As Catholics worldwide wait for the election of a new Pope, no date has been set for the Conclave to convene according to a Vatican news briefing today, March 7 and the Cardinals have agreed to cease all media briefings. Father Federico Lombardi reiterated this information earlier today after unfounded news reports have surfaced that St. Peter’s Basilica was booked next Monday at 5 p.m. for a Mass in honor of the new Pontiff.
NBC News is reporting the Cardinals have been ordered to cease conversations with the media until the Conclave is over; they are concerned about leaks regarding talks during the pre-Conclave meetings. Apparently, American Cardinals who have been holding daily briefings abruptly cancelled one yesterday, March 6 and there has been accumulating speculation that other Cardinals have been objecting to such media openness.
The date for the Conclave is still unclear, with Italian newspapers reporting that the American and German Cardinals want the date pushed back as long as possible to allot for more time for reflection, but Italian Cardinals want the Conclave to begin ASAP. Catholic Church law governs the Conclave must be held by March 20.
The Vatican’s Facebook page shows the General Congregations taking place in preparation to the Conclave, with all of the Cardinals headed to St. Peter's Basilica yesterday afternoon for the celebration of Vespers, to invoke the Lord in this crucial time in the life of the Church, presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, Archpriest of the Vatican Basilica. The Cardinals recited the glorious mysteries of the Holy Rosary in Latin and Italian and then followed on to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Bishop Murphy of the Diocese of Rockville Centre on Long Island provides a reflection on the current “Papal Transition” to shed some light on the happenings within the Vatican and the Conclave to elect the next Pope providing a little clarity for Catholics worldwide.
Sources: “New.VA” and “NBC News New York”
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