all an expression of subjective stubbornness or obstinate heroism. He numbered himself, in fact, among those fainthearted martyrs who only after faltering and much questioning succeed in mustering up obedience to conscience, mustering up obedience to the truth which must stand higher than any human tribunal or any type of personal taste.  

Thus two standards become apparent for ascertaining the presence of a real voice or conscience. First, conscience is not identical to personal wishes and taste. Secondly, conscience cannot be reduced to social advantage, to group consensus or to the demands of political and social power.... 

Let us take a formulation of Saint Basil. The love of God which is concrete in the commandments, is not imposed on us from without, the Church Father emphasizes, but has been implanted in us beforehand. The sense for the good has been stamped upon us, Augustine puts it. We can now appreciate Newman's toast first to conscience and then to the Pope.  

The Pope cannot impose commandments on faithful Catholics because he wants to or finds it expedient. Such a modern, voluntaristic concept of authority can only distort the true theological meaning of the papacy.  

The true nature of the Petrine office has become so incomprehensible in the modern age no doubt because we only think of authority in terms which do not allow for bridges between subject and object. Accordingly, everything which does not come from the subject is thought to be externally imposed.... 

In the crisis of the Church today, the power of this recollection and the truth of the apostolic word is experienced in an entirely new way where much more so than hierarchical direction, it is the power of memory of the simple faith which leads to the discernment of spirits. One can only comprehend the primacy of the Pope and its correlation to Christian conscience in this connection.  

The true sense of this teaching authority of the Pope consists in his being the advocate of the Christian memory. The Pope does not impose from without. Rather, he elucidates the Christian memory and defends it. For this reason the toast to conscience indeed must precede the toast to the Pope because without conscience there would not be a papacy.  

All power that the papacy has is power of conscience.  

It is service to the double memory upon which the faith is based and which again and again must be purified, expanded and defended against the destruction of memory which is threatened by a subjectivity forgetful of its own foundation as well as by the pressures of social and cultural conformity."

Egerton 809: Witnesses to the Gospel

St Agnes flanked by St Blaise and St Anthony

Egerton 809, upper cover

Late 15th century possibly Bruges

The British Library, London

The detailed record for Egerton 809 in The British Library in London states that it is a Gospel lectionary from South Germany, manufactured in the first quarter of the 12th century

But the front cover of Egerton 809 includes a painted panel of the late 15th century made in Bruges with an image of St Agnes, flanked by St Blaise and St Anthony the Great.

All three were very well known and popular saints

Their commemorations in the Liturgy all fall within a short window in January and February

St Anthony, the founder of Western monasticism was probably a given for a holy book lodged in a monastery

From early days St Anthony`s fame and renown was widespread and it was longlasting

Saint Athanasius in his bestseller of early Christian literature: The Life of Anthony wrote:

 "The fact that his fame has been blazoned everywhere, that all regard him with wonder, and that those who have never seen him long for him, is clear proof of his virtue and God's love of his soul. 

For not from writings, nor from worldly wisdom, nor through any art, was Anthony renowned, but solely from his piety towards God. That this was the gift of God no one will deny. 

"For from whence into Spain and into Gaul, how into Rome and Africa, was the man heard of who dwelt hidden in a mountain, unless it was God who makes his own known everywhere, who also promised this to Anthony at the beginning? 

For even if they work secretly, even if they wish to remain in obscurity, yet the Lord shows them as lamps to lighten all, that those who hear may thus know that the precepts of God are able to make men prosper and thus be zealous in the path of virtue" (Life of Anthony, 93, 5-6).

The other two saints depicted were martyrs. St Agnes of Rome (c. 291 – c. 304) is a virgin–martyr

and St. Blasius was a bishop who suffered martyrdom at the beginning of the fourth century

All three were heroic witnesses to the Gospel. They  resisted flattery, inducements and threats, and lived quiet lives of heroic holiness. They chose the Kingdom of Christ over this world and loved Christ to the point of great suffering and martyrdom.

The Seven Corporal Works of Charity

Pieter Brueghel the Younger  (1564 or 1565  – 10 October 1636)

The Seven Corporal Works of Charity 

1616 - 1618 ca.

Oil on panel  

44 x 57,50 cm

Private collection

The Seven Christian Corporal Acts of Mercy are depicted

The scriptural text is  Matthew 25:35-6

To feed the hungry; to give drink to the thirsty; to clothe the naked; to visit and ransom the captive (prisoners); to shelter the homeless; to visit the sick; and to bury the dead.

The activities are not solitary but social

The works are a witness to fraternal charity and works of justice pleasing to God

In 2011 on the eve of Lent, Pope Benedict XVI recalled:

"St Gregory the Great recalled in his Pastoral Rule that fasting is sanctified by the virtues that go with it, especially by charity, by every act of generosity, giving to the poor and needy the equivalent of something we ourselves have given up (cf. 19, 10-11). 

Lent, moreover, is a privileged period for prayer. 

St Augustine said that fasting and almsgiving are “the two wings of prayer” which enable it to gain momentum and more easily reach even to God. 

He said: 

“In this way our prayers, made in humility and charity, in fasting and almsgiving, in temperance and in the forgiveness of offences, giving good things and not returning those that are bad, keeping away from evil and doing good, seek peace and achieve it. On the wings of these virtues our prayers fly safely and are more easily carried to Heaven, where Christ our Peace has preceded us” (Sermon 206, 3 on Lent: PL 38, 1042)."

Cædwalla`s Donation

Lambert Barnard (1485-1567)

Caedwalla, king of the West Saxons, granting land in Selsey, the original site of the diocese, to St Wilfrid for his monastery c AD 685

c. 1534 

Mural on oak board

14 feet x 32 feet

South transept, Chichester Cathedral, England

It is possible that Barnard was French or Flemish, though according to some historians he was of Italian origin. 

Barnard`s patron was Bishop Robert Sherburne, Bishop of Chichester

Barnard was paid an annual wage of £14 8s to work in the Cathedral

The Cathedral has many works by Barnard and the above painting is part of an extraordinary work of Tudor political and religious propaganda. 

Cædwalla (c. 659 – 20 April 689) was the King of Wessex from approximately 685 until he abdicated in 688

He made many grants and charters of land to the Church and in particular to St Wilfrid ( c 633 – c. 709) his spiritual father

Wilfrid spent a number of  years in Selsey, where he founded an episcopal see and converted the pagan inhabitants of the Kingdom of Sussex to Christianity. 

It appears likely that Wilfrid  was the first to introduce the Benedictine Rule into England

In a charter of 688, Cædwalla granted land at Farnham in Surrey to St Wilfrid  for a minster

We know of Wilfrid from Bede`s Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation and the Anglo Saxon Chronicle together with a Life of St Wilfrid written shortly after his death.

Realising that he was dying, Cædwalla  abdicated and went to Rome where he was catechised and baptised by Pope Sergius I. It would appear that he died shortly thereafter and was buried in the old St Peter`s Basilica, perhaps next to the tomb of St Gregory the Great, the Pope who commanded St Augustine to Christianise England

In his work Pagan and Christian Rome, (1892) Professor Rodolfo Amedeo Lanciani wrote of this tomb of one of the few English kings to be buried in St Peter`s and in a very important place indeed, in the Pope`s Corner in the section called Paradise:

"In the vestibule of S. Peter's, not far from the original grave of Gregory the Great, we should have found that of a British king, reckoned among the saints in the old martyrologies, who had come in grateful acknowledgment of the double civilization which his native island had received from pagan and Christian Rome. 

Under the date of 688 the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records: 

"This year king Ceadwalla went to Rome and received baptism from Pope Sergius, and he gave him the name of Peter, and in about seven days afterwards, on the twelfth before the Kalends of May (April 20), while he was yet in his baptismal garments, he died, and he was buried in S. Peter's." 

The fair-haired convert, who had met with a solemn and enthusiastic reception from Pope Sergius, the clergy, and the people, received after his death the greatest honour that the Church and the Romans could offer him: he was buried in the "Popes' Corner," or porticus pontificum, almost side by side with Gregory the Great. 

The verses engraved on the tomb of the latter—

"Ad Christum Anglos convertit pietate magistra

Sic fidei acquirens agmina gente nova,"

(by pious cares he converted the English to Christ, acquiring thereby for the true faith multitudes of a new race)—could not have found a more convincing witness to their truth than this grave of Ceadwalla, because with his conversion, which was due to the preaching of S. Wilfrid, the Christian religion spread rapidly among the Saxons of the West, and that part of the country which had most resisted the new faith was forever secured to Christian civilization. 

In fact Wessex became the most powerful member of the Heptarchy, till it attained absolute dominion over the whole island.

Ceadwalla's tomb, forgotten, and perhaps concealed by superstructures, was brought to light again towards the end of the sixteenth century. 

Giovanni de Deis, in a work published in 1588, says: 

"The epitaph and the tomb on which it was engraved lay for a long time concealed from the eyes of visitors, and only in later years it was discovered by the masons engaged in rebuilding S. Peter's." 

Not a fragment of the monument has come down to us, and such was the contempt with which the learned men of the age looked upon these historical monuments, that none of them condescended to give us the details of the discovery. 

"It is deeply to be regretted," says Cardinal Mai, "that such a notable trophy as the tomb of Ceadwalla, the royal catechumen, which was erected and inscribed by Sergius I., disappeared from the Vatican, and was irretrievably lost, together with innumerable monuments of ancient art and piety, owing to the calamities of the times, the avidity of the workmen, and the negligence of the superintendents."

"Ceadwalla's tomb," I quote from Tesoroni, "was not the only monument of Anglo-Saxon interest to be seen in old S. Pietro. 

William of Malmesbury and other chroniclers mention two other kings, Offa of Essex, and Coenred of Mercia, as having renounced their crowns and embraced the monastic life in one of the Vatican cloisters. They were also buried in the Paradise near the Popes' Corner. 

It is doubtful whether king Ina, who succeeded Ceadwalla, and his queen, Aethelburga, were buried in the same place, or in the Anglo-Saxon quarter by the church of S. Maria in Saxia, founded, probably, by Ina himself. 

It is certain, however, that at a later time king Burrhed of Mercia was entombed in the same quarter, and in the same church. The place is still named from the Anglo-Saxons, S. Spirito in Sassia." "

Old Vatican

Rodolfo Lanciani, Forma Urbis Roma (Milan, 1893-1901), plate VI - The Vatican Gardens (North) (Vatican Museums)

Rodolfo Lanciani, Forma Urbis Roma (Milan, 1893-1901), plate XII - The Vatican Gardens (West)

Rodolfo Lanciani, Forma Urbis Roma (Milan, 1893-1901), plate XIII - St Peter`s, The Vatican

Rodolfo Amadeo Lanciani 1846 - 1929  was a very distinguished and celebrated Professor of Ancient Topography at the University of Rome from 1878 until 1927

He was a pioneer, one of the four founders of a rational, modern approach to Roman cartography and archaeology 

He was supervisor of excavations in the city. He was also a prolific author

He was a member of two academies, dei Lincei and di S. Lucia, as well as the recipient of many honorary degrees from many famous universities including Oxford and Harvard

His Forma Urbis Romae has been described as ‘a magnificent map of the city and a marvellous example of cartography as well as an encyclopaedia of typographical information. It is still an essential tool for anyone working on the ancient city’ (L. Richardson, A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome [John Hopkins, 1972], xxv). 

The forty-six maps of the Forma Urbis have a scale of 1:1,000. 

Overlaid on the network of modern streets and buildings are the known remains of ancient Rome. 

The work is said to be unsurpassed to this day.

Major parts of the 46 plates are present here (in high resolution) and more be seen here in much lower resolution

From the maps above one can see the many layers of Rome in and around the Vatican where most Catholic tourists who visit Rome will head at least once.

One can see that the Basilica is built right on top of the old Roman road the Via Cornelia

The title of Lanciani`s work  is of course more than a hat tip to the  Forma Urbis Romae or Severan Marble Plan, the  massive marble map of ancient Rome, created under the emperor Septimius Severus between 203 and 211. 

It originally measured 18 m (60 ft) wide by 13 m (45 ft) high and was carved into 150 marble slabs mounted on an interior wall of the Temple of Peace.

For some assistance in deciphering Lanciani`s maps you might wish to consult Samuel Ball Platner A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome London : Oxford University Press, 1929

This is on Bill Thayer`s great website Lacus Curtius

Here are the entries for the Via Cornelia and the Vatican from the classic 1929 work:

St Mary of the Candles

Luis de Morales (1512 - 9 May 1586) ("El Divino")

La Presentación de Jesús en el Templo

The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple

Oil on panel

146 cm x 114 cm

Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

"El Divino" painted almost exclusively religious works. Although Morales created altarpieces and large scale religious narratives, he was and is most celebrated for his work as a devotional painter.

He and his work reflect the fervent spirituality of Spanish society of his time. His art is that inspired by the Council of Trent

The key is his desire to seek emotional involvement of the viewer with the figures being depicted and the actions the figures are seen performing in the works. 

The viewer is invited into the painting. We are invited not merely to spectate but participate and meditate

His works were often meant to be aids to meditation. He gives pictorial form to the written works of the Spanish mystics

A frequent topic of his compositions is the Virgin and Child. In this case the subject is the fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, what is still a major Feast of the Church although in times gone by one of the great Feasts properly and earnestly commemorated

It was known as Candlemas, literally St Mary of the Candles, a  quarter day, a legal term day, a day for the beginning of term in the Universities

In France it was and is known as Chandeleur, in Italy Candelora and in Spain Candelaria.

The event it depicts is described in Luke 2: 22 - 39

22 When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,  

23 just as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,"  

24 and to offer the sacrifice of "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons," in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.  

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the holy Spirit was upon him.  

26 It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord.  

27 He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,  

28 he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:  

29 "Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word,  

30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,  

31 which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,  

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel." 

33 The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;  

34 and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 

"Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted  

35 (and you yourself a sword will pierce)  so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." 

36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,  

37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.  

38 And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.  

39 When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. "

Joseph and Mary act in accordance with the Law. Mary goes to the Temple to seek Purification in terms of the Law. Mary brings two pigeons to be offered in sacrifice. It is the offering allowed to the poor. The ransom is paid. The child is redeemed. Simeon prophesies a future sacrifice, Christ, who will pay the ransom so that Israel can be redeemed

Mary is the Mother who  presents her Son to the Father at the Temple

Simeon describes the infant Christ as the “Light for revelation to the Gentiles” (Lk 2:32). Thus the light, thus the candles, thus the pure white linen on which the child is laid  in the painting 

Simeon is a man of the Old Testament, the Old Covenant, a priest of the Temple. The Old recognises the New Dispensation. 

Luke`s narrative suggests that not only Simeon and Anna have been waiting long for this moment, but even the very Temple itself. The arrival of the Redeemer and to see the very face of God himself

Beware the Jesuit Philanthropist

"Father Arthur Scott S.J."

Alessandra Ram in The Atlantic reports on an  art philanthropist

"A connoisseur of art, Father Arthur Scott dresses in all black, his ensemble complete with a clerical collar and Jesuit pin on his lapel. Collector Steven Gardiner has been applauded for his museum donations in the name of deceased family members. But it is Mark Landis, the 57-year-old Mississippi native behind both of these nonexistent personalities, who refers to himself as a “philanthropist.” 

Directed by Terri Timely and produced by Brady Welch and Sophie Harris, the documentary below profiles an ingenious oddity, a man who has managed to dupe nearly 50 regional art institutions into accepting forged artwork (there are several museums that remain unaware that they have been tricked)"

A Festival Book: Cardinal Morosini returns Home

Hand coloured frontispiece

Dedication

The Arch of Brescia: one of the six triumphal arches on the processional route

From the Festival Book depicting the Entry and Return into Brescia of Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Morosini, Bishop of Brescia. (Brescia: 1591)

(Italian title: Il sontuoso apparato, fatto dalla magnifica citta di Brescia nel felice ritorno dell' ill[ustrissimo] ... vescovo suo il cardinale Morosini)

Nowadays if a bishop, archbishop or even cardinal returns from a trip abroad, he is lucky if his assistant is waiting for him at the train station or airport with a trolley for his luggage to take to the car. After crawling through rush hour traffic, he will arrive at his home. If he is late, he might be lucky to find a note telling him how he should prepare his supper

Things appear to have been very different during the Renaissance

Cardinal Gianfrancesco Morosini (1537-1596) was a distinguished Papal diplomat and churchman, a close friend of St Philip Neri

He was from a noble and distinguished Venetian family

He had many postings in the Venetian diplomatic service including to the Court of Sultan Amurat III of Constantinople. The Sultan once seriously threatened the diplomat Morosini with decapitation after a Venetian raid on Corfu. Like a true diplomat he talked his way out of that situation 

In September 1585 he was ordained and elected Bishop of Brescia. In 1588 Pope Sixtus V appointed him a cardinal

After service in the diplomatic service of the Pope he returned to Brescia in 1591 and thereafter left for a conclave in Rome

As bishop he did not neglect his religious duties. He is buried in the Cathedral at Brescia. In his wil he left all his property to be divided amongst the Hospital and the poor of Brescia

The Festival Book depicting his entry into Brescia in 1591 is indeed a sumptuous work in the style of the Festival Books of the period which celebrated great events

Included in the Book are: a detailed description of the election of those responsible for the festivities and the process of designing and building the six triumphal arches designated for the triumphal parade; celebratory poems; poems of the various arches and symbols specially built for the parade and a description of their meaning

The British LIbrary website has a fascinating section on its website about Festival Books during the Renaissance

There are over 2,000 such books  in the British Library's collection. 

They describe the magnificent festivals and ceremonies that took place in Europe between 1475 and 1700 - marriages and funerals of royalty and nobility, coronations, stately entries into cities and other grand events

Events described on the website of the British Library include

the Accession of Pope Paul III. in 1534;

the Joust held in the Vatican for the wedding of Jacopo Annibale Altemps and Ortensia Borromeo in 1565;

the Entry into Rome of Marc'Antonio Colonna, commander of the Christian forces at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571; and

the Visit  to Pope Gregory XIII by four Christian Japanese princes: Ito Mancio, Chijiwa Miguel, Nakamura Julian and Hara Martinho in March, 1585 

There are also over 500 such books in the National Art LIbrary at the V and A