Pope may bring conclave forward
2013-02-20 18:50
Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI may issue a decree that
would bring forward the conclave tasked with electing his successor before a
date in mid-March scheduled under the current rules, the Vatican said on Wednesday.
"The pope is considering a Motu Proprio [decree] in
the coming days... to clarify a few specific aspects of the apostolic
constitution on the conclave," spokesperson Federico Lombardi said.
Historian Ambrogio Piazzoni said "the pope is the
only one who can legislate until the last minute", when he steps down on 28
February.
The Apostolic Constitution promulgated by Benedict's
predecessor, the late pope John Paul II, in 1996 states that the conclave must
begin between 15 and 20 days following the start of the popeless "Sede
Vacante" ("Vacant Seat") interregnum.
The delay is normally for cardinals to have time to
travel to Rome following the death of a pope.
But in this case many of the cardinals are already in
Rome to bid farewell to the outgoing pontiff.
The conclave is expected to bring together the world's
117 "cardinal electors" and meets in secret in the Sistine Chapel
until a two-thirds majority is found in favour of a candidate to be the pope.
Bringing forward the date of the start of the conclave
would help prevent any overlap with Easter, which this year falls on 31 March.
