Pope Prays for AIDS Victims

VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE, Dec. 1 — Pope John Paul II marked World AIDS Day by offering prayers for the disease's victims, for caregivers and for those who work to cure the disease, the Vatican Information Service reported.

Speaking in his Angelus greeting Nov. 30, the Holy Father said, “While I pray for those who are hit by this scourge, I encourage those in the Church who carry out an invaluable service of acceptance, care and spiritual accompaniment to our brothers and sisters.”

Vatican Information Service noted John Paul's comments accompany widespread attacks on the Holy See for opposing the promotion of condoms as a means to contain the HIV virus — especially comments by head of the Pontifical Council for the Family Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, who has said condoms do not sufficiently protect against AIDS.

New Book Gives Detailed History of Papal Elections

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE, Nov. 29 — A new book goes into detail about the history of papal conclaves and reveals new information about the election of Pope John Paul II, according to an excerpt from the book, Behind Locked Doors: A History of the Papal Elections, by Professor Frederic Baumgartner.

In the excerpt, Baumgartner describes the ceremonial transition that marks the end of one pontificate and the quest to begin another: “In the evening of the 15th day after the pope's death, the papal master of ceremonies shouts: ‘Extra Omnes!’ Everybody out! The doors of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican palace are locked cum clave, with a key, from within and without, and only the cardinals are left to begin the process of electing the next pope.”

Baumgartner explores some of the concerns that drove the cardinal-electors in 1978, when they convened for a second time that year after the sudden death of Pope John Paul I.

A primary one was health — the cardinals did not wish to elect another pope whose constitution was shaky. This made them look to younger cardinals, including Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Krakow, Poland.

The book suggests another important factor in the election of John Paul II was the support of Cardinal John Krol of Philadelphia — a Polish-American who won over the votes of other American cardinals.

Cardinal Ratzinger's Latin Mass Fan Club

UNA VOCE INTERNATIONAL, Nov. 15 — The International Una Voce Federation, a group that seeks to promote Church-approved celebrations of the traditional Roman liturgy throughout the world, held its annual meeting in Rome on Oct. 11-12.

It reported on the meeting late in November on its Web site, announcing it had held a fruitful meeting with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The cardinal granted a private audience to the leaders of the organization, which works within the Church for the celebration of the pre-Vatican II Latin rites. At the audience, Cardinal Ratzinger accepted a T-shirt from the American-based “Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club,” which bore a quote from his own writings: “Truth is not decided by a majority vote.” The cardinal smiled and said, “Very true.”