Brother Adam Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 I know, I know. But think about it - any baptized Catholic male can hold the Petrine Office. So what if someone was elected pope that was not in Rome (Most likely a bishop). Let's say the Holy Spirit clearly spoke to each of the electors and said "Vote for Joe Smith in Smalltown, USA". And that is who they elected because the Holy Spirit intervened. Again, wouldn't happen for so many reasons, but what if? Jesus did call fisherman and tax collectors. Would the white smoke go up and the ballots be burned only after he accepted? Would they email him? Call him on the phone? Fly to his house and ask him? Or would they send a diocesan representative? Perhaps his bishop to go and find him? Would they bring him to Rome before asking him if he accepted? When would he be presented to the people? After he was ordained a deacon, priest, and bishop? Would it take place immediately, or after a time of preparation? Would he technically be pope before his ordination? Or only after? Would the Vatican even tell us they had elected someone but he isn't in Rome and they have to go and find him? Inquiring minds...I imagine there is no protocol if someone is elected who is not a Cardinal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 It would totally be Athanasius Schneider. :| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evangetholic Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 He'd become Pope the moment he accepted. Whether or not he was ordained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dUSt Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 They would tell him that they came to the decision before the conclave started, that he needs to be in Rome by Wednesday, and that he needs to shut down his website and stop spelling things with a "ph". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basilisa Marie Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 He'd become Pope the moment he accepted. Whether or not he was ordained. Well, sorta. The one time it happened, the guy was made a priest, then bishop, before he was crowned. So I think he's just be the Pope-elect. During the last election, the priest at my home parish made a joke about changing the message on his voicemail to say "...and if this is a call from Rome, I accept and take the name John Paul III." :hehe2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basilisa Marie Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 They would tell him that they came to the decision before the conclave started, that he needs to be in Rome by Wednesday, and that he needs to shut down his website and stop spelling things with a "ph". Shut us down? No way. We'd be the official papal forum! Imagine the influx of donations! The masses of people! We'd almost be as large as Catholic Answers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatholicCid Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 He'd become Pope the moment he accepted. Whether or not he was ordained. Can. 332 §1. The Roman Pontiff obtains full and supreme power in the Church by his acceptance of legitimate election together with episcopal consecration. Therefore, a person elected to the supreme pontificate who is marked with episcopal character obtains this power from the moment of acceptance. If the person elected lacks episcopal character, however, he is to be ordained a bishop immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Go watch the movie "King Ralph" starring the incomparable John Goodman. Therein lies the answers to life's greatest questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle_eye222001 Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 My guess is they would send a secret entourage and burn fake ballots in the meantime to make everything look normal. So this week, if I see a white helicopter coming down.....or some Swiss Guards with a bunch of white balloons... Seriously though, if I was in charge, I would send a secret entourage to escort the named person back for the unveiling. That would make the most sense I think. Otherwise, Joe Smoe II would be overrun by rioters and probably killed if it was made public before they could get adequate security. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evangetholic Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Well, sorta. The one time it happened, the guy was made a priest, then bishop, before he was crowned. So I think he's just be the Pope-elect. During the last election, the priest at my home parish made a joke about changing the message on his voicemail to say "...and if this is a call from Rome, I accept and take the name John Paul III." :hehe2: Pius XII says in an address in French (not remembering the name) that the newly elected lay pope must be willing and fit (sane and male) for ordination, but if these conditions are met he's Pope at the moment of acceptance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evangetholic Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Can. 332 §1. The Roman Pontiff obtains full and supreme power in the Church by his acceptance of legitimate election together with episcopal consecration. Therefore, a person elected to the supreme pontificate who is marked with episcopal character obtains this power from the moment of acceptance. If the person elected lacks episcopal character, however, he is to be ordained a bishop immediately. Foiled again by Canon law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evangetholic Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 This is no semantic quibble: "The Roman Pontiff obtains"...So he's pope. Just not able to exercise popery. At the risk of sounding like a Sedevantist I'm thinking Material Pope vs Formal Pope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatholicCid Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 This is no semantic quibble: "The Roman Pontiff obtains"...So he's pope. Just not able to exercise popery. At the risk of sounding like a Sedevantist I'm thinking Material Pope vs Formal Pope. I think that might be reading a bit too much into it. The Papacy is an office which, according to the current Canons, requires both the acceptance of election and the episcopal character to be invested with. Canon 331 states that is is "by virtue of his office he possesses supreme, full, immediate, and universal ordinary power in the Church, which he is always able to exercise freely." If episcopal character is not necessary to be invested with this office, then it seems that he would be able to "exercise popery" immediately upon his acceptance. But, I would also bow to Ed Peters - http://canonlawblog.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/who-can-be-elected-pope/ Canon 332 § 1 of the 1983 Code simply states that one already a bishop (nb: not necessarily a cardinal) who accepts legitimate papal election becomes pope immediately. One who is not yet a bishop (and the Church has elected several non-bishops to the papacy) can accept election, but must be immediately consecrated bishop. By implication, that would seem to require that a papabile (a) be male, and be willing (b) to be baptized, (c) ordained deacon, priest, and bishop, and (d) have the use of reason in order to accept election and, if necessary, holy orders. The implication seems that one becomes pope upon both acceptance of the office and being a Bishop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evangetholic Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 I think that might be reading a bit too much into it. The Papacy is an office which, according to the current Canons, requires both the acceptance of election and the episcopal character to be invested with. Canon 331 states that is is "by virtue of his office he possesses supreme, full, immediate, and universal ordinary power in the Church, which he is always able to exercise freely." If episcopal character is not necessary to be invested with this office, then it seems that he would be able to "exercise popery" immediately upon his acceptance. But, I would also bow to Ed Peters - http://canonlawblog.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/who-can-be-elected-pope/ The implication seems that one becomes pope upon both acceptance of the office and being a Bishop. That's the logical the Pope by definition is Supreme, if he's not Supreme, he's not Pope. Thank you for that blog CC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r2Dtoo Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Well, I don't know what all questioning is about. I think Canon Law makes it pretty clear what happens if a non-Cardinal is elected out of the blue. Can. 725 § 6. If the College shall choose to elect a non-member then a secret soiecty of the world's top ninjas shall be dispatched to apprehend and blindfold the candidate to bring him to Rome. Upon arrival in Rome the canadidate's blindfold shall be removed, and he shall be told his apprehension was for the entertainment value of viewers of a new television show on the FOX network in the United States of America, and that the network would like to award him a million dollars (USD) for his trouble if he signs a document waiving his right to file a lawsuit. This document shall really be an agreement to accept the Office of the Chair of St. Peter. Upon the canadidate's signature he shall then be forced ably downed in the holy vestments of the of the holy father and shoved behind the curtain to a cheering crowd of laypersons chanting his new pontifical name as determined in the agreement mentioned above. Seems pretty straight forward to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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