CHAPTER 25
CONCLAVE BEGINS
Vatican City appears to be in military lockdown. Security is unprecedented in order to thwart any actions by terrorist that might try to disrupt the Conclave from happening. Everyone has been given electronic security badges with their pictures and fingerprints in order to avoid stealing of credentials or other security breaches within the city. All vehicles except military, police and ambulance personnel have also gone through intense security screening are allowed. Vendors bringing supplies for the attendees are stopped at security gates were their merchandise are screened for explosives or tainted foods before being transferred onto a military truck for travel within the city. Military aircraft are keeping the area protected from assaults.
The Conclave will be held in St. Peter’s Basilica in order to provide greater privacy and security for attendees. All manner of conveniences have been brought into the Basilica to accommodate all the various cultures and languages of its members. Supporting staff from the United Nations have been secured in order to provide a smooth progress for impending meetings. Additional temporary housing needs have been brought in to allow its members to stay within the security confines of Vatican City. A perimeter building along the security gate has also been set up to handle all press briefings for the worldwide news agencies gathered to bring coverage of the event. However all external news agencies are prohibited within the perimeter, except for the Vatican TV and Radio staff. They will provide the electronic feeds for distribution to outside news outlets.
The Conclave is expected to last a minimum of one to two years before its work is anticipated to be concluded. However, as major agreements on various doctrines, policies and governing guidelines are completed, they will be released as they occur. Until then, the final documents provided by the College of Cardinals for the Conclave members to review, amend if necessary and finally approve will be the interim operating documents and regulations for the Universal Catholic Church.
Pope John XXIV has also issued an order that all Cardinals and Bishops, including the Pope himself will have a mandatory retirement at 75 years of age. Further, should five members from the College of Cardinals deem appropriate, that they can request a medical and psychological exam of the Pope or any prelate to determine their continued ability to maintain their position within the Church. The Pope has expressed that no longer will the Pontiff be controlled by caretakers of subordinates who usurp the responsibilities of a Pope, Cardinal or Bishop. The governance of the church is too important to allow a prelate from properly resigning their positions when they are no longer able to function in that capacity. A three member panel of renowned medical specialists will be assigned the task of completing such an evaluation. A simple majority opinion of the specialists will determine whether a prelate is to continue or be removed for medical reasons.
Pope John XXIV has entered the Basilica to start the Conclave with a Mass of Thanksgiving that this day has arrived. Many of the attendees who have not completed the prerequisites for priestly ordination and acceptance of the Pope as the Head of the Universal Catholic Church will be performed at the most opportune time during this Conclave.
Pope John XXIV intones the beginning of the Mass. “My dear brothers and sisters, we are gathered here today to advance the next step in our journey to bring about the major work of the Conclave to secure the theological doctrines, regulations, and operational guidelines that will allow us to operate as the Universal Catholic Church. This new endeavor unites all Christians around the world into Christ’s church on this earth, in preparation for our journey to Him and our Heavenly Father in Heaven.” And the mass continues.
After this liturgical celebration, Pope John XXIV returns to his papal apartment and looks at his constant companion Peter, his fond puppy, and says, “Let’s go for a walk in the garden. We have a lot to consider about what comes next!”
THE END
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1 https://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/19:12/permission
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission by the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
2 “Catholic Controversies” American Decades. 2001. Encylopedia.com 2 Mar. 2013 “Republished with permission of “Catholic Controversies” Catholic Answers Copyrighted C 1996-2013. Permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc.
3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_stadiums_by_capacity
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License (//Creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) (CC BY-SA”), and GNU Free Documentation License (//www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) (“GFDL”) (unversioned, with no invariant sections, front-cover texts, or back cover texts).
4 https://usccb.org/bible/matthew/19/permission/
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission by the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
5 https://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/25/permission/
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission by the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
6 THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE LUTHERANS AND CATHOLICS IN DIALOGUE XI
Common Statement of the Eleventh Round of the U.S. Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue. Edited by Lowell G. Almen and Richard J. Sklba, Lutheran University Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota
THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE Lutherans and Catholics in Dialogue XI
The document, The Hope of Eternal Life, was developed as a resource by the Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations section of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). It was reviewed by Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, chair of the USCCB Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson of the ELCA, and it has been authorized for publication by the undersigned.
Msgr. David Malloy, General Secretary, USCCB
The Rev. Donald J. McCoid, Ecumenical Executive, ELCA
Published in book form by Lutheran University Press under the auspices of the Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Office of the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Copyright C 2011 by Lutheran University Press, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in articles or reviews, no part of this may be reproduced in any manner without prior permission.”
7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penitent_Thief
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
(//Creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) (CC BY-SA”), and
GNU Free Documentation License (//www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) (“GFDL”) (unversioned, with no invariant sections, front-cover texts, or back cover texts).
8 “Catholic Controversies” American Decades. 2001. Encylopedia.com 2 Mar. 2013 “Republished with permission of [“Catholic Controversies” Catholic Answers Copyrighted C 1996-2013. Permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc.
9 https://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22/permission
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permiss
ion by the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
10 “Catholic Controversies” American Decades. 2001. Encylopedia.com 2 Mar. 2013 “Republished with permission of [“Catholic Controversies” Catholic Answers Copyrighted C 1996-2013. Permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc.
11 https://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22/permission
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission by the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
12 “Catholic Controversies” American Decades. 2001. Encylopedia.com 2 Mar. 2013 “Republished with permission of [“Catholic Controversies” Catholic Answers Copyrighted C 1996-2013. Permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc.
Author: Donald A Michaud
The First American Pope Page 25
