UNITED STATES
Catholic Culture
By Phil Lawler February 19, 2013
With the caveat that we can’t possibly keep up with all of the mistakes being made by reporters in their rush to cover the papal resignation and the coming conclave, here are a few more corrections of errors that have cropped up in multiple reports. Once again I encourage readers to treat every new report with caution, and sensational reports with outright skepticism. To separate the wheat from the chaff, keep checking this site.
•The papal conclave will not be moved forward to a date earlier than March 15. The idea of an earlier conclave may be appealing, since the cardinals have had plenty of warning and time to assemble in Rome. But canon law forbids it. As canonist Edward Peters points out, accommodations can be made when canon law is unclear, but not simply when the law proves inconvenient. The rules for a papal conclave are clear: 14 days must lapse after the Holy See becomes vacant. We know exactly when the vacancy will occur, on February 28. So the conclave cannot meet before mid-March. These rules could be changed, but only by Pope Benedict XVI, who remains, until his resignation, the supreme legislator for canon law.
•And while we’re on the topic of canon law, it is not improper to refer to a Pope’s “resignation.” It is true that ordinarily a “resignation” must be submitted to some higher authority, and for that reason some commentators prefer to use the term “abdication.” But the English translation of the Code of Canon Law refers to “resignation,” and specifically states that a papal resignation does not have to be submitted to, or accepted by, anyone in order to become effective. Of course the English translation of the Code is unofficial, so this debate may remain open.
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