Do
not write Italy any where on the envelope. The Vatican, as
an independent country, has its own mail service. Also, make sure to
write "air mail" on the envelope so that it is sent by plane
and not by ship.
The
pope does not have a public email address.
Can the pope resign?
Yes, a Pope may resign.
No one has to accept the resignation. The vacancy would be filled
by normal procedures (voting).
No One Must Accept
Resignation
According to Canon 332 of
Church Law, when a Pope resigns, since he is Supreme Pontiff, no one has
to accept the resignation.
The Canon reads:
"If it should happen
that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity
that he makes the resignation freely and that it be duly manifested, but
not that it be accepted by anyone."
Historic
Resignations
Several
Popes have resigned including Benedict IX (1033-44), Gregory VI
(1044-46), Celestine V (1294) and most recently Gregory XII (1406-15).
Ability
to Resign Formally Established by Boniface in 1294
Boniface VIII (1294-1303) who became Pope after
Celestine V's resignation, decreed:
"Whereas some curious persons, arguing on things
of no great expediency, and rashly seeking, against the teaching of the
Apostle, to know more than
it is meet to know, have seemed, with little forethought, to raise an
anxious doubt, whether the Roman Pontiff, especially when he recognizes
himself incapable of ruling the Universal Church and of bearing the
burden of the Supreme Pontificate, can validly renounce the papacy, and
its burden and honour: Pope Celestine V, Our predecessor, whilst still
presiding over the government of the aforesaid Church, wishing to cut
off all the matter for hesitation on the subject, having deliberated
with his brethren, the Cardinals of the Roman Church, of whom We were
one, with the concordant counsel and assent of Us and of them all, by
Apostolic authority established and decreed, that the Roman Pontiff may
freely resign. We, therefore, lest it should happen that in course of
time this enactment should fall into
oblivion, and the aforesaid doubt should revive the
discussion, have placed it among other constitutions ad perpetuam rei
memoriam by the advice of our brethren."
If the pope becomes
incapacitated, can he be removed?
Under
canon law, a pope is allowed to resign. However, a pope may not be
removed even if he becomes incapacitated. No Pope has ever lost
his mental capacity. However, there was a bed-ridden
pope. Two years after taking office, Pope Clement XII (1730-1740)
went blind. He also had a severe case of gout and spent most of
his ten years in office in bed.
Why
does the Catholic
Encyclopedia count 265 popes while the Vatican acknowledges 264?
The
confusion arises around Stephen II (752) who died 3 days after his
election, but prior to his consecration. The Vatican list does not
contain him, whereas the Catholic Encyclopedia’s list does.
The
Vatican refers to Pope John Paul II as the 264th pope. The
official list is based on the definitive study of Popes, completed in 1947 by
Msgr. Angelo Mercato, Director of the Vatican Archives. The Vatican
accepted and published his findings as the official list. This
list and the Popes since then add up to 264.
The
Pope Chart includes these 264 Popes. Click here for a
complete
List
of all Popes
Have all popes changed their names?
No.
There is some speculation that the early Popes may have changed
their names to Greek names, as Jesus had done to St. Peter. This is
based on the fact that most of the early popes were Italian or Roman
and yet have Greek names.
The first known pope, after Peter, to take a new name was
John II in 533. His given name was Mercury, the name of a pagan god,
and hardly suitable for a pope, so he adopted the name of the martyred
John I instead.
There wasn't another papal name change until John XII (originally
Octavian) in 955. Name changes became common after that, but not every
pope took a new name. Several eleventh-century Johns kept the name
John, for example.
It's possible that some very early popes took different names. We
know almost nothing about many of the popes (then called bishops of
Rome) who served during the church's first centuries, so tidbits like
given names could easily have been lost.
Can a pope chose any name he wishes?
Yes, the choice of name is the first decision after accepting the
Papacy. Once elected , the pope is asked
by the Cardinal Dean:
Do
you accept your canonical election as supreme pontiff?
And,
as soon as he has received the consent, he asks him:
By
what name do you wish to be called?
A pope may choose any name but will generally choose a name of
religious significance.
Is it true that there have been
popes who sin?
Yes.
Jesus
established his church to safeguard the deposit of faith he left with
Peter and his disciples. Jesus said the "gates of
hell" would never overcome it. He promised that He would be
with it until the end of time. He promised the the Holy Spirit
would be with it until the end of time. Their continual presence
guarantees the preservation of truth when the Pope and Magisterium,
who are successors of Peter and the Apostles, issue statements under
certain conditions on faith and morals.
This is the gift of
"infallibility" which Jesus gave to Peter and his
successors. Jesus did not give Popes the gift of impeccability,
which means they can't sin. Then, he would have to take away
their free will. Even Peter had the free will to deny him three
times... Popes, like you and I, will be answerable on how we use our
free will.
Does the pope receive a salary? If
so, how much?
The
Pope does not receive a salary. He does not even have a bank
account.
Who makes the Popemobile?
The pope's car is called the Popemobile.
There are at least 20 Popemobiles scattered around the world.
The Vatican garage houses six of the four-ton vehicles.
Land Rover made the first armored Popemobile in 1982, after the
assassination attempt of Pope John Paul II. They have since been made
by Fiat, Renault, Peugeot, GM, Toyota and Mercedes Benz.
The cost is of the cars are not disclosed as they are donated to
the church by the manufacturers.
For World Youth Day in Toronto, the Pope rode in a Mercedes-Benz
M430 colored in mother-of-pearl.
Prior to the armored Popemobiles, popes were transported in
carriages and automobiles. Several of these are on display in the
Vatican Carriage Museum, including carriages from the 1800s, as well
as, a 1929 Graham Paige, a 1930 Citroen and a 1930 Mercedes Benz.
What is the pope's license plate
number?
The
pope mobile's license plate number is:
SCV
1
SCV
in Italian stands for: Stato della Citta del Vaticano (
Vatican
City
State
).
Some Romans joke that it is an acronym for "Se Cristo Vedesse"
- if only Christ could see this :-)
Has a Pope ever visited the White
House?
The first Pope and only pope to visit the White House was Pope John
Paul II, who came during the Carter presidency in 1979.
Was
there ever an African pope?
Yes,
there were three African popes.
14-
St. Victor (189-199)
Born
in Africa, he was elected in 189 and died in 199, a martyr. He
was the fourteenth pope. He decreed that, in Baptism, any kind of
water could be used in an emergency. Memorable was his struggle
against the bishops of Asia and Africa so that Easter should be
celebrated according to the Roman rite and not according to the Jewish
one.
32
- St. Miltiades (311-314)
Born
in Africa. During his pontificate the emperor
Constantine, after the vision "in hoc signo vinces", issued
his decree of tolerance for the Christian Faith. Blessed bread
dates from this time. He constructed the original Basilica of
St. John Lateran. the Basilica has been rebuilt twice. The
present church was finished in 1650.
49
- St. Gelasius I (492-496)
Born
in Rome of African decent. He instituted the Code for the
uniform ceremonies and rites. Because of his charity he was
called the "Father of the Poor". He maintained the
supremacy of the church over the kings. He inserted the "Kyrie
Eleison" (Greek for "Lord have mercy") into the Mass.
Was
there ever a woman pope?
No.
However, there is a long-standing myth of a Pope Joan. According
to the legend, an English woman disguised herself as a man and was
elected to the papacy as John VIII, between St Leo IV and
Benedict III around 850. Her true gender was discovered
when she bore a child during a procession through Rome. Upon
review of historical documents, the first mention of this 9th century
"Popess" was in the mid-13th century and it is now
considered a myth.
Was there ever a
Jewish pope?
St. Peter was Jewish. The only other "pope" generally acknowledged
from a Jewish family is Anacletus II (1130), an antipope.
Likely, other early popes were from Jewish families, but the
records are not conclusive. Speculation on other Jewish Popes include
St.Zosimus (417-418), based on his father's name of Abram.
Evaristus (100-109) has also been mentioned based on some Pope Pius V
writings.
What is an anti-pope?
An
anti-pope is someone who lays false claim to the papacy. In many
cases, they would assume papal duties in defiance of the true
Pope. Felix V (1440-1449) was the last antipope.
What are
the papal prophecies?
These
are the 1139 Prophecies of St. Malachy. They states
that there will be 110 popes after Celestine II and then the world
will end:
"In
extreme persecution, the seat of the Holy Roman Church will be
occupied by Peter the Roman, who will feed the sheep through many
tribulations, at the term of which the city of the seven hills will be
destroyed, and the formidable Judge will judge his people. The
End.".
For
each of the 110 future popes starting with Celestine II, the
prophecy
contains
a 'motto' or characteristic of the pope. Many seem to fit.
Pope
John Paul II motto is "De labore Solis" meaning
"from the labor of the sun". He was born on May 18,
1920 during a solar eclipse.
If
antipopes are counted, there have been 99 popes and 10 antipopes
equaling 109. Therefore, the Prophecy of St. Malachy indicates there
will be two more popes after John Paul II. The next Pope will be
the second to last Pope Gloria Olivae ("Glory of the
Olives") and the final will be Peter the Roman.
Many
think this prophecy was a sixteenth century forgery. This is when they
were discovered and the mottos
fit "too well" until that time. The church has no
official opinion on the authenticity of the prophecies.
For
more information on the Prophecies of Malachy, go to: www.catholic-pages.com/grabbag/malachy.asp
,
and
also near the end of this Catholic Encyclopedia article on prophecy:
www.newadvent.org/cathen/12473a.htm
