Tag Archives: conclave

‘Pope Francis’ Confirms ‘Saint Gallen Group’ Claims, Says He Would Have Spurned Laws & Is Disingenuous.

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by Anura Guruge
on April 4, 2024

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Click to ENLARGE. Story on left from ‘AP‘, the other from ‘NCR‘. Find them on ‘Google‘.

Much of the ‘Pope Francis‘ news for the last 72-hours have been taken up with these conclave disclosures and whether he violated conclave secrecy. All to do with some interviews he did and his new book.

First and foremost, he did NOT violate conclave secrecy. I can assure you of that.

Popes can divulge what happened in conclave. They are the only ones that can do so — legitimately. Plus, a pope, within the Vatican, is ABOVE ALL LAWS! So, you can’t break any Church laws IF you are pope.

But, it goes further. conclaves, as of 1996, have been governed by an Apostolic Constitution known as ‘Universi Dominici Gregis‘ (UDG) — & some amendments to it. USG is THE LAW when it comes to conclaves.

UDG Clause 71 permits, explicitly, for a pope to permit the EXACT voting that took place within the conclave. That is the law.

Other popes, including ‘Good Pope’ John XXIII, have talked about what happened at their conclaves.

So, on the secrecy count, Francis is OK.

As for the 2005, Francis has basically CONFIRMED, word for word, the ‘Saint Gallen Group‘ account of their machinations. Wow. So we no longer need to skeptical as to whether they were being truthful. THEY WERE. Wow. Bravo.

But, now Francis, as ever, goes ROGUE.

He says he would have REFUSED the papacy, in 2005, if he got the votes.

That would have been NAUGHTY. He would have been SPURNING the law! He wasn’t pope at that juncture. He was still just another cardinal. Not above the law. He needed to obey the laws.

UDG Clause 86 states: “I also ask the one who is elected not to refuse, for fear of its weight, the office to which he has been called, but to submit humbly to the design of the divine will.”

But, Francis says he would have refused. Very arrogant of him.

Plus, I do NOT believe him for a minute! His ego would NOT have permitted him to REFUSE. He would have jumped in with both feet.

Per the Saint Gallen Group account, Francis (then Bergoglio), asked his peers to STOP voting for him. Very different. He had not got close to being elected. So, that is that.

NOW COMES THE PART WHERE FRANCIS IS BEING DISINGENUOUS.

He is doing this because he, prior to becoming, pope MIGHT have violated the laws, TWICE — both in 2005 & 2013.

This would make his 2013 election illegitimate!

So, he is not going to risk that.

What is he lying about.

Per the Gallen Group, post 2005, Francis knew ALL ABOUT THEM! So, he knew they were trying to get him elected. For Francis to have been a part of this is ILLEGAL. He is actually an antipope!

So, Francis says he had NO IDEA what the group was doing in 2013. Poppycock.

He confirms, word for word, what happened in 2005, and then has the gall to say he didn’t know anything about what they were doing in 2013.

Francis, like his buddy Trump, is dealing in ALTERNATE FACTS.

Francis should be deemed an antipope — an illegitimate pope.

This HOPE That The Cardinal Electors Will Vote LESS Frequently At The ‘2024 Conclave’ Is BEYOND THE PALE.

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by Anura Guruge
on March 1, 2024

Click image to access the original at ‘The Pillar‘.

‘Mark G.‘, a trusted friend and invaluable, near two decade collaborator, send me the link to the above ‘The Pillar‘ article a few minutes ago.

It shook me to the core.

OK. Let’s get it straight. This is a HOPE. A wet dream. It is not a leak.

It is clickbait.

It is STUPID.

It has NO MERIT.

That it will prevent the electors from making knee-jerk reactions is invalid — flawed assumption.

Once in conclave the electors are totally shielded from what folks are saying or agitating outside. That is the whole point of getting them IN CONCLAVE. Get them away from distractions.

2 rounds of balloting a day was introduced in 1621.

4 round a day in 1904.

The optional 1 round on Day 1 in 1986.

We now want to go back to what it was pre-1621.
Beyond STUPID. Regressive. A wet-dream.

As some of you may have worked out from some of my recent posts (e.g., this & that) I am doing work on the ‘2024 conclave’. SMILE.

I have actually come to TWO solid conclusions:

1/ The 2024 conclave, like the last 4, will also be a QUICK, SHORT conclave. It will most likely be done within 3 days — at most 4. It will NOT go to ‘run-off‘. It will not even make it to the first ‘time-out‘ after the 4th day.
WHY: Both camps know that they do NOT have the votes to get one of their hardliners elected. Each side has more than enough votes to continually BLOCK a hardliner. Quite a few of the electors are quite savvy. They know have already WHIPPED the votes. So, it has to be a COMPROMISE candidate that will not get blocked. They are going AGREE beforehand, possibly even ahead of the sede vacante, as to a very SHORTLIST of 4 to 5 candidates. {Laws be damned. We know that the laws were flagrantly violated by the ‘St. Gallen Group‘, per their own admission, in 2005 & 2013.} They will whittle this down when they are all in Rome. There are all not adversaries at each other’s throats. There will be go betweens.

2/ Very good chance that the Next Pope will be OLD, close to 80, if not even slightly older. Nothing that over 80 cardinals are ineligible. Nothing that says only those in conclave can be elected. For that matter nothing that says that the pope elect as to be a cardinal. These electors, in particular, are USED to over 80 popes! Think about it. None of them has served a pope who did NOT live past 80. They have served an over 80 pope for 7 years. Think about.

THINK. THINK. THINK.

‘Pope Francis’, The New ‘Warrior Pope’, Excommunicates An Italian Priest For Calling Him An Antipope.

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by Anura Guruge
on January 3, 2024

Click to ENLARGE. Headlines from ‘Google News‘.

Wow. Wow. Wow. He claimed, 10 years ago, that he had a sense of humor. He has obviously misplaced that somewhere in the Vatican. He really has become a crotchety, vindictive, ol’ man — NO MERCY, no compassion. Warrior Pope.

But, we should get one thing right, as far as I can tell Francis is NO Antipope. Everything we know, & has been made public, indicates that the conclave that elected him played by the rules. BUT, as with any conclave, BY DEFINITION, we don’t know what happened behind the closed doors of the Sistine. We really don’t. But, if we assume that the voting was done, behind closed doors like it is supposed to have been done, then Francis is legit. Not an antipope.

I am CONFUSED, utterly, by the ‘usurper’ part. He didn’t have to usurp anyone or anything. There was NO antipope ahead of him.

Poor priest. No free speech. Wow.

He should not have been excommunicated. Just not cricket. But Francis never played cricket. Shame. He would be a much better person & pope if he had.

Hail Pope Francis the NEW ‘Warrior Pope’.

Officers For The Next Sede Vacante & Then Conclave.

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by Anura Guruge
on December 21, 2023

Click to ENLARGE. My Excel spreadsheet.

There will be a sede vacante (vacant see) & a conclave at some point. That is a given.

We cannot now have a conclave this year. Not enough days left. But, a sede vacante can happen at any time, sometimes with NO WARNING. But, I doubt that we will have one this year.

It could happen it 2024, but the again it might not.

But, I need to start getting my ducks in order. So, I created this Excel spreadsheet. The top part is populated & accurate as of now. But, that will change over time. Hence, why I blurred it out to avoid any confusion.

I need to work on the bottom part. I have the data. Just need to plug it in.

What Will Happen To Pope Francis’ Suite At The Domus Sanctae Marthae?

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by Anura Guruge
on December 14, 2023

Click to ENLARGE & read here. Wikipedia.

Highly unlikely it will get used during the next conclave.

Though this is OUTSIDE of the official protocols (given that this was a major departure from the norms), it might have to be LOCKED & SEALED during the conclave — as the official residence of the ex-pope. The protocols (i.e., the so called ‘UDG’) requires that the Papal Apartment is locked & sealed at the start of the sede vacante & cannot be opened until the new pope is present to witness the opening. The sealing of the Papal Apartment (& that also of Castel Gandolfo) will still happen. The key question is the Pope’s suite, i.e., #201 at the Domus.

I am fairly certain that it will be sealed.

That creates a problem or COMPOUND one.

The Domus, in total, only has 129 rooms — 106 suites, 22 single rooms & one apartment. 129. If Suite 201 is unavailable, there will only be 128 rooms.

The electors, for the last 400 years (or so) have NOT been EXPECTED to SHARE a room.

Yes, they could get two beds into the suites.

Yes, we could get down to 128 electors around June 2024. When will John Njue be deemed to have turned 80 — given that he CUTELY maintains he doesn’t know his birthday though I am sure he was born on April 1.

So, more things to THINK about. SMILE.

ANOTHER Small Detail That Will Have To Be Sorted AHEAD Of Next Conclave — Vice-Camerlengo.

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by Anura Guruge
on December 3, 2023

Click to ENLARGE & view here. Includes snippets from my ‘The Conclave‘ book.

With both my Christmas books done & PUBLISHED, I finally have some time on my hand. Wow. Nice feeling.

So, I decided to do some Pre-Conclave research.

Stumbled on what looks like an overlooked detail.

Currently Archbishop Ilson de Jesus Montanari is BOTH Vice-Camerlengo & Secretary to the Dicastery of Bishops. That is fine & dandy, UNTIL we have a conclave.

Then we have a slight problem. The Secretary to the Dicastery of Bishops, SINCE 1965, is AUTOMATICALLY chosen as the Secretary to the Conclave.

That is the problem.

He, the good Archbishop, can’t do both jobs come the conclave.

The Vice is NEVER a cardinal elector BECAUSE he has to stay outside.

The Secretary has to GO INSIDE. Can’t be BOTH inside & out.

NOT A HUGE problem.

The conclave duties of the VICE are pretty mundane. Supervise perimeter border security. They can just assign someone else to do that.

HE would want to be the SECRETARY — & thus be PART of the conclave. He could also potentially get a red hat for being secretary. So, he will ask to be secretary. The Camerlengo can sort that out, without a pope being around.

So, a small wrinkle. Nothing serious. Something to bear in mind come the inevitable sede vacante.

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‘Pope Francis’, The New ‘Warrior Pope’, Appears To Again Put The U.S. Catholics To The Sword.

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by Anura Guruge
on November 28, 2023

Click to ENLARGE. Headlines from ‘Google News‘.

To be fair, this has NOT BEEN confirmed as yet. Based on notoriously flakey Vatican rumors.

But, it does sound very plausible. And ‘Burke‘ deserves it!

This is, however, NOT Popish behavior. There is nothing subtle or clever about it. I can’t see any of the last 4 popes acting like this. They would have been much, much, much more discreet and low-key. Francis, however, is the Bull in the China Shop. So, Trumpian.

The U.S. Catholics, as I repeatedly point out, are NOT going to be HAPPY. They are going to spend MILLIONS and MILLIONS to BUY the next pope. Mark my word on that. SMILE.

Hail Pope Francis the NEW ‘Warrior Pope’.

‘Pope Francis’ Firing The Texas Bishop Will Quadruple U.S. Efforts To Prevail At The Next Conclave.

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by Anura Guruge
on November 12, 2023

Click to ENLARGE. Headlines from ‘Google News‘.

Yes, he was well within his rights BUT this does not strike me as a particularly clever & calculated move.

Makes the pope look like what he is — an crotchety old man.

It sends a message but I think it is the wrong kind of message. The pope should be able to handle & tolerate some dissent.

I have said it before & to I this is another example. Francis is so much like Trump (& vice versa). This is so Trumpian.

Other, more savvy popes, disciplined bishops in cute, clever creative ways. He could have sent him as the Papal Legate to Sri Lanka. That would have been suitable enough punishment. If he wanted to inflict MORE he could have stipulated that he stay with Sri Lanka’s most esteemed cardinal, the wanna-be ‘Next Pope‘.

I have for some time now have believed that the ultra-rich, ultra-committed & ultra-motivated U.S. Catholics will pour MILLIONS into the next conclave to get an outcome to their liking. After this ‘fiasco’ I think they will quadruple their efforts & money.

It will now be an OUTRIGHT battle.

Wow.

Hail Pope Francis the NEW ‘Warrior Pope’.

IF The ‘Dean’ Was Precluded From Attending The Pre-Conclave ‘General Congregations’.

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by Anura Guruge
on November 8, 2023

Click to ENLARGE & view here. ‘Page 156 ‘Appendix B‘ of MY ‘The Conclave‘ book.

Right now as I dealt with yesterday, the Vatican is denying — with unnecessary vehemence — that there are no moves afoot, whatsoever, to modify the Conclave protocols. This follows the speculations a few days earlier that ‘Pope Francis‘ planned to changes the rules for ‘General Congregations’ — in the MAIN to preclude the over-80, non-elector cardinals from participating. As I then pointed out, that this change would not be that drastic — though, of course, the over-80s would resent it bitterly.

But, I got thinking about this on my daily 4-mile ambles in the morning.

The only change of SOME CONSEQUENCE to such a change would be that the DEAN, if over 80, will no longer be able to Preside over the General Congregations (GCs) as he has always done — even after the over-80 rulings.

I have often wondered whether this was good or bad. This is one of the anomalies, albeit not that great, in the current set of protocols.

An over-80 Dean presides over GCs (& most other matters that involve the entire College), BUT is NOT permitted to attend the Conclave.

The supposed Francis change (if it holds water) will fix that.

There will be continuity if the Dean is over 80. The same Cardinal Bishop who will Preside over the Conclave will also preside over the GCs. In a way that is good.

The Dean (albeit these days elected for 5-year (renewable) terms) invariably (though no longer as a guarantee) has a ton of experience & expertise in Vatican/Church matters & will know how to get stuff done. In 2013, ‘Angelo Sodano‘, though over-80, played quite role in pre-conclave happenings.

The current Dean, who was the one that EXPERTLY RAN the 2013 Conclave, i.e., ‘Giovanni Battista Re‘, is now 89. So, if the rules are changed he will be sidelines.

But, this is ALL SPECULATION right now.

Plus, I am no longer convinced that we will be seeing a sede vacante anytime soon!

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Vatican Appears To Protest Too Much About Supposed Changes To Papal Election Rules.

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by Anura Guruge
on November 7, 2023

Click to ENLARGE. From ‘Google News‘.

The vehemency of the protests & pushback makes me suspicious.

Why make such a BIG DEAL claiming that no changes are on the way.

The pope has every right to make changes.

When it comes to the 120 Papal Elector limit, he ACTUALLY has an OBLIGATION to fix that.

It is not like anyone is doing anything untoward, unethical, unlawful or even naughty.

Perfectly above board.

So why this insistence on pushing back? That makes me think that something indeed is afoot.

Now to be fair, I WAS VERY CLEAR in my first post, 2-day ago, that this was ALL HEARSAY.

Kind of funny that ‘The Pillar‘ has had to backtrack, drastically, within 48-hours. They need better sources.

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