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Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Vidal leaves for Rome, tells faithful to go on praying
VATICAN -- As thousands of mourners streamed past the late pontiff's body in St. Peter's Basilica, the College of Cardinals met for a second day of talks to prepare to elect a successor to Pope John Paul II.
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal is on his way to Rome. Before he left Tuesday, he asked Cebuanos to continue praying for the pope and for the success of the conclave or the papal election.
"Continue praying... Be open to accept the work of the Father," the cardinal told reporters after the requiem mass for John Paul II at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral at 9 a.m.
Shortly after the mass, Cardinal Vidal went back to the Archbishop's Palace to change, but hurriedly left for the airport to catch a 1 p.m. flight to Manila and then to Rome. He is expected to arrive in the Vatican about 8 a.m. Wednesday.
While names have already cropped up as the possible successor of the pope, Cardinal Vidal only said, "we leave that to the Holy Spirit. We cannot dictate."
First election
Vidal will experience his first conclave.
"Of course I'm sad (for the loss of Pope John Paul II), but also excited because this is the first time I'm going to experience a conclave," he said.
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said after the meeting concluded that the cardinals hadn't yet decided on a date for the conclave.
According to church law, this must occur between 15 and 20 days after the death of a pope.
Navarro-Valls said 91 of the 183 cardinals were in Rome as of Tuesday. Only 117 of them-those under 80-can vote in a conclave.
Brazilian Cardinal Geraldo Majella Agnelo, archbishop of Sao Salvador da Bahia, told Italian state radio that he thought a new pope would be chosen quickly.
"I don't think it will be a long conclave," he said, adding that cardinals would have had time to reflect beforehand and should already have "clear ideas" when they begin the balloting.
Heavy weight
Asked if he was "papabile," or having the qualities of a pope, he answered, "I have always said my shoulders were too small for such a heavy weight."
For his part, Cardinal Vidal, having recently undergone a heart procedure and feeling the effects of osteoporosis, hopes he can survive the conclave. But he assured reporters that he felt fine.
As the cardinals met, buses unloaded huge groups of students, pilgrims and clergy who joined a line stretching for kilometers along the wide avenue leading to St. Peter's Square and through the streets of the neighborhood that surrounds the Vatican.
Civil protection officials handed out tea and croissants to those who had waited overnight in unseasonably cold temperatures to view John Paul's body and pay their final respects.
"It's an extraordinary day," said Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, archbishop of Genoa, who was greeting pilgrims in line Tuesday morning, flanked by a camera crew and security personnel.
He said the crowds were there "to give back to the pope all the love the pope gave to the world."
Open up!
Rome is bracing for an unprecedented flow of pilgrims--some predict their numbers may match the city's own three million residents--in the days leading to Friday's funeral, which will be attended by kings, presidents and prime ministers.
The doors of St. Peter's Basilica were opened to the general public Monday evening. At 3 a.m. Tuesday (9 a.m. local time), an hour later than had been announced, the doors were closed for cleaning and the faithful outside started chanting "Open up, open up!" in protest.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, meanwhile, moved her three-day trip to the Vatican from yesterday to tonight so she can attend the pope's funeral on Friday.
Britain's Prince Charles postponed his wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles by a day so he could represent Queen Elizabeth II at the funeral. Others attending will include the heads of Muslim states and a delegation from communist Cuba. (AP with JGA)
(April 6, 2005 issue)
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