Groundbreaking: the Last Warning to the Pope's Electors

The Chiesa
August 13, 2013

http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350575?eng=y


The official bulletin of the Holy See has lifted the secrecy from the meditation dictated to the cardinals at the beginning of the last conclave, with the doors already closed. Here are the essential passages

ROME, August 13, 2013 – The Holy See has an official bulletin entitled “Acta Apostolicae Sedis." It is written in Latin, while the documents reproduced there are in the original languages. Its issues can be read on the Vatican website beginning with that of 1909:

> Acta Apostolicae Sedis

Since 2003 it has been issued in monthly booklets with the pages numbered starting in January. The latest booklet taken to press is also the first of Francis's pontificate:

> Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 5 aprilis - 3 Maii 2013

It contains among other things the proceedings of the conclave that on March 13, 2013 elected pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio. With one innovation with respect to what was already known.

The innovation - previously covered by secrecy - is the complete text of the meditation dictated to the grand electors on March 12, behind closed doors, immediately before the start of the voting.

The cardinal charged with the meditation was the Maltese Prosper Grech, an Augustinian, 87 years old and therefore without the right to vote. After his meditation, in fact, he left the Sistine Chapel.

The complete text of the meditation is on pages 352-357 of the cited issue of the "Acta Apostolicae Sedis."

Ten passages from this are reproduced below. Corresponding to as many points concerning “that which Christ wants from his Church,” in the judgment of Cardinal Grech.

Rereading them today spontaneously brings up an exercise: to identify on which of these points Pope Francis has exerted himself more, at the beginning of his pontificate, and on which less, and how.