Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church

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Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church
Camerlengo di Santa Romana Chiesa
Jordan of S. Susanna
DeputyVice camerlengo

The Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church is an office of the

ombrellino, a canopy or umbrella of alternating red and yellow stripes. These also form part of the coat of arms of the Holy See during a papal interregnum (sede vacante). The Camerlengo has been Kevin Farrell since his appointment by Pope Francis on 14 February 2019. The Vice Camerlengo has been Archbishop Ilson de Jesus Montanari since 1 May 2020.[3]

History

Until the 11th century, the Archdeacon of the Roman Church was responsible for the administration of the property of the Church (i.e., the Diocese of Rome), but the office's numerous ancient privileges and rights had come to make it a frequent hindrance to independent action on the part of the Pope; as a result, when the last Archdeacon Hildebrand was elected to the Papacy as Gregory VII in 1073, he suppressed the Archdiaconate and the prelate entrusted with the supervision of the Apostolic Camera (Camera Apostolica), i.e., the possessions of the Holy See, became known as the Camerarius ("Chamberlain").[citation needed] The Camerarius was for centuries a central figure in the Papal court.[4][5][6] The name Camerlengo was adopted later, likely after the fashion of Valois-Anjou court.[7]

It was the obligation of the Camerarius to formally establish the death of the Pope. Gradually, this evolved in the theory that the Camerarius, as the Chief of the Curia, should conduct normal business even after the death of the Pope, and also conduct the burial and the preparation for the new election. This process was evident with Camerarius

Boso Breakspeare.[5] During the long sede vacante of 1268 to 1271, the importance of the Camerarius was so clear that the Cardinals were ready to elect a new one if he died.[5]

Prior to the 18th century,[8] the Camerlengo enjoyed an income of 10,000 to 12,000 scudi a year out of the Apostolic Camera. He had jurisdiction over all suits involving the Apostolic Camera, and could judge separately or in association with the Clerics of the Apostolic Camera; he was not impeded by Consistory. He has appellate jurisdiction over suits decided by the Masters of the Roads. In a narration of the 18th century, the Camerlengo is the chief officer in the Apostolic Camera, the Financial Council of the Pope. In his office are the Governor of Rome (who is Vice-Chancellor), The Treasurer, the Auditor, the President, the Advocate General, the Fiscal Procurator, the Commissary, and twelve Clerks of the Chamber (one with the special title of Prefect of the Grain Supply, another Prefect of Provisions, another Prefect of Prisons, and another Prefect of Roads). Each Clerk of the Chamber received around 8,000 scudi a year, representing 10% of the business that passes through his office.[9]

The powers and functions of the Camerlengo were diminished considerably in the 19th century, first by the reorganisation of the papal government after the election of

Kevin Joseph Farrell (2019–present).[citation needed
]

Responsibilities

The Camerlengo is responsible for the formal determination of the death of the reigning Pope; the traditional procedure – abandoned centuries ago – was to call his baptismal name (e.g., "<Nomen>, dormisne?" meaning "<Name>, are you sleeping?").

conclave and the Pope's funeral.[citation needed
]

In the past the Camerlengo took possession of the Pope's last will and took responsibility for revealing its contents. Now the last will of the Pope is given to the College of Cardinals and its content is revealed during the first meeting of the College of Cardinals. The only responsibility still in the Camerlengo's hands is to safekeep the last will of the Pope until the College of Cardinals takes possession of it.[citation needed]

Until a successor Pope can be elected, the Camerlengo serves as

Papal Almoner, and the Vicars General for Rome and for the Vatican City State.[12]

List of Camerlengos

Those who have held the office of Camerlengo are:[13][14]

Two Camerlengos have been elected Pope: Gioacchino Pecci (Pope Leo XIII) in 1878 and Eugenio Pacelli (Pope Pius XII) in 1939. Two others, Cencio Savelli (elected Pope Honorius III in 1216) and Rinaldo Conti di Segni (elected Pope Alexander IV in 1254) were not Camerlengo at the time of their election to the papacy, Cencio having served from 1188 until 1198 and Rinaldo from 1227 until 1231.[c]

In popular culture

Notes

  1. ^ According to Hartwell de la Garde Grissell, Chamberlain of Honor di numero to Pope Pius IX, Pope Leo XIII, and Pope Pius X, who was present at the ceremony of recognition in 1903: "It may also be here mentioned that no such ceremony as striking the dead Pope's forehead with a silver hammer takes place, and that the exact method of calling aloud his name is not tied down to any determinate form, but is left to the discretion of the Cardinal Camerlengo.... In an original [manuscript] diary in my possession written by Domenico Cappelli of Ascoli, who was Master of Ceremonies to five Popes—Alexander VII., Clement IX., Clement X., Innocent XI., and Alexander VIII.—he states that the custom of calling aloud three times the words 'Pater Sancte' was discontinued on the death of Clement X. in 1676.[11]
  2. Great Western Schism
    .
  3. ^ It is sometimes claimed that Cosimo Gentile Migliorati (Pope Innocent VII from 1404 until 1406) was also Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church[18] but no document mentioning him in this capacity has been found.[19]

References

  1. ^ "Pastor Bonus". Archived from the original on 23 February 2001. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  2. ^ Miranda, Salvador. "The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, Reverend Apostolic Chamber". The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. Florida International University. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2010. The Camerlengo was often a Cardinal, but it became a cardinalitial office only from the XV century.
  3. ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 01.05.2020" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 1 May 2020. Archived from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  4. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  5. ^ from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  6. OCLC 10100806.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  7. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  8. ^ Girolamo Lunadoro Gregorio Leti, Relatione della Corte di Roma, e de' Riti che si osservano in esta, suoi Magistrati, Officii, e loro giurisdittione (Genoa: Il Calenzani 1656), pp. 39, 318–320.
  9. ^ Jean Aymon, Tableau de la cour de Rome seconde edition (La Haye: Jean Neaulme, 1726), Chapitre IX–XIV, pp. 256–265.
  10. ^ "The Camerlengo. Notes by Prof. J. P. Adams". Archived from the original on 31 May 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2009.
  11. ^ Hartwell de la Garde Grissell, Sede Vacante, being a Diary written during the Conclave of 1903, with additional Notes on the Accession and Coronation of Pius X (Oxford and London: James Parker and Co. 1903), page 2.
  12. ^ "Universi Dominici Gregis (February 22, 1996) | John Paul II". Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  13. ^ Benigni, U. (1913). "Camerlengo" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  14. ^ S. Miranda, Apostolic Chamber Archived 22 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ The New Cambridge Medieval History, Cambridge University Press, 1995, p. 423 note 347
  16. ^ a b c d e f Moroni, Gaetano. Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai nostri giorni. Vol. 99. pp. 127–128. Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 25 April 2008.
  17. ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 14.02.2019" (Press release). Press Office of the Holy See. 14 February 2019. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  18. ^ MIGLIORATI, Cosmato Gentile de' Archived 24 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 11 April 2015
  19. ^ H. Kochendörfer, "Päpstliche Kurialen während des grossen Schismas" in Neues Archiv der Gesellschaft für Ältere Deutsche Geschichtskunde, Volume 30 (1905), pp. 598–599, esp. 599
  • Frances Andrews, Brenda Bolton, Christoph Egger, Constance M. Rousseau, Pope, Church and City: Essays in Honour of Brenda M. Bolton, Brill, 2004.
  • Konrad Eubel: Hierarchia Catholica, vol. I–VI, Münster 1913–1960.

External links