Cardinals Gather In Rome

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30154, 11 June 1963, Page 13

Cardinals Gather In Rome

(N Z.P A -Muler—Copyright/ VATICAN CITY June 10 More than half the Roman Catholic Church's 82 cardinals are now in Rome for nett week’s conclave to elect a new Pope Only those too ill to travel and Cardinal Mindszenty the Hungarian Primate who is still in asylum at the United States legation at Budapest are expected to miss the con clave

Among tne latest arrivals were the Archbishop of Neu York Francis Cardinal Spell man. and Laurean Cardinal Ruaambwa from Tanganyika the only African member of the Sacred College On June 19. the conclave area ol the Vatican palace will be sealed off The cardinals and their assistants wil remain there until one man has received the necessary

two-thirds majority toi election as Pope John's successor Until then the day-to-day affairs of the Roman Catholic Church are being run by the cardinals who are meeting daily Many cardinals predict that the man they will name Pope will keep alive Pope John's efforts to reunite Christen dom

Fhev believe the new Pope regardless of whether he is a progressive or a conservative— will continue the Ecumenical Council, which is now in suspension To do itherwise they said, would shock world public opinion The Ecumenical Council called into being by Pope John, was charged with modernising the Church m an effor to reunite all Christians with Rome At the time of the Pope's death the council had barely heeun its gigantic task Reuter said Giovanni Cardinal Montini. Archbishop of Milan and Giacomo Cardinal Lercaro Archbishop of Bologna—two of Italy’s most “goahead” churchmen—were tipped as leading candidates for the Papacy A Church ol England official spokesman last night answered criticisms of the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Ramsey» . who plans to hold a Requiem Service of Holy Communion for Pope John

Two Church ol England clergymen had issued a statement earlier saying the planned service was “a re•rograde step into superstition and error We fee] that it should be known that a Requiem Mass is a blasphemous Roman Catholic service which teaches that fhe souls of Christians need prayers after death" the two clergymen from Nottinghamshire Cen’ral England had said The spokesman for Arch bishop Ramsey’s office said: “The exact wording tn a statement to the newspaper

was that the Archbishot would be the celebrant at Holy Communion " The spokesman emphasised it would be a "Requiem Service" and not a “Requiem Mass " Meanwhile. in Londonderry Northern Ireland. Princess Margaret, and her husband the Earl of Snowdon were among a Protestant congregation which heard Lord Fisher ol Lambeth pay warm tribute to Pope John

Lord Fisher who preceded Dr Ramsey as-, Chief Prelate of the Church of Eqgland likened Pope John to Saint Columba pioneer of Chris'ianity in Scotland

“Both were impetuous spontaneous, and impatient ready to leave the known and safe and go into the way of the Spirit not yet charted thereby doing more for the universal Church 'han they could ever have expected." he said