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GEORGIA BULLETIN
MONDAY JUNE 3, 1963
CURBED ANTI-SEMITISM A CONCLAVE
To Jews Pope John
Was ‘Brother Joseph’
the
Archdiocese of Atlanta
GEORGIA BULLETIN
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What Happens
After Death
Of A Pontiff ?
Both before and during his
pontificate, Pope John XXIII
played an inspiring role in the
Church's efforts to curb anti-
Semitism. He was praised by
Jewish leaders on many occas
ions for his efforts in their
behalf.
During the tragic days of
World War II, for example,
Archbishop Angelo Roncalli,
while serving as Apostolic De
legate to Greece and Turkey,
acted to prevent the sacrifice
of innocent victims of war and
persecution. From his post in
Istanbul he intervened to divert
a shipload of Jewish children
from what would have been a
tragic destination.
When Pope John XXIII as
cended the papal throne he had
already proved his diplomatic
skill and his priestly dedication
both as Papal Nuncio to Fr
ance and Patriarch of Venice.
W hen he was appointed to the
Paris post in 1944, he was con
fronted by the tension that had
developed between France and
the Vatican during World War
IL This had arisen from the
fact deeply resented by the Re
sistance Movement, that the Nu
ncio’s predecessor had main
tained headquarters at Vichy,
seat of Marshal Petain's col
laborationist government.
HOWEVER, the then Arch
bishop Angelo Gi- ,eppe Roncal
li succeeded so well in rega
ining the confidence andfriend-
ship of the post-war government
that, within three months of his
arrival in Paris, Franee resu
med normal diplomatic ties with
the Holy See by naming the
celebrated Catholic philoso
pher, Jacques Marita in as its
Ambassador in Vatican City.
As a diplomat, Archbishop
Roncalli added considerably to
his already extensive list of
friends. In this he was helped
by his characteristic dislike of
red tape and his reliance on
personal contacts to ease dif
ficult situations. His first meet
ing with General Charles de
Gaulle was a cold, formal af
fair, the Utter having already
presented a long list of bish
ops he wished to be replaced
because they had been branded
by same Frenchmen as colla
borators with the Germans. But
subsequent personal calls on the
general by the Nuncio and the
frank conversations between the
two resulted in their becoming
staunch friends.
Another of Archbishop Ronc-
illi's new friends was Robert
Schumann, who said of him:
“He is the only man in Paris
in whose company one feels a
physical sense of peace."
Other friends included such
great French statesmen as Edo
uard Harriot, Leon Blum,, Ant
oine Pinay, Georges Bidault and
Andre Pleven,
IMMEDIATELY following his
election as Pope, Cardinal Ron
calli received congratulations
from chief Rabbi Isaac Herzog
of Israel who remembered the
diplomat’s assistance to Jewish
rescue missions. To Arch
bishop Roncalli, thousands of
Jews owed their opportunity to
escape persecution and to find
refuge in Palestine and else
where.
It is related that he was in
strumental in saving many Jews
who were persecuted by Slovak,
Bulgarian and Hungarian nazis.
These incidents were recall
ed in October, 1960, when Pope
John received a delegation of
HOWEVER, diplomacy was
not the only field In which the
future Pope was occupied. His
eight years in Paris coincided
with the experiment of the work
er-priest movement, designed
to halt the de-Christianization
of France’s industrial areas.
This involved priests working
in factories, living In workers'
residences, offering Mass
wherever they could — often at
a factory bench or a kitchen
table. The first results of the
experiment were encouraging.
But it soon became apparent that
the new ministry involved the
danger that worker-priests
might influence on it. Some pr
iests, in fact, left the priest
hood and married. Others cre
ated scandal by their Commu
nist alliances. Pope Pius XII,
in 1952, imposed certain res
trictions on the movement. But
it was left to his successor fin
ally to ban it and ask the Fr
ench hierarchy to look for new
methods of evangelism among
the working class.
In March 1945, Archbishop
Roncalli took part in ceremon
ies in Paris in honor of St.
Theresa of Lisieux, newly-pro
claimed patron saint of France.
A year later, he presided over
a meeting of the Catholic Aid
Commission at which plans
were outlined for extended aid
to war victims. Meanwhile, he
transmitted in the name of the
French hierarchy a formal pro*
test against the imprisonment
of Aloysius Cardinal Steplnac,
Archbishop of Zagreb, but the
Yugoslav Communist govern
ment. The Imprisoned prelate
later was one of those named
a cardinal at the same con
sistory which saw Archbishop
Roncalli honored with the Red
Hat.
In 1948, the Papal Nuncio of
ficiated at rites commemora
ting the tercentenary of the un
ion of France and Alsace,
During the ceremonies, a pla
que was unveiled in honor of
the bishops, priests and nuns
of Alsace who gave their lives
“for the Church and France in
the past 200 years."
While serving as official Vat
ican observer to the United Nat-
130 U. S. members of the Unit
ed Jewish Appeal and the Jew
ish study mission, led by Rabbi
Herbert Friedman.
"I AM Joseph, your brother,"
he greeted them. The quotation,
given in the context of the Old
Testament story of Joseph of
Egypt, had a double meaning.
The Pope, baptized Angelo
Giuseppe, counts St. Joseph as
his patron.
It was no surprise when Is
raels Ambassador in Rome,
Eliahu Sassoon, attended
funeral rites for Pope Pius XII
and the coronation ceremonies
of Pope John XXIIL President
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, of Israel was
among the heads of state to
whom papal letters of access
ion were dispatched by the new
pontiff. It is said to be the first
time in modern history’ that the
Vicar of Christ wrote to a suc
cessor of King David. Written
in Latin, the letter was ans
wered in Biblical Hebrew.
DURING his pontificate Pope
John displayed "a sympathetic
attitude towards Israel and
all that Is being done there,"
reported Melkite-Rite Bishop
George Hakim of Acre spirit
ual head of the 20,000 Eas
tern-Rite Catholics there.
When Pope John in 1959,
ordered the words "Unbe
lieving’’ and "Perfidious” in
references Jews and Moslems
deleted from the liturgy of Good
Friday, he received letters of
praise from such Jewish orga
nizations as The American Jew
ish Committee, the Jewish War
Veteran of the U. S., and the
Anti-Defamation League of B’
nal B'rith. It was hailed as
"another significant step to
ward improving interreligious
understanding."
ions Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNE
SCO) in 1952, Archbishop Ron
calli delivered an address to
the agency’s seventh general
conference in Paris which pr
aised UNESCO's work and re
affirmed the Church’s paramo
unt concern for the work to
ward peace and reconciliation
throughout the world.
THE ARCHBISHOP was
among 24 prelates who were
created cardinals at a consis
tory summoned by Pope Pius
XII in January, 1953. He re
ceived the Red Hat from Fran
ce's Vincent Auriol, a tradit
ion holding that Papal Nuncios
must be presented with this
symbol of thecardinalatial rank
from the heads of the countries
to which they are accredited.
At the consistory Pius XII an
nounced he had appointed Car
dinal Roncalli as Patriarch of
Venice to succeed Patriarch
Carlo Agosttno, who had died
a month previously. On his de-
pature from France the new
cardinal was named a Com
mander of the French Legion of
Honor.
In this first greeting to the
faithful of Venice, Cardi
nal Roncalli told them he had
come "not as a man of poli
tics, or as a diplomat," but
as "a shepherd of souls." He
loved Venice and was loved
in turn by the Venetians. He
became a familiar sighttothem
as he visited parishes (often
going into the rectories to thank
the humble women who took
care of them), chatted with lit
tle children in catechism cla
sses, made the rounds of hos
pitals and other Institutions, and
attended cultural and recre
ational gatherings sponsored by
Catholic Action.
His priests were captiv
ated by his tactful and under-
sunding treatment of them.
Soon many anecdotes about the
new Patriarch began to cir
culate, all revealing his deeply
human characteristics. Once, it
was related, an extremely st
out person was trying to over
take the cardinal to have a few
words with him.
Turning, Cardinal Roncalli
•mlled and said: "The Lord
is bound to be particularly tol
erant with us fat men."
Many people loved him be
cause, as they said, he brought
them back in memory to the
days of another Patriarch —
the humble, warmhearted Gius
eppe Sarto who became Pope
Pius X and was canonized a
saint. Even when it was neces
sary for him to censure or re
buke, Cardinal Roncalli preser
ved his sense of humor and the
moderation characteristic of
him. Once he was forced to
complain about women attire.
This was how he expressed him
self: "People don't have to come
to Italy wrapped In furs. But
Italy is not exactly below the
Equator. And even down there,
for that matter, lions wear their
coats and crocodiles are pro
tected by their precious skins,"
For all his tolerance and soc
iability, the Patriarch was un
compromising in cases involv
ing protection of morality or
behavior of parishioners. He did
not approve of his priests own
ing television sets because they
represented luxury that confli
cted with the proverty and want
to many of the faithful . On
three occasions he felt obliged
to speak out against a certain
leftist orientation of some young
people in Catholic Action. Spec
ifically, he was much concerned
over collaboration between Cat
holic-oriented political parties
and Communist-allied groups.
**•
Only a few relatives and fri
ends witnessed the ordination of
Angelo Roncalli later Pope
John XXlll — on August 10,1904,
in the Church of Santa Maria
in Monte Santo, Italy. The Jour
ney from northern Italy was
too expensive for his brothers
and sisters.
BEFORE he left for the con
clave of October, 1958, which
was to see him chosen to suc
ceed Pope Pius XIL Cardinal
Roncalli had built 30 new ch
urches and a minor seminary
u« the Venetian See, served as
Papal Legate to a Marian con
gress In Beirut, Lebanon, and
established a new center for the
patriarchal archives.
His interest in Catholic Act
ion took him at various times to
Marian congresses in eight
other Italian cities. During the
1958 Venice Film Festival he
spoke to actors and directors,
exhorting them to impart a Ch
ristian and human dignity
to their work. In March of the
same year ’he went to France
to preside, at solemn cere
monies consecrating the huge
new underground basilica built
at the shrine of Our Lady of
Lourdes in tenor of St. Plus
X.
What happens after a pope
dies?
How is his successor chosen?
Who directs the Church bet
ween his death and naming of
his successor?
THERE Is a sure, and det
ailed series of steps spelled
out for Vatican officials to fol
low after the Pope's death.
Custom, ancient ritual and
and recent laws — some of
them written by Pope John XX-
III himself—have establishedth
procedures to be followed.
Although the Church is plug-
ed deep into sorrow over the
pontiff’s death, a corps of Vat
ican officials begins immedia
tely on the work to name his
successor, a process climaxing
in a secret conclave of the
world’s cardinals.
The cardinal chamberlain of
the Holy Roman Church guides
this process. This chamberlain,
or camerlengo, is Benedetto
Cardinal Aloisi Masella.
THE CARDINAL chamber
lain’s job requires him to take
immediate possession of the
Holy See's properties and ad
minister the temporal rights
and goods of the Church.
It is he who officially veri
fies the death of a pope by vis
iting the death scene and re
ceiving the report of attending
physicians.
The cardinal chamberlain had
a new duty added to his res-
ponsibilitie by an October, 1962,
instruction of Pope John.
This charged him with preve
nting any person from taking
photograph of the pontiff as he
was dying or after he was dead.
Photos may be taken of a de
ceased pontiff for reasons of
proof or testimony, but only
with the cardinal chamberlain's
express permission and only if
the pope is dressed in the pon
tifical robes.
This instruction was designed
to avoid repetition of performa
nce similiar to that of Pope
Pius XII’s personal physican
who photographed the Pontiff
and turned the pictures over to
newspapers and magazines.
After verifying the death, the
chamberlain officially notifies
the vicar general of Rome who
announces the demise to the
people of Rome. The vicar is
Clemente Cardinal Micara.
THE chamberlain then gives
orders for other necessary not
ifications to be made. The dip
lomatic corps, for example, la
officially informed by the papal
secretary of state, an act which
is the secretary's last official
job, because his office is not
jurisdictional, but administrat
ive under the direction of a
living pope. The secretary is
Amleto Cardinal Cicognani, lo
ngtime Apostolic Delegate in the
United States.
Word is then sent from the
Vatican to all cardinals to come
to Rome for the conclave to
elect a new Pope.
The day after the pope's de
ath, those members of the Col
lege of Cardinals who are in
Rome begin to hold daily meet
ings called "preparatory con
gregations."
WHAT the cardinals are to
do in these meetings is deta
iled for them in an apostolic
constitution written by Pope
Pius XIL It is entitled "Vac-
antis Apostolicae Sedls" (Of
the Vacant Apostolic See.)
This directive says the car
dinals must:
1) Read the complete text
of the constitution, after which
each cardinal takes on oath to
abide by it.
2) Elect a chamberlain if that
post is vacant.
3) Make arrangements to be
gin the conclave as soon as
possible.
4) Fix the day and manner
for taking the pope's body to
St. Peter's basilica for the final
respect* of the faithful.
5) Arrange for the nine fun
eral Masses and determine the
time for the first six meet
ings of the cardinals.
6) Designate who will give the
eulogy for the dead pope and the
exhortation for the choosing of
a new pontiff.
7) Designate the day for the
reception of the diplomatic co
rps and the Knights of the Holy
Sepulcher.
8) Name committees of two
or three cardinals each for ex
amining the needs of the con
clavists, for naming the persons
to be admitted to the conclave,
for constructing and sealing off
the area of the Vatican Palace
which will be used for the con-
calve and for assigning cells.
9) Examine and approve ap
propriations for the expenses of
the concalve.
10) Read letters from heads
of state, reports from apost
olic nuncios and all that may
be of interest in any was to
the College of Cardinals.
11) Read such documents as
may have been left by the dead
pope for the cardinals.
12) Break the fisherman’s ring
and the die for the official seals
used in the Apostolic Chancery.
13) Draw lots for cells dur
ing the conclace, exceptions be
ing made for the advanced age
or infirmity of Individual car
dinals.
14) Fix the date for entrance
into conclave.
In the meantime, the govern
ment activities of the Holy See
continue, but only the absolutely
necessary business is dealt
with.
This administration is con
ducted by the cardinal chamber-
lain. He acts with the advice of
a committee of three cardinals,
the deans of each order of the
three in the Sacred College-
bishops, priests and deacons.
In extraordinary matters, he
can consult with the entire col
lege.
WHILE some titles with which
Cardinals are invested lapse
with the death of the pope, ot
hers do not to assure that Ch
urch business will be attended
to.
For example, the cardi
nal penitentiary retains his
post. He continues to decide on
cases of conscience, his main
function. He is the only cardi
nal who is entitled during the
secret conclave to receive let
ters which are not first opened
and examined by the secretary
of the college and coustdiaris of
the conclave.
The ordinary faculties of
the Roman congregations—that
is, those which they exercise
without having resource to a
pope—continue during the in
terregnum.
If, however, a case should
arise in which it is necessary
to have recourse to a pope and
which cannot be deferred, the
Sacred College can declare the
prefect of the congregation in
volved, plus another cardinal,
competent to take joint action.
Even such a move is provi
sional, however, for their del
etion must be submitted to the
new pope after his election.
PAPAL chamberlains— the
very reverend monslgnors—
lose their rank with the pope’s
death. They can regain it only
by reconfirmation by the new
pope, an act usually performed.
During the interregnum, the
papal masters of ceremonies,
whose office does notecase,but
becomes in some respects more
important, performs the task
the papal chamberlains would
normally handle,
*•*
The interest of Pope John
XXlll in Chrlatian unity la deep-
seated. From the time of his
first sermon in Bulgaria in
1925. As Archbishop Roncalli,
he has been preaching and writ
ing on Church unity. It is not
surprising, therefore, that the
former Apoatollc Delegate to
Bulgaria.
IN VATICAN SERVICE
Pope John XXIII Was
Diplomat And Patriarch