Benedict out of sight as conclave nears
2013-03-11 21:37
Vatican City - As cardinals move to elect a new pope, the
Vatican has seemed intent on getting people to forget the last one.
Benedict XVI's papacy ended last month with an act of
great symbolism: Swiss Guards banged shut the giant doors of the papal palace
in Castel Gandolfo at the strike of 20:00. Since then, Benedict has literally
been kept out of sight, part of a calculated strategy to show he will play no
role in selecting his successor.
The emeritus pope has only been spotted once since
retiring - in a photo snapped by a paparazzo hiding in a tree.
Italian celebrity gossip magazine Chi, which carried the
topless photos of Prince William's wife last year, showed Benedict dressed in a
white down coat and white baseball hat while taking an afternoon stroll with a
cane in the castle gardens, accompanied by his faithful secretary, Monsignor
Georg Gaenswein.
These days, the Vatican rarely even speaks of Benedict.
And only a few official details have trickled out on his life after the papacy:
He slept well his first night as a former pope, celebrated Mass as usual in the
morning and ate breakfast.
The sparse details all seem to stem from fears over
conflicts arising from having a reigning pope and a retired one.
As part of the process of forgetting Benedict, the
retired pontiff's coat of arms were removed from a floral display in front of
the Vatican's governor's palace, ready to be replaced by the coat of arms of
the new pope.
And the Vatican spokesperson on Monday was quick to
dismiss any suggestion of possible contacts between Benedict and the cardinal
electors, saying that none had sought him out since they had gathered in Rome.
The Reverend Federico Lombardi said that Benedict won't
be getting any inside information about the conclave — and that he would
probably follow the proceedings on TV and by reading newspapers.
That's a shift from the line taken just two days earlier,
when Lombardi said Benedict is receiving regular briefings on cardinals'
meetings from Gaenswein.
Nonetheless, Benedict is bound to cast a big shadow over
the conclave.
He named 67 of the 115 cardinals who will be voting, so
some sense of loyalty may well influence their decisions about the successor.
And some have bucked the Vatican line by striving to keep
memories of Benedict alive.
Affection towards Benedict
Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, considered a leading
candidate himself, spoke openly of his affection for the retired pope during
his homily on Sunday evening at his titular church Gesu Divin Lavoratore in a
blue collar neighbourhood of Rome.
He said Benedict's retirement, "made me cry”.
"He was my teacher," said Schoenborn. "We
worked together for over 40 years. It was a very difficult moment that has to
be understood with trust and faith."
He also tried to stress that, despite reports of deep
divisions the conclave was going forward in a spirit of unity.
Referring to a scandal about leaked papal documents,
Schoenborn said: "I'm not doing 'Vatileaks' or breaking conclave secrecy
when I tell you that I found a spirit of brotherhood like I have rarely
experienced before in the meetings we cardinals have had over the past few
days."
Any attempt to keep Benedict under wraps clearly touches
on the sensitivities surrounding Vatican plans for secretary Gaenswein.
Shortly before announcing his retirement, Benedict gave
Gaenswein the additional title of prefect of the papal household, meaning he
would work with the new pope during the day and stay with Benedict in the
evening.
That has raised speculation about possible secret
messages being shuttled between the two popes. Heightening the intrigue over
Benedict's possible influence, Gaenswein will be inside the Sistine Chapel for
part of the conclave in his new role as prefect.
- AP
