¤ Pope Coins By Mark T., Clement XII (#247) to Pius VI (#251) — January 26, 2012.
¤ Pope Coins By Mark T., Pius VII (#252) to Paul VI (#263) — January 25, 2012.
Annotations and graphics by Anura Guruge
From page 64 of Anura Guruge's 'The Next Pope 2011'.
Paul G., from Pennsylvania, sent this e-mail in reference to the January 24, 2012 post, ‘Who are these cardinals?’.
Like me he seems to think that the prelates are seated in front of St. St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.
Paul G.’s e-mail:
I did some research into the photo of the four prelates.
My best guess is St. Patrick’s Day in 1967. The prelates are seated in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Cardinal Francis Joseph Spellman, 1889 to 1967
That is Cardinal Francis Spellman at right (another bishop’s cloak can be seen to Spellman’s left). Spellman looks old and ill. He died in December, 1967.
To Spellman’s right is Archbishop Patrick A. O’Boyle of Washington DC. O’Boyle was installed as a cardinal in June, 1967 and he died in 1973. O’Boyle was a native of Scranton PA, which is 20 miles north of where I live.
I believe the prelate to O’Boyle’s right is Archbishop John F. Dearden of Detroit. He became a cardinal in 1969 and died in 1980. This is NOT bishop Sheen..
I cannot identify the man to Dearden’s right but I believe he is a bishop or archbishop from the eastern US.
Spellman’s physical appearance is the best clue as to dating the photo.
I have attached my file on cardinals of the US by cities or curia positions. It is updated as of Feb. 18 to reflect the appointments of cardinals-designate Dolan and O’Brien. [Click here to view the file as a small Adobe Acrobat PDF.]
Best wishes. Your web site is absolutely wonderful…I did my papal and cardinal research for years before discovering your great site. You and the contributors to the site make it a joy to follow developments in the highest echelon of the Catholic Church.
Incidentally, I think there is a possibility that Pope Benedict may retire as early as this year. It’s a hunch based on reasonable assumptions. Would you like an item on that topic?
Paul G.
Click image to access YouTube video of 1967 NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade
Following a quick trip to Florida, Fr. John, thank God, is back on-line.
I had this ‘frantic’ e-mail from him early this morning:
Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, 70, the victimized Vatican whistle blower, from www.patheo.com
“Saw this item and didn’t even check your sit yet, which you probably have it posted already!!
INTERESTING!!!
He’ll never get a Red Hat!!!!!”
Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò bio from Wikipedia.
I saw the story around 12:15 am this morning. Since I had just posted the ‘Golden Rose and Fidel’ story I was not in the mood to do another post. Plus, given I have to get up, for 19 minutes, at 6:30 am to see the kids off on their 6:47 am bus, it was getting close to my bed time. But, I did intend to post a link to the story today. Fr. John beat me to it, and I am glad he did.
by Anura Guruge
Detailed Itinerary Of Benedict XVI’s March 23 to 28, 2012
Trip To Mexico & Cuba — January 7, 2012.
A Golden Rose (Rose d’Or), an intricate, artisan gold ornament, made from at least two ounces of gold (but often more, and thus now costing well in excess of US $4,000), depicting as of the 15th century a branch with multiple roses, is one of the oldest (from at least c. 1050) and important favors that can be bestowed by a pope.
Golden Rose given by Leo XIII (#257), in 1889, to Isabella of Braganza, Princess of Brazil, for abolishing slavery.
Since the time of Leo IX (#153), [1049 - 1054] a Golden Rose is blessed each year by the pope on the fourth Sunday of Lent, Lætare Sunday (Rose Sunday/Mothering Sunday). [This year, Lætare Sunday will be on March 18 -- 5 days prior to the pope's departure to Mexico and Cuba.] Originally the blessing would take place in Rome’s Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem). In the early days the Golden Rose could also get presented to a worthy prince in the papal court straight after the ceremony. But in time this shifted to the Golden Rose being reserved to be sent to nobility, typically kings and queens (in time the fairer sex usually getting preference). It is not clear where the blessing takes place these days. It is in the Vatican, and the indications are that it happens in the Apostolic Palace as opposed to St. Peter’s.
Leo IX ordered a large monastery for nuns to be constructed in Bamberg, in the German province of Franconia. The claim is that the nuns were required to provide the pope, hence after, a Golden Rose, annually, on Lætare Sunday. If they could not meet this obligation they had to provide at least two ounces of gold as compensation. Another version of the story has it that the pope inherited this monastery (or similar) but opted to give it back to the nuns who established the tradition of paying homage to the pope for his kindness with this annual Rose.
These days the creation of the Golden Rose or Roses, usually by a famed artist, is funded and managed by the Vatican. c. 1950 the Golden Rose was not routinely awarded each year. So a new one was not produced on a yearly basis — the pope blessing the last one still at the Vatican. There were only five awarded during Paul VI’s (#263) 15 year pontificate. It appears that John Paul II (#265) made even fewer awards! Benedict XVI (#266), who appears to have a weakness for all things gold, has so far awarded 12 Golden Roses — the one he is taking to Cuba thus being his 12th (and he has yet to be pope for 7 years).
Henry VIII [1491-1547], of the six wives, the King of England & Ireland, the founder of the Church of England received not one but three (3) Golden Roses, one each from Julius II (#217), Leo X (#218) and Clement VII (#220) — which must have come in handy as nice presents for the then wife. Charles IX, King of France, was given one to celebrate the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre. So if the pope gives a Golden Rose to Fidel it would not be that incongruous. But, to be fair to the pope, the Golden Rose he is taking to Cuba is not for Fidel.
Actually, since 1956 the Vatican has not presented a Golden Rose to a person (though there is nothing that says that a pope can’t renew that tradition). Instead the Golden Rose now gets awarded to shrines. Thus, the Golden Rose being taken to Cuba will be given to the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity, the patron of Cuba, when the pope visits the shrine on Tuesday, March 27, 2012.
Yes, there is chatter that the pope will indeed meet with Fidel — albeit not at the Shrine. Fidel, as shown here, dressed in a snazzy black suit, did meet with John Paul II when he visited Cuba. The meeting will most likely take place in Havana, later on in the day on March 27, the pope is scheduled to meet with Fidel’s brother, the now President of Cuba.
Mark T. is a trusted collaborator who always ultra helpful and never fails to encourage.
Mark collects papal coins. He has at least one coin (or medal) of each pope from Calixtus III (#210) to Benedict XVI (#266), plus a few from before then, including the sede vacante for the Long Conclave of 1268-71, and one of antipope Clement VII. Ever generous he has agreed to provide me with scans of his entire collection for reproduction here. Thank you, Mark. You really do fit the bill: a true scholar and gentleman.
I am going to do this in batches, ideally 12 at a time. So here is the first set of 12:
David W. Tschanz, an author considerably more prolific, gifted and successful (not to mention good looking) than yours truly, who is currently working for a huge oil company in Saudi, is a good friend of this blog — and makes sure that we get at least a few hits from Saudi each day (which must drive those that monitor these things, which we know they do, nuts). He also often, usually late at night (my time) provides with with amusing commentary of my posts and particular my vocabulary (or lack thereof).
David sent this picture in last night (it must have been about 4am for him), in an e-mailed titled ‘Any idea who these prelates are?‘, with this remark: ‘I have no idea where/when this picture was taken, but that appears to be (Arch)Bishop Fulton Sheen with the biretta, with at least three cardinals, one of whom is Spellman at the far right’.
This morning in another e-mail he clarified that he had got the picture from izismile.com — a Web site I was not familiar with till then given that as you all know I live a very sheltered life. But, you really should visit that Web site. I saved in on delicious for future reference and perusal.
Francis Joseph Spellman, of New York, supposedly an avid believer in the St. Malarky prophecies, was created in February 1946 and passed away in December 1967. So based on that, the box camera being used by the cute little girl and her dress, I suspect that this picture was taken somewhere in the mid-1950s. I could be wrong but those steps could be those of St. Patrick’s in New York City. The resemblance spotted by David of the far left prelate to an infamous German WW II villain, in his youth, has to be irrelevant and irreverent because that reprobate did not make it out of the Nuremberg Trials.
by Anura Guruge
Thanks to Cardinal Angelo Scola’s ‘out-of-cycle’, upside down pallium in September 2011, the significance and history of palliums got discussed quite a bit on this blog last year. The 3rd section of this post talked about the two lambs whose wool, in the main, are used to make the palliums for a given year and how these two sheep are blessed, usually by the pope, on the feast day of St. Agnes, viz. January 21. Since that was this past Saturday, the blessing did take place.
Click image to access YouTube video.
This YouTube video in addition to showing some adorable shots of the two blessed lambs as a fairly decent tutorial on palliums — if you still feel that you would like to know more.
The blessing of the two lambs on Saturday morning, the Feast of St. Agnes, the patron saint of chastity and virgins, took place in the Basilica Sant’Agnese fuori le Mura (St Agnes Outside the Walls ) on Rome’s Via Nomentana where St. Agnes is said to be buried. The pope was not at the Basilica for that blessing. Instead, later in the morning, the pope, dressed in his ermine trimmed cloak, met the two blessed lambs in the rather intimate Urban VIII (#236) Chapel, close to the Papal Library, within the Vatican Apostolic Palace. [Italian Cardinal Priest Camillo Ruini, created in June 1991, and who turned 80 last February, holds the title to this Basilica.]
The wool of the lambs is used to make the palliums bestowed on new metropolitan archbishops on 29 June, Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles.
The lambs are one of the symbol of St. Agnes. Agnes, 12 or 13 at the time, and a virgin, was martyred in Rome, supposedly on 21 January 304, during the infamous Diocletian persecution on the pretext that she refused to marry the son of a high-ranking Roman.
The pallium lambs raised by the Trappist Fathers of the Abbey of the Three Fountains in Rome.
The palliums are woven from the newly-shorn wool by the sisters of St. Cecilia in Rome.
Benedict XV (#259), 1914-1922. Image from 'traditioninaction.org'
“Dave G” from Australia, a good friend of this blog, sent me an e-mail today citing this anniversary. Thank you Dave.
He, though tagged as being the least memorable of the 20th century popes, was a good, pious pope, generous to a fault and deeply committed to world peace — his papacy having been dominated by WW I. He was diminutive in stature and was known as Il Piccolito (The Little Man), but had a large heart. He ran the Vatican coffers dry during his reign helping the poor impacted by the war.
Benedict XV‘s commitment to peace was one of the reasons the current pope chose to be ‘Benedict’.
So this is an anniversary we should mark.
Pope Benedict XV's signature.
by Anura Guruge
Assumptions: No deaths prior to February 18, 2012 cardinal creating consistory.
Related Link: The New February 18, 2012 Cardinals — The Believe It Or Not Trivia, Part I.
1. There are only two cardinals with the same last name, that being ‘O’Brien‘ — Keith Michael Patrick of Scotland and Edwin Frederick of Baltimore, U.S.A. As far as I can tell they are not close relatives. [My son and oldest daughter are also O'Briens from their mother's side and I am sure that they are not closely related to either of the cardinals.] The two cardinal O’Briens were born 1 year, 3 weeks and 1 day apart, one in Ballycastle, Ireland and the other in the Bronx, New York. One has parachuted from military air crafts while the the other has a pace maker.
2. There is an Antonelli and an Antonetti, both from Italy, a Martínez Sistach and a Martínez Somalo from Spain and a Martini and Martino from Italy.
3. The February 18, 2012 crop of new cardinals included three (3) ‘Giuseppes‘, the Italian for ‘Joesph‘. They are the only Giuseppes in the College.
If you are interested in an analysis of the names of the popes
4. There are 17 cardinals (8%) whose name is ‘Joseph‘ or a variant of it (↑↑); it is the first name of 11 and the second of six. Benedict XVI (#266), who is also a ‘Joseph’, created eight of the 17 ‘Josephs’.
5. There are at least 18 cardinals (9%) whose name is a variant of ‘John‘ (which includes ‘Ivan‘, ‘Sean‘ and ‘Juan‘) which makes it the most popular of the names (as far as I can tell) — thus mirroring its #1 standing among pope names.
6. There are five (5) ‘Angelos‘, all from Italy (and all born before the reign of the Blessed Angelo) — three (3) created by Benedict XVI.
7. There are only three (3) ‘Peters‘ or variants and a total of twelve (12) names starting with ‘P’ — six (6) of these paying homage to the other Roman Apostle.
8. There are three (3) cardinals from Poland, two created by Benedict XVI, whose first names are variants of ‘Stanislaw‘ — though one of them is another Outlaw.
9. Slovakia’s Korec has a middle name ‘Chryzostom‘ per the Doctor of the Church.
10. Two of the ‘Giovannis‘, Canestri and Cheli, Italians both, were born 4 days apart, in 1918, September 30 and October 4.
by Anura Guruge
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As of January 13, 2012:
192 cardinals, 107 electors
-- 55 electors from Europe.
College of Cardinals Stats
Published Sept. 2011
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