A striking tradition of the Catholic Church is the moment when, after the vote of the Conclave, a cardinal appears before the crowd of the faithful in St. Peter’s Square, in the Vatican, and announces “Habemus Papam” (Latin for “we have a Pope”).
The person in charge of this important task of announcing for the 1.3 billion Roman Catholics in the world The election of a new pontiff is the so -called “protodiacon cardinal”.
At the moment, this position is held by French cardinal Dominique Mamberti. If not elected Pope in the next conclave, he will announce the famous words on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
What is the position “Cardinal Protodiácono”?
In order to understand the position of a protodiacon cardinal, it is necessary to understand the structure of the Roman Catholic Church.
Cardinals are high dignitaries of the church that advise the Pope in various skills of daily work in the Vatican.
“They are considered, in diplomacy, as” princes of the Church. “The etymology of the term ‘cardinal’ is in Latin Cardo/Cardinis, in Portuguese ‘Gonzo’ or ‘Axis’, in this case, around the Pope,” explains Monsignor André Sampaio de Oliveira, from the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro.
“There are three types or orders of cardinals: cardinals, cardinals, present-charges and diáacons,” added Oliveira, who is a doctor of canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University, based in Rome.
THE CNN Filipe Domingues, a Vatican specialist and a doctor of social sciences from the Pontifical Gregorian University, explains that this internal division at the College of Cardinals establishes a kind of hierarchy.
“Historically the cardinals were men members of the Church, the city of Rome. Some were bishops, some were priests and some were deacons. So there is this division by the degree of ordination,” he added.
Currently, there are more than 200 cardinals from around the world that are part of the Cardinal College.
“Protodiacon cardinal is the oldest cardinal of the order of deacons. That is, it is the longest that has been appointed among the cardinals of that order,” said Domingues.
The expert points out that the protodiacon has a series of functions over the years, but the main one, in a situation of conclave, is the one who makes the great announcement of the election of the new Pope and the name chosen by the new Pontiff.
“The whole conclave is organized in this way. It is already defined by the position who does what. It is to avoid having to elect all these functions on time,” he says.
The protodiacon cardinal is also responsible for placing the Pallium on the shoulders of the new Pope.
“The Pallium is a sheep wool strip representing the ministry of a bishop. An bishop attached to the apostles – especially the apostle Peter in this case. The Pope as the bishop of Rome. He is the center of unity of the church. Someone has to put this symbol of the Pope’s grazing and is the protodican cardinal who does it,” adds Domingues.
If the protodiacon himself is elected Pope, the second oldest cardinal of the Deacon Order is the one who will do these works.
Who is the current Cardinal Protodiácono?
The current protodiacon cardinal is the French cardinal Dominique Mamberti.
According to the biography provided by the Holy See Press Room, Mamberti was born on March 7, 1952 in Marrakech, Morocco, son of French parents who returned to their homeland shortly after birth.
“He studied public law and political science. After entering the Pontifical French Seminary in Rome, he was ordained priest on September 20, 1981 for the diocese of Ajaccio, Corsega,” says the Vatican.
“He graduated in canon law and began studying at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. He joined the Holy See Diplomatic Service on March 1, 1986,” he added.
Mamberti was proclaimed Cardinal by Pope Francis in the consistory of February 15, 2015.
Understand how the conclave that chooses the Pope of the Catholic Church works
This content was originally published in know who is the cardinal who will announce “Habemus Papam” after the conclave on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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