Pope chooses simple ceremony to start his reign

Press, 23 October 1978, Page 1

Pope chooses simple ceremony to start his reign

’’The Press” is 12c again today

NZPA-Reuter Vatican City Pope John Paul IL the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years, formally inaugurated his pontificate yesterday in a solemn outdoor rite on the marble steps of St Peter’s Basilica

“Remember me today and always in your prayers,” the first Polishborn Pope said in his homily. “Pray for me. Help me to be able to serve you.” The Pope, who is 58, described himself “full of trepidation, conscious of his unworthmess." Then he explained why he, like his predecessor, John Paul 1, refused the tradition of the triple crown, or tiara, by saying: “This is not the time to return to a ceremony and an object considered — wrongly — to be a symbol Of the temporal power of the Popes.” Instead of the golden, beehive-shaped tiara, the Pope received the palium, or woollen papal stole. The Pope, who until his election last Monday was Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. Archbishop of Krakow, Poland, concelebrated Mass with the College of Cardinals before a huge crowd that included President Henryk Jablonski of Poland. Millions more watched the ceremony on television, beamed live to 42 countries including Poland — the first time the communist country was linked for a religious ceremony from the Vatican. It was taped for broadcast to the United States. Bv accepting the shawl, or pallium, the new Pope accepted his duty as Bishop of Rome and Patriarch of the Western Church and its 700 million members. He is the 264th successor to the throne of St Peter. The new Pope began the ceremonv with prayers inside the Basilica at the Altar of Confession, built atop what is venerated to be the tomb of St Peter. Then the Pope, while the Vatican choir sang the hymn, “Veni Creator Spiritus” (“Come Creator Spirit”), walked in procession with the cardinals through the centra] front door to the portable altar outside, placed on a red velvet-covered platform. He kissed the altar, seated himself and received the pallium from Cardinal Pericle Felici. the Italian Dean of the Cardinal Deacons Then the Mass began, celebrated in Latin with readings in French, Spanish. German, and English.

The Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr Donald Coggan) attended vesterdav’s service, the first such attendance since King Henry VIII broke from Rome 400 vears aeo. Among dignitaries attending were Presidents Elias Sarkis of Lebanon, Patrirk Hi’lerv of Ireland, and Rn.HUolf Kirchschlager. of Austria Pone John Paul has not vet announced anv new anreiniments or confirmed in offioo anv of the previous panal advisers. and changes are widely expected He has said he intends to decentralise church administration hv giving more power to the svnod of hishons introduced bv Pone Pon) vtj atl d steps in this direction are expected soon. tn the tivht of an unaudience for th" press on Saturday, which surprised and delighted ’onrnallsts bv its informality, reorganisation of public relations to make the t ’an < ’cv more accessible is also likely, nerhans even to the extent of panal press conferences. Pope John Pa'il has also said he would like to travel. mentioning the United Stares, the Soviet Union and his native Pdand as possible destinations. A dour response to this idea from th" Polish Minister for Religions Affairs, Mr Kazimierz Kakol. was. however an indication of the challenges the new Pone will f ace Rut he gives every indication of welcoming such challenges Pone John Paul 11. smiles easily, and acts with the aniomb of a political leader and does not seem at all aw»d bv his high office. He regards himself as a successor to St Peter, with al! the orestige and influence that comes with the Papacy, but he is also prepared to grant more power to his bishops. John Paul II has not vet revealed his stand as Pope on many important issues before the Roman Catholic Church But an analysis of some of his writings and his statements suggests he will be a moderate progressive who opposes divorce and artificial birth control. The Pope likes to ski and said on Saturday that

he hoped he could ski again, “when they let me." (“They,” presumably, were Vatican officials). As he walked slowly down the centre aisle of the Vatican’s Benediction Hall at the end of his audience with the press, he smiled broadly, shook countless hands, gave his blessings. and spoke briefly into microphones thrust at him. In a more solemn vein, he gave a firm indication of his foreign policy in a speech on Friday to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. He declared he would not interfere in any country’s internal politics but said that he would not hesitate to speak out against injustice and the loss of religious liberty. On internal Church policy, he made it clear he would boost the influence of bishops, who have often complained that Church government has been dominated by entrenched Vatican officials. The Polish Pope also condemned “obstinate” traditionalists who rejected reforms of the 1962-65 Vatican Ecumenical Council and also denounced progressives who had tried to promote “arbitrary and uncontrolled inovations.” This placed him in the tradition of moderate reform followed by his two predecessors, Popes Paul and John Paul. John Paul Il’s previous writings present a Roman Catholic intellectual who tries to analyse issues with considerable care, draw fine distinctions and defend church policies strongly. He also appears as a Polish patriot and a man who knows how to speak to a crowd. On marriage, he wrote in his book, “Love and Responsibility” that “it is impossible to renounce the good represented by monogamy and by indissolubility not only for supernatural reasons, for reasons of faith, but also for reasons of rational and human order.” On artificial birth control. he wrote that “continence . . . constitutes the only way out in conformity with the nature of people and thus the only honest way out.”