Sede Vacante

[PresidentDavid]

[b]The City of Rome
The Vatican
St. Peter's Square[/b]

"We now go live to The Vatican with Chris Stevenson standing by. You have any updates for us Chris?"

Chris didn't say anything at first as he looked up. He constantly moved his head left and right like he was trying to see something. After seven seconds of no reply the news anchor spoke again, "Chris?" hoping the connection wasn't broken. Mr. Stephenson gave a disappointing face as several other people let out sighs or sounds of frustration. "Yeah, sorry about that Franky. Someone yelled white smoke and we all looked up but it was just black. As of now, we can confirm that the new Pope still has not been chosen. Nearly one billion Catholics and many Christians around the world wait for the choosing of the next Pope to follow in a long line of men that has remained unbroken since it's creation. All we can do now, is wait."

Edited January 13, 2012 by PresidentDavid

[KingChris]

At the conclusion of the fourth scrutiny, the ballots were opened and read aloud. The votes were counted, and the scrutineers determined that no candidate received the two-thirds majority required for election. The ballots were burned with straw, and the black smoke that came from burning the straw with the ballots rose through the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and out to the open air, letting the world know that no pope had yet been elected. The cardinals would be able to hear the groans of disappointment outside in St. Peter’s Square.

[Markus Wilding]

Even amidst an armed conflict, a collection of facepalms could be heard originating from Finland. Even the dead facepalmed.

[KingChris]

At the conclusion of the fifth scrutiny, the ballots were opened and read aloud. The votes were counted, and the scrutineers determined that a cardinal received the two-thirds majority required for election. Dean Scola asked Amaury, “Acceptasne electionem de te canonice factam in Summum Pontificem?” (Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?) When the winner replied that he would accept, Scola asked what name he would take, and the pope-elect chose Celestine. The Sistine Chapel was unlocked, and the new Pope-elect proceeded to a small room alone and dressed himself in the papal vestments that awaited him. The ballots were burned alone, and the white smoke that came from burning the ballots rose through the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and out to the open air, letting the world know that a pope had been elected. The bells of the Vatican City rang in conjunction with the smoke to confirm that the conclave had brought forth a new pope. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guCUSBD8shw)

As the other Cardinals excitingly proceeded to a nearby balcony to watch the next events, Cardinal Jean-Louis Taran went out to the balcony of St. Peter’s, not showing any emotion whatsoever, and read the traditional Habemus Papam announcement with great solemnity:

[quote]Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum:
Habemus Papam!
Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum,
Dominum Carolus,
Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Amaury,
qui sibi nomen imposuit Caelestinus sextum.[/quote]

English:
[quote] I announce to you a great joy:
We have a Pope!
The most eminent and most reverend Lord,
Lord Charles,
Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church Amaury,
Who takes for himself the name of Celestine VI.[/quote]

He was followed minutes later by the new Pope, led by a processional cross, and gave the Latin Urbi et Orbi blessing, as tradition mandated.

(translation)
[quote] May the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, in whose power and authority we have confidence, intercede on our behalf to the Lord.
R/ Amen.
Through the prayers and merits of the Blessed Mary ever-virgin, of Blessed Michael the Archangel, of Blessed John the Baptist, and of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and of all the saints, may Almighty God have mercy on you, and with your sins forgiven, may Jesus Christ lead you into everlasting life.
R/ Amen.
May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant you indulgence, absolution, and remission of all your sins, time for a true and fruitful penance, an always repentant heart and amendment of life, the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit, and final perseverance in good works.
R/ Amen.
And may the blessing of Almighty God, + the Father, + the Son, and + the Holy Spirit, descend on you and remain with you always.
R/ Amen.[/quote]

Edited January 14, 2012 by KingChris

[Evangeline Anovilis]

Many Croatians, some who had also travelled to St. Peters Square to see exactly this moment, were euphoric. A new Pope had been elected and the Catholic Church had a new shepherd to guide it in this darkest of all hours. Cardinal stefan Velankovic also was glad, as he could leave the Sistine Chapel once again.

The Vicidalians in exile also celebrated this day, the day when the first Vicidalian Pope was elected. Some saw it even as a sign that maybe their homeland could be liberated, altough most agreed that more important issues had to be dealt with first.

[Padraig Rua]

[i]'The beginning of a new era'[/i] commented Cardinal [url="http://i.usatoday.net/life/_photos/2011/03/29/borgiasx-large.jpg"]José Ramón[/url] of Peru, as he observed the enthusiastic crowds celebrating the election of a new Pope.

[Sigurd Odinnson]

Pontifex Maximus Sigurd Odinnson, in his capacity as Eccardopolitan Pope Heraclitus I overseeing the [i]Ecclesia Mystica[/i] of the Order of the Brethren of the Holy Name, wishes to enter interfaith talks with the Holy Roman Church and the head of the Roman Rite of Christian Worship.

[KingChris]

[quote name='Sigurd Odinnson' timestamp='1326745378' post='2901028']
Pontifex Maximus Sigurd Odinnson, in his capacity as Eccardopolitan Pope Heraclitus I overseeing the [i]Ecclesia Mystica[/i] of the Order of the Brethren of the Holy Name, wishes to enter interfaith talks with the Holy Roman Church and the head of the Roman Rite of Christian Worship.
[/quote]

The Eccardopolitan Pope Heraclitus I is invited to an audience with Pope Celestine VI.

OOC: Just to confirm, Odinnson is the head of a Christian denomination?

[Sigurd Odinnson]

[quote name='KingChris' timestamp='1326757992' post='2901174']
The Eccardopolitan Pope Heraclitus I is invited to an audience with Pope Celestine VI.

OOC: Just to confirm, Odinnson is the head of a Christian denomination?
[/quote]

OOC: The Order of the Brethren of the Holy Name are a Neoplatonist Christian Tradition which claims lineage to the See of Constantinople through St. John Chrysostom. Formerly a polytheistic group called the Order of the Knights of Othin's Eye, they were given the charge to worship Τὸ Ἕν and His Divine λόγος. They differ from the Eastern Church in their recognition of Western teachers and traditions from St. Augustine, St. Anselm, St. Eckhart (Meister Eckhart in the Roman Church), St. Dionysius, and St. Theresa of Ávila, among others. They lack a name as of yet since they merely refer to their belief as "The Faith" ([i]Fides[/i]) and their congregation as "The Church" ([i]Ecclesia[/i]). I'm hoping to use this RP to flesh out their relationship to Christianity a little bit better, since they're not Protestants, but they're not quite Catholics either. I guess you could call it a sort of "Western Orthodoxy" but for theological rather than liturgical reasons (see: [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Orthodoxy"]Western Orthodoxy[/url]).

IC: Heraclitus accepts the invitation graciously and hopes to use the opportunity to reach out to all members of the Body of Christ through his fellow chosen representative of the λόγος. He will arrive in Rome bringing pilgrims for the Holy Sites of Sts. Peter and Paul, among others.

In explanation of why he would undertake such a journey, Odinnson announced in the Confederation, "it is important that the members of the Body work not against one another, but in tandem. They have been broken through human error and the sin of pride, and where humility and peace will unite them, so ought they to be united. Where theological union is impossible, then we may at least proceed joined in hands and hearts to receive as one the Truth of the One and denounce the heresies of the demiurge and of raw scripture. We hope that there is much ground to be found in common between our Roman brothers and ourselves that we may work together for the denunciation of heresy and toward our total spiritual Henosis."

[KingChris]

In conjunction with Heraclitus I, Pope Celestine VI offered the following statement:

[quote]In today's world, we are witnessing the decline of Christianity. As the paganism in the north of Europe continues to expand, we must hold hands with our Christian brothers and sisters from different denominations. No matter what our differences, we share something fundamental that separates us from those of other faiths: our firm belief in the most Holy Trinity.[/quote]

The Pope also mentioned that in addition to an audience in the Vatican, the itinerary included a visit to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the site where St. Paul is buried.