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Vatican City State
Status Civitatis Vaticanae
Timeline: 1983: Doomsday
Flag Coat of Arms
Flag Coat of Arms
Anthem "Pontifical Anthem"
Language
  official
 
Latin
  others Portuguese, Spanish
Religion Roman Catholicism
Government Christian monarchy
  Legislature Roman Curia and Pontifical Commission for the Vatican
Pope Anthony
Area 0.49 km² (claimed)
Established 1929 (independence); 1983 (establishment in exile in Brazil)

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam!

The Vatican is the name used by the Holy See as a sovereign subject of international law. It is universally recognized as an independent state whose territory is the Vatican City within Rome. Since the events of 26 September 1983, it has been impossible for the Holy See to occupy that site. Instead, it has re-established itself in exile in Rio de Janeiro.

This article describes the history and structure of the Holy See as an institution since 1983.

Vatican City-State, September 23rd, 1983[]

Coat of arms Holy See

Coat of Arms of the Holy See upon the election of the Pontiff

On the morning of September 26 the Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, His Holiness Pope John Paul II gathers with members of the Pontifical Council for the Laity in the Papal Palace of the Vatican City-State to discuss common issues and strategies.

"Ho provato una grande gioia celebrando questa messa con voi, Eminenza, che siete alla presidenza del Pontificio Consiglio per i laici, così come con voi membri, consultori e delegati del “Congresso”. The final address of Pope John Paul II to the Pontifical Council for the Laity at the Vatican Friday, 23 September 1983

The City of Rome suffered several direct hits from ICBM's, destroying the ancient city and the Vatican City-State. Due to no warning, the senior clergy of the Church along with the majority of Roman citizens have perished.

The decrees of Pope Pius XII transferring the power of the Cardinal Camerlengo to surviving Cardinals elsewhere were brought into immediate force.

I, Pius XII, Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the State of Vatican City, Servant of the Servants of God understanding that conditions which are not conducive to continuing and maintaining the See of Peter are present in the world and understanding that our person is incarcerated or nullified through execution or ended prematurely and contrary to the will of God through his Church decrees that the See of Peter is Sede Vacante with the power of the Camerlengo is imbued into a person chosen by his peers, a Cardinal in pectore, with the powers to engage a curia and begin the election of a successor to the See of Peter when conditions allow. Signed: Pius PP. XII, Ioannes PP. XXIII, Paulus PP. VI, Ioannes Paulus PP. I, Ioannes Paulus PP. II

Camerlengo[]

Cardinal camerlingo ombrellino

Coat of Arms of the Camerlengo

In line with decrees issued by Pope Pius XII and signed by subsequent Popes (John XXII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II) that the until a successor Pope can be elected, the Camerlengo serves as acting head of State of the Vatican city-state and that this position is transferred under the Papal decree issued in pectore to surviving Cardinals elsewhere. This document has already been seen by each Metropolitan and Cardinal Priest, therefore all surviving prelates across the globe look to it for guidance.

However the Camerlengo, though currently responsible for the government of the Roman Catholic Church during a sede vacante is controlled via the Romano Pontifici Eligendo (PP Paul VI 1975) — although this power of government is extremely limited, being merely enough to allow Church institutions to continue to operate and perform some basic functions without making any definitive decisions or appointments that are normally reserved to other powers delegated by the Pope. The Camerlengo, though, does keep his office during the sede vacante, as opposed to the rest of the Roman Curia. The only other person who keeps his office is the Major Penitentiary.

Chief among the traditional responsibilities of the Camerlengo is the formal determination of the death of the reigning Pope; the traditional procedure for this was to strike gently the Pope's head three times with a silver hammer and to call his baptismal name (e.g. "Albine, dormisne?", i.e. "Albino, are you sleeping?"). After the Pope is declared dead, the Camerlengo removes the Ring of the Fisherman from his finger and cuts it with shears in the presence of the Cardinals, and also destroys the face of the Pope's official seal. These acts symbolize the end of the late Pope's authority. The Camerlengo then notifies the appropriate officers of the Roman Curia and the Dean of the College of Cardinals. He is then involved with the preparations concerning the conclave and the Pope's funeral.

Since Doomsday, the following Cardinals have held the office of Camerlengo:

  • Alfredo Scherer, Archbishop of Porto Alegre, Brazil: 1984-1996
  • Eugênio de Araújo Sales, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 1996-2001
  • Ramón Ovidio Pérez Morales, Archbishop of Maracaibo, Venezuela: 2001-Present

Post Doomsday Sede Vacante[]

Sede vacante

Coat of Arms of the Holy See during the Sede Vacante

The expression sede vacante refers to the vacancy of the Holy See, which occurs after the death or resignation of a pope. In this case, the particular church is the Diocese of Rome and the "vacant seat" is the cathedral of Saint John Lateran, the cathedral church of the bishop of Rome. During this period, the Holy See is administered by a regency of the Camerlengo in line with the 1975 Romano Pontifici Eligendo of Pope Paul VI and the emergency decree of Pope Pius XII.

Hoyos-in-brazil-for-the-consecration-of-monsignor-fernando-rifan

Rio Council.

Scheid eo am

Cardinal Scheid at the emergency Council in Rio.

October 7th, 1983, Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary:

An emergency meeting of the Bishops of Brazil is convened by Cardinal Priest Eugênio de Araújo Sales, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro.

"Brothers and sisters in Christ, in this valley of tears I greet you, supplicant before God, repentant for our inhumanity. We each of us, must take up the call more than ever before to love one another as Christ loves us. We have lost our beloved Holy Father, we have lost the See of Rome, we have lost so much, yet in what seems the last of days, our humanity can only bring forth joy. We must shelter the homeless, feed the poor, tend the sick and love our neighbours. In this age of darkness we cannot forget the words of Saint Matthew

  • Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
  • Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.
  • Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.
  • Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.
  • Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
  • Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.
  • Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
  • Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Lift your eyes and look within each other, we have much to do.

May God bless you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen"

Rio cath

Council of Rio de Janeiro starts.

Emergency declaration from the Council of Rio de Janeiro Statement of the Council under the chair of the Cardinal Camerlengo In so much as the See of Rome is Sede Vacante, we the Bishops of the one, true, holy and apostolic Catholic Church confirm and reaffirm our loyalty to the Bishop of Rome our beloved Holy Father, and will seek in collegiality to convene as soon as is logistically possible a full Conclave representative of the Universal Catholic Church to ensure the continuity of the see of Rome and ensure that the Chair of Peter is filled according to the rites and traditions as laid down in the Constitution of the Church Romano Pontifici Eligendo set forth by our late beloved Holy Father Paul VI and his predecessors. In so much that the See of Peter is vacant no changes to Canon law, liturgy, rites and traditions shall be permitted until said Conclave meets and the Holy Father thereafter permits. We have also decided, amongst ourselves, to name Alfredo Scherer, Archbishop of Porto Alegre, as the Camerlengo of our most holy of Churches, in this time of crisis.

Reaffirmed at the meeting of the Bishops of the Americas in sight of the Cardinal Camerlengo on the 3rd November 1984, Brasilia, Brazil.

1987 Conclave[]

Mosteiro de sao bento rio de janeiro

Sao Bento Monastery

See main article: Papal Conclave

Having waited a number of years in the hope that the Pope was somehow alive and coming to the conclusion that he was not, the aging Cardinal Camerlengo called the known Cardinals of the world to a Conclave in April of 1987 to start the process of the selection for a new Pontiff and Bishop of Rome at the Monastery of São Bento in Rio de Janeiro. Cardinal Alfredo Scherer, Archbishop of Porto Alegre and the Camerlengo of the Holy See, officiated at the 1st Post-Doomsday Conclave to elect the new Bishop of Rome. Despite his inability to vote, and given the small number of known survivors, he was also named the temporary Dean of the College of Cardinals. Many surviving diplomats from the Vatican who had been stationed in the region were also on hand, in an effort to give the Conclave more credibility.

Those Cardinals who were eligible to vote included:

  • José Salazar López, Archbishop of Guadalajara
  • Eugênio de Araújo Sales, Archbishop of São Sebastião de Rio de Janeiro
  • Paulo Evaristo Arns, Archbishop of São Paulo
  • Aloísio Lorscheider, Archbishop of Fortaleza
  • Juan Carlos Aramburu, Archbishop of Buenos Aires
  • Raúl Francisco Primatesta, Archbishop of Córdoba
  • Juan Landázuri Ricketts, Archbishop of Lima
  • Raúl Silva Henríquez, Archbishop Emeritus of Santiago
  • Luis Aponte Martínez, Archbishop of San Juan
  • Thomas Stafford Williams, Archbishop of Wellington
  • Pio Taofinu'u, Archbishop of Samoa-Apia
  • Justinus Darmojuwono, Archbishop of Semarang
  • Lawrence Picachy, Archbishop of Calcutta
  • Owen McCann, Archbishop of Cape Town
  • Ernesto Corripio y Ahumada, Archbishop of Mexico City
  • José Lebrún Moratinos, Archbishop of Caracas
  • Alfonso López Trujillo, Archbishop of Medellin
  • Alexandre do Nascimento, Archbishop of Lubango
  • Aníbal Muñoz Duque, Archbishop of Bogotá, Temporary Secretary of State
  • Bernard Yago, Archbishop of Abidjan
  • Dominic Ekandem of Abuja, Nigeria
  • Joseph Marie Anthony Cordeiro, Archbishop of Karachi

Also attending, but not eligible to vote were:

  • Alfredo Scherer, Archbishop Emeritus of Porto Alegre (Camerlengo and Dean of the College)
  • Octavio Beras Rojas, of Santo Domingo
  • Pablo Muñoz Vega, Archbishop of Quito (Vice-Dean of the College)
  • Thomas Cooray, Archbishop Emeritus of Colombo

Largely consisting of Cardinals from Central and South America, along with a small amount of African, Asian, and Oceanian Cardinals that had survived, either as refugees or in their homes, and were in contact with Rio, this body elected from their number a new Pope, the first from South America, on April 10th, 1987.

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam! Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum, Dominum Raúl, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Silva Henríquez, qui sibi nomen imposuit Papa IOANNES Vicesimus Quartus.!

On April 11th, 1987, the new Pope was announced in front of the Sao Bento Monastery, by most youngest member of the college, since no Cardinal-Deacons were present, Alfonso López Trujillo of Medellin, and was revealed to be Raúl Silva Henríquez, the former Archbishop of Santiago, who chose to take the Papal Name of John XXIV.

1999 Conclave[]

On April 9, 1999, Pope John XXIV passed away in his sleep, at the age of 91, after having reigned for almost 12 years.

A new Conclave, this time under the new Camerlengo, Eugênio de Araújo Sales, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, was called to occur on May 3rd, 1999, to allow the College to assemble itself at the Sao Bento Monastery, in a modification of the old rules stating twenty days were the maximum amount of time between the Papal death and the Papal elections being extended to a month.

Nguyen Van Thuan, Archbishop of Saigon, Vietnam and the Dean of the College of Cardinals, officiated.

Those Cardinals attending who were eligible to vote included:

  • José Freire Falcão, Archbishop of Brasilia, Brazil
  • Eusébio Scheid, Archbishop of Florianópolis, Brazil, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy
  • Serafim Fernandes de Araújo, Archbishop of Belo Horizonte, Brazil
  • Altamiro Rossato, Archbishop of Porto Alegre, Brazil
  • Carlos José Ñáñez, Archbishop of Córdoba, Argentina
  • Estanislao Esteban Karlic, of Paraná, Argentina
  • Luis Sánchez-Moreno Lira, Archbishop of Arequipa, Peru
  • Alfonso López Trujillo, Archbishop of Medellín, Colombia
  • Isaías Duarte Cancino, Archbishop of Cali, Colombia
  • Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa, Archbishop of Santiago, Chile
  • Manuel Gerardo Donoso Donoso, Archbishop of La Serena, Chile
  • Antonio Moreno Casamitjana, Archbishop of Concepción, Chile
  • Pedro Rubiano Sáenz, Archbishop of Bogotá, Colombia
  • Antonio Ignacio Velasco Garcia, Archbishop of Caracas, Venezuela
  • Ramón Ovidio Pérez Morales, Archbishop of Maracaibo, Venezuela
  • Julio Terrazas Sandoval, Archbishop of Santa Cruz, Bolivia
  • Edmundo Luis Flavio Abastoflor, Archbishop of La Paz, Bolivia
  • Antonio José González Zumárraga, Archbishop of Quito, Ecuador
  • Juan Ignacio Larrea Holguín, Archbishop of Guayaquil, Ecuador
  • Felipe Santiago Benítez Ávalos, Archbishop of Asunción, Paraguay
  • Rosendo Huesca Pacheco, Archbishop of Puebla, Mexico
  • Adolfo Antonio Suárez Rivera, Archbishop of Monterrey, Mexico, Head of the Vatican Bureau of Exploration
  • Miguel Obando y Bravo, Archbishop of Managua, Nicaragua
  • Próspero Penados del Barrio, Archbishop of Guatemala City
  • Maurice Rigobert Marie-Sainte, Archbishop of Fort-de-France, Martinique
  • Gregorio Rosa Chávez, Archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
  • Román Arrieta Villalobos, Archbishop of San José de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
  • Alphonsus Liguori Penney, Archbishop of St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops
  • Patrick Zurek, Archbishop of Midland in Texas, West Texas
  • Robert Edward Mulvee, Archbishop of Manchester in Vermont, Vermont
  • John J. Snyder, Archbishop of St. Augustine, Florida
  • John Alexius Bathersby, Archbishop of Brisbane, Australia
  • Leonard Anthony Faulkner, Archbishop of Adelaide, Australia
  • Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, Archbishop of Dili, Timor
  • Brian James Barnes, Archbishop of Port Morseby, New Guinea
  • Thomas Stafford Williams, Archbishop of Wellington, New Zealand, Prefect of the Congregation for Justice and Peace
  • Ricardo Vidal, Archbishop of Cebu, Philippines
  • Jaime Sin, Archbishop of Manilla, Philippines
  • Telesphore Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi, India
  • Henry Sebastian D’Souza, Archbishop of Calcutta, India
  • Mar Varkey Vithayathil, Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, India
  • Cyril Baselios Malancharuvil, Major Archbishop of Trivandrum, India
  • Raul Nicolau Gonsalves, Archbishop of Goa and Patriarch of the West Indies, India
  • Simeon Anthony Pereira, Archbishop of Karachi, Pakistan
  • Michael Michai Kitbunchu, Archbishop of Bangkok, Thailand
  • Nicolas Cheong Jin-suk, Archbishop of Kaesong, Korea
  • Nicholas Marcus Fernando, Archbishop of Columbo, Sri Lanka
  • Domingos Lam Ka Tseung, Archbishop of Macau, Macau
  • Gregory Yong Sooi Ngean, Archbishop of Singapore
  • Bernard Agré, Archbishop of Abidjan, Ivory Coast
  • Frédéric Etsou-Nzabi-Bamungwabi, Archbishop of Kinshasa, Zaire
  • John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
  • Anthony Olubunmi Okogie, Archbishop of Lagos, Nigeria
  • Armand Razafindratandra, Archbishop of Antananarivo, Madagascar
  • Christian Tumi, Archbishop of Douala, Cameroon
  • Emmanuel Wamala, Archbishop of Kampala, Former Uganda
  • Alexandre do Nascimento, Archbishop of Luanda, Former Angola, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education
  • Robert Sarah, Archbishop of Conakry, Guinea
  • Basile Mvé Engone, Archbishop of Libreville, Gabon
  • Stéphanos II Ghattas, Patriarch of Alexandria for the Copts, Former Egypt
  • Henri Antoine Marie Teissier, Archbishop of Algiers, Algeria
  • Ramón Echarren Istúriz, Archbishop of the Canaries, PdOr, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
  • Desmond Connell, Archbishop of Dublin, Celtic Alliance
  • Marco Cé, Patriarch of Venice, Venetian Republic
  • Josip Mrzljak, Archbishop of Zagreb, Croatia
  • Antonio María Rouco Varela, Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia-Spain
  • Henri Schwery, Archbishop of Sion, Alpine Confederation
  • Kurt Koch, Archbishop of Basel, Alpine Confederation, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
  • Georg Eder, Archbishop of Salzburg, Alpine Confederation
  • Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa, Genoan Republic
  • Antanas Vaicius, Archbishop of Telšiai, Lithuania
  • Edward Idris Cassidy, nee' Australia, and South Africa, Former Cardinal-Deacon, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
  • Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, nee' Italy, Nicaragua, and Honduras, Cardinal-Deacon
  • Sergio Sebastiani, nee' Italy, and Madagascar, Cardinal-Deacon
  • Luciano Storero, nee' Italy and Venezuela, Cardinal-Deacon
  • Girolamo Prigione, nee' Italy and Mexico, Cardinal-Deacon
  • Emanuele Gerada, nee' Malta and Pakistan, Cardinal-Deacon
  • Donato Squicciarini, nee' Italy and Gabon, Cardinal-Deacon
  • Ambrose De Paoli, nee' the United States and Sri Lanka, Cardinal-Deacon
  • Luigi Barbarito, nee' Italy and Australia, Cardinal-Deacon

Also in attendance, but too old to vote, included:

  • Eugênio de Araújo Sales, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Camerlengo
  • Paulo Evaristo Arns, Archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
  • José Gottardi Cristelli, Archbishop Emeritus of Montevideo, Uruguay, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Bishops
  • Juan Carlos Aramburu, Archbishop Emeritus of Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Ernesto Corripio y Ahumada, Archbishop Emeritus of Mexico City, Mexico, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
  • Luis Aponte Martínez, Archbishop of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Prefect Emeritus of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy
  • Adolfo Rodríguez Herrera, Archbishop of Camagüey, Cuba
  • Remi De Roo, Archbishop of Victoria, Commonwealth of Victoria
  • Pio Taofinu'u, Archbishop of Samoa, Samoa
  • Jose Tomás Sanchez, Archbishop of Nueva Segovia, Philippines
  • Simon Pimenta, Archbishop Emeritus of Bombay, India, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
  • Paul Shan Kuo-hsi, Archbishop of Kaohsiung, Taiwan
  • Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, Patriarch of the Maronite Church, Lebanon
  • Alexandre José Maria dos Santos, Archbishop of Maputo, Mozambique
  • Hyacinthe Thiandoum, Archbishop of Dakar, Senegal, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
  • Paulos Tzadua, Archbishop of Addia Abba, Ethiopia
  • Aurélio Granada Escudeiro, Patriarch of the Azores, Portugal
  • Silvano Piovanelli, Archbishop of Prato, Florence, Tuscan Republic
  • Alexandru Todea, Major Archbishop of Romanian Church United with Rome, Transylvania
  • Antónios Varthalítis, Archbishop of Corfu, Greek Federation
  • Charles Amarin Brand, Archbishop of Monaco, Kingdom of Monaco
  • Alojzij Šuštar, Archbishop Emeritus of Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • Carlo Furno, nee' Italy, and Brazil, Cardinal-Protodeacon

Not able to attend due to illness:

  • Mario Tagliaferri, nee' Italy and Peru, Cardinal-Deacon

Those cardinals attending who were considered papabile, all which were eligible to vote, included:

  • Angelo Sodano, nee' Italy and Chile, Secretary of State
  • Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien, Archbishop of Aberdeen and St. Andrews, Celtic Alliance
  • Wilfrid Napier, Archbishop of Durban, KwaZulu
  • Peter Turkson, Archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
  • Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras
  • Odilo Scherer, Archbishop of Recife, Brazil
  • Jorge Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Geraldo Majella Agnelo, Archbishop of Salvador, Brazil
  • Cláudio Hummes, Archbishop of Fortaleza, Brazil
  • Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, Archbishop of Lima, Peru
  • Norberto Rivera Carrera, Archbishop of Mexico City, Mexico
  • Francis Arinze, Archbishop of Onitsha, Nigeria
  • Ivan Dias, Archbishop of Bombay, India
  • Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, Archbishop of Guadalajara, Mexico
  • Julius Darmaatmadja, Archbishop of Semarang, Indonesia
  • Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez, Archbishop of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
  • Nguyen Van Thuan, Archbishop of Saigon, Vietnam, and the Dean of the College of Cardinals
  • Aloísio Lorscheider, Archbishop Emeritus of Fortaleza, Brazil, Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals
PopeAnthony

The new Pope

Unlike 1987, this Conclave held representatives from around the world, though still far less than had voted in the 1978 Conclaves. After intense debate amongst the different factions, a compromise was finally reached on May 12th, 1999.

'Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam! Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum, Dominum Norberto, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Rivera Carrera, qui sibi nomen imposuit Papa ANTONIUS!'

On May 12th, 1999, the new Pope was announced in front of the Sao Bento Monastery, by the Cardinal-Protodeacon, Carlo Furno, and was revealed to be Norberto Rivera Carrera, the Archbishop of Mexico City, who chose to take the Papal Name of Anthony I, signifying a new era and a fresh start for the church.

Current Make-up of the College of Cardinals, by Rank and Year of Appointment[]

The College of Cardinals, as was the case before Doomsday, consists of three rankings: Cardinal-Bishop, Cardinal-Priest, and Cardinal-Deacon.

Cardinal-Bishops are either the Patriarchs of the five Major Eastern Catholic Churches, the Senior-most members of the Roman Curia, and in a new development since Doomsday, the other eastern Patriarchs and the three Major Archbishops have received the title as well, though remain junior to the rest of the Cardinal-Bishops. Still, they are all combined the senior-most members of the College. Since 1987, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has been made a Patriarchy on the level of the four older Major Eastern Catholic Churches as well, as many had called for before the events of Doomsday but were denied because of the desire of the Pope to keep peace with the Soviet Union.

Cardinal-Priests hold Archbishoprics of one sort or another, for the most part, with a few Cardinal-Deacons, who having held that title for ten years, have elected to be elevated to the position and thus lack a seat in that regard. Several also hold more senior positions in the Roman Curia, being in charge of Congregations, but lack the rank of Cardinal-Bishop because of their retired predecessor holding the title until death instead.

Cardinal-Deacons are the most junior members of the College. Holders of the title are usually those honored for service to the church in some regard, or holders of more senior position in the Roman Curia, but under the Cardinal-Bishops, normally translating to the heads of the Tribunals and the Pontifical Councils. Those Deacons who are retired may, after ten years of service, choose to be elevated to the rank of Cardinal-Priest.

All members of the College are members of the Synod of Bishops, the advisory body of the Catholic Church, which is headed by the Pope or whomever he may appoint is president when it gathers.

The College is headed by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Peter Turkson, Archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana. Since Doomsday, these Cardinals have held the office:

  • Alfredo Scherer, Archbishop Emeritus of Porto Alegre, Brazil, 1984-1988
  • Bernard Yago, Archbishop Emeritus of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, 1988-1997
  • Nguyen Van Thuan, Archbishop of Saigon, Vietnam, 1997-2002
  • Peter Turkson, Archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana, 2002-Present

He is assisted by the Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Sodano, nee' Italy and Chile and formerly the Secretary of State. Since Doomsday, these Cardinals have held the office:

  • Pablo Muñoz Vega, Archbishop Emeritus of Quito, 1984-1988
  • Owen McCann, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, Former South Africa, 1988-1994
  • Aloísio Lorscheider, Archbishop Emeritus of Fortaleza, Brazil, 1994-2007
  • Angelo Sodano, nee' Italy and Chile, formerly the Secretary of State, 2007-Present

There is also one more title, that of the Cardinal-Protopriest, held by the senior-most member of the College by date of appointment, until their death. Currently, this is Eugênio de Araújo Sales, Archbishop Emeritus of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as the Camerlengo Emeritus. Since Doomsday, Cardinals holding this office have been:

  • Juan Landázuri Ricketts, Archbishop Emeritus of Lima, Peru, 1984-1997
  • Eugênio de Araújo Sales, Archbishop Emeritus of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the Camerlengo Emeritus, 1997-Present

Voting-age Cardinals[]

Cardinal-Bishops[]

Cardinal-Bishops who hold the rank due to their position in the Church:

  • Peter Turkson, Archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana, Dean of the College of Cardinals (Thought Papabile) (October 15th, 1992, 1994, 2002)
  • Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien, Archbishop of Aberdeen and St. Andrews, Celtic Alliance, Secretary of State (Thought Papabile) (November 26th, 1994, 2007)
  • Gregorio Rosa Chávez, Archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (September 25th, 1996, 2004)
  • Vasyl Ivasiuk, Patriarch of Halych, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Galicia, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches (January 21st, 2000, 2003)

The Eastern Patriarchs and Major Archbishops who also hold the rank are:

  • Ignatius Joseph III Younan, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Syrians, Syriac Catholic Church, Lebanon (June 24th, 2002)
  • Shlemon Warduni, Patriarch of Babylon, Chaldean Catholic Church, Assyria (March 13th, 2004)
  • Lucian Muresan, Major Archbishop of Făgăraş and Alba Iulia, Romanian Church United with Rome, Transylvania (July 11th, 2008)
  • Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, Major Archbishop of Trivandrum, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, India (July 11th, 2008)
  • Youhannes Ezzat Zakaria Badir, Patriarch of Alexandria for the Copts, Coptic Catholic Church, Greek Federation (November 20th, 2010)
  • Bosco Puthur, Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, India (June 18th, 2011)

Cardinal-Priests[]

Those who hold a position of one sort or another:

  • Eusébio Scheid, Archbishop Emeritus of Florianópolis, Brazil, Prefect Emeritus of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy (June 28th, 1991, 1997)
  • Kurt Koch, Archbishop of Basel, Alpine Confederation, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (September 25th, 1996)
  • Jorge Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops (Thought Papabile) (February 21st, 1998, 2001)
  • Edmundo Luis Flavio Abastoflor, Archbishop of La Paz, Bolivia, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy (September 25th, 1996, 2008)
  • Telesphore Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi, India, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education (November 26th, 1994, 2000)
  • John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (November 26th, 1994, 1996)
  • Francisco Robles Ortega, Archbishop of Monterrey, Mexico, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (March 13th, 2004, 2009)
  • Juan Francisco Sarasti Jaramillo, Archbishop of Cali, Colombia, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (March 13th, 2004, 2008)
  • Ramón Ovidio Pérez Morales, Archbishop of Maracaibo, Venezuela, Camerlengo (November 26th, 1994, 2001)
  • Basile Mvé Engone, Archbishop of Libreville, Gabon, Head of the Vatican Bureau of Exploration (February 21st, 1998, 2003)

Other Cardinal-Priests:

  • Rosendo Huesca Pacheco, Archbishop Emeritus of Puebla, Mexico (June 28th, 1988)
  • Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa, Archbishop Emeritus of Santiago, Chile (August 24th, 1990)
  • Anthony Olubunmi Okogie, Archbishop of Lagos, Nigeria (August 24th, 1990)
  • Robert Sarah, Archbishop of Conakry, Guinea (August 24th, 1990)
  • Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodríguez, Archbishop of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (Thought Papabile) (June 28th, 1991)
  • John Alexius Bathersby, Archbishop of Brisbane, Australia (October 15th, 1992)
  • Francis Arinze, Archbishop of Onitsha, Nigeria (Thought Papabile) (October 15th, 1992)
  • Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, Archbishop of Guadalajara, Mexico, (Thought Papabile) (November 26th, 1994)
  • Óscar Andres Rodríguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras (Thought Papabile) (November 26th, 1994)
  • Antonio María Rouco Varela, Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia-Spain (November 26th, 1994)
  • Henri Schwery, Archbishop of Sion, Alpine Confederation (November 26th, 1994)
  • Pedro Rubiano Sáenz, Archbishop Emeritus of Bogotá, Colombia (September 25th, 1996)
  • Cláudio Hummes, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Thought Papabile) (September 25th, 1996, 2002)
  • Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, Archbishop of Dili, Timor (September 25th, 1996)
  • Josip Mrzljak, Archbishop of Zagreb, Croatia (September 25th, 1996)
  • Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa, Genoan Republic (September 25th, 1996)
  • Patrick Zurek, Archbishop of Midland in Texas, West Texas (September 25th, 1996)
  • Odilo Scherer, Archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil (Thought Papabile) (February 21st, 1998, 2002)
  • Carlos José Ñáñez, Archbishop of Córdoba, Argentina (February 21st, 1998)
  • Manuel Gerardo Donoso Donoso, Archbishop of La Serena, Chile (February 21st, 1998)
  • Geraldo Majella Agnelo, Archbishop of Salvador, Brazil (Thought Papabile) (February 21st, 1998)
  • Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, Archbishop of Lima, Peru (Thought Papabile) (February 21st, 1998)
  • Brian James Barnes, Archbishop of Port Moresby, New Guinea (February 21st, 1998)
  • Ivan Dias, Archbishop of Bombay, India (Thought Papabile) (February 21st, 1998)
  • Wilfrid Napier, Archbishop of Durban, KwaZulu (Thought Papabile) (February 21st, 1998)
  • Rogelio Esquivel Medina, Archbishop of Mexico City, Mexico (January 21st, 2000)
  • Moacyr José Vitti, Archbishop of Curitiba, Brazil (June 24th, 2002)
  • José Antônio Aparecido Tosi Marques, Archbishop of Fortaleza, Brazil (June 24th, 2002)
  • Irineu Roque Scherer, Archbishop of Recife, Brazil (June 24th, 2002)
  • Julio Terrazas Sandoval, Archbishop of Santa Cruz, Bolivia (June 24th, 2002)
  • José Ulises Macías Salcedo, Archbishop of Hermosillo, Mexico (June 24th, 2002)
  • Eustaquio Cuquejo Verga, Archbishop of Asuncion, Paraguay (June 24th, 2002)
  • Angelo Scola, Patriarch of Venice, Venetian Republic (June 24th, 2002) (Thought Papabile)
  • Antonio Arregui Yarza, Archbishop of Guayaquil, Ecuador (March 13th, 2004)
  • Javier Lozano Barragán, Archbishop of Durango, Mexico (March 13th, 2004)
  • Jorge Urosa, Archbishop of Caracas, Venezuela (March 13th, 2004)
  • Antonio Jose Gonzalez Zumarraga, Archbishop of Quito, Ecuador (March 13th, 2004)
  • Juan García Rodríguez, Archbishop of Camagüey, Cuba (March 13th, 2004)
  • Rodolfo Quezada Toruno, Archbishop of Guatemala City, Guatemala (March 13th, 2004)
  • Lawrence Patrick Henry, Archbishop of Cape Town, RZA (March 24th, 2006)
  • Antoine Ganyé, Archbishop of Cotonou, Benin (March 24th, 2006)
  • Manfred Muller, Archbishop of Regensburg, Bavaria (March 24th, 2006)
  • Jose Paulino Ríos Reynoso, Archbishop of Arequipa, Peru (March 24th, 2006)
  • Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Mân, Archbishop of Saigon, Vietnam (March 24th, 2006)
  • Theodore-Adrien Sarr, Archbishop of Dakar, Senegal (March 24th, 2006)
  • Wojciech Ziemba, Archbishop of Bialystok, East Poland (March 24th, 2006)
  • Gaudencio Rosales, Archbishop of Manilla, Philippines (March 24th, 2006)
  • Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Kandy, Sri Lanka (July 11th, 2008)
  • Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, Archbishop of Addis Abba, Ethiopia (July 11th, 2008)
  • Hector Rueda Hernandez, Archbishop of Medellin, Columbia (July 11th, 2008)
  • Nicolas Cotugno Fanizzi, Archbishop of Montevideo, Uruguay (July 11th, 2008)
  • Fernand Franck, Archbishop of Luxembourg, Duchy of Luxembourg (July 11th, 2008)
  • Alojzij Uran, Archbishop of Ljubljana, Slovenia (July 11th, 2008)
  • Johannes Harmannes Jozefus van den Hende, Archbishop of Groningen, North Germany (November 20th, 2010)
  • Alapati Lui Mataeliga, Archbishop of Samoa, Samoa (November 20th, 2010)
  • Jonas Kauneckas, Archbishop of Telsiai, Lithuania (November 20th, 2010)
  • Nicholas Chia, Archbishop of Singapore (November 20th, 2010)
  • Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kinshasa, Zaire (November 20th, 2010) (Thought Papabile)
  • Hans-Josef Becker, Archbishop of Paderborn, Waldeck-Hesse (June 18th, 2011)
  • Franco Coppola, Archbishop of Corfu, Greek Federation (June 18th, 2011)
  • Constancio Miranda Wechmann, Archbishop of Chihuahua, Mexico (June 18th, 2011)
  • Alexander King Sample, Archbishop of Marquette, Superior (June 18th, 2011)
  • Odon Marie Arsene Razanakolona, Archbishop of Antananarivo, Madagascar (June 18th, 2011)
  • José Lai Hung-seng, Archbishop of Macau, Macau (June 18th, 2011)
  • Thomas McMahon, Archbishop of Brentwood, Essex (June 18th, 2011)

Cardinal-Deacons[]

  • Fortunato Baldelli, nee' France, and Angola (June 24th, 2002)
  • Renato Martino, nee' Italy, and Thailand (March 13th, 2004)
  • Alfio Rapisarda, nee' Italy and Bolivia (July 11th, 2008)
  • Mauro Piacenza, nee' Genoa (June 18th, 2011)

Non-voting-age Cardinals[]

Cardinal-Bishops[]

Cardinal-Bishops who hold the rank due to their position in the Church:

  • Paulo Evaristo Arns, Archbishop Emeritus of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (March 5th, 1973, 1987, 1996)
  • Luis Aponte Martínez, Archbishop Emeritus of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Prefect Emeritus of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy (March 5th, 1973, 1987, 1997)
  • Alexandre do Nascimento, Archbishop Emeritus of Luanda, Former Angola, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Catholic Education (February 2nd, 1983, 1987, 2000)
  • Thomas Stafford Williams, Archbishop Emeritus of Wellington, New Zealand, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Justice and Peace (February 2nd, 1983, 1987, 2005)
  • Simon Pimenta, Archbishop Emeritus of Bombay, India, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (June 28th, 1988, 1991, 1996)
  • Angelo Sodano, nee' Italy and Chile, Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals and former Secretary of State (Former Deacon) (Thought Papabile) (August 24th, 1990, 1994, 2007)
  • Alphonsus Liguori Penney, Archbishop Emeritus of St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Bishops (November 26th, 1994, 1998, 2001)
  • Ramón Echarren Istúriz, Archbishop Emeritus of the Canaries, Republic of Spain, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (October 15th, 1992, 1995, 2005)
  • Edward Idris Cassidy, nee' Australia, and South Africa, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches (October 15th, 1992, 1994, 1999) (Former Deacon)
  • Julius Darmaatmadja, Archbishop Emeritus of Semarang, Indonesia, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (Thought Papabile) (November 26th, 1994, 2003, 2009)

The Eastern Patriarchs and Major Archbishops who also hold the rank are:

  • Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, Patriarch Emeritus of Antioch, Maronite Catholic Church, Lebanon (November 26th, 1994)
  • Kévork Khazoumian, Patriarch Emeritus of Cilicia, Armenian Catholic Church, Lebanon (January 21st, 2000)
  • Gregory III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, of Alexandria, and of Jerusalem, Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Israel (January 21st, 2000)

Cardinal-Priests[]

Those who hold a position of one sort or another:

  • Eugênio de Araújo Sales, Archbishop Emeritus of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Camerlengo Emeritus and Cardinal-Protopriest (April 28, 1969, 1996, 1997, 2001)
  • Henri Antoine Marie Teissier, Archbishop of Algiers, Algeria, Prefect of the Congregation for Justice and Peace (November 26th, 1994, 2005)

Other Cardinal-Priests:

  • Marco Cé, Patriarch Emeritus of Venice, Venetian Republic (June 30th, 1979)
  • Joachim Meisner, Archbishop Emeritus of Berlin, Prussia (February 2nd, 1983)
  • Michael Michai Kitbunchu, Archbishop of Bangkok, Thailand (February 2nd, 1983)
  • José Freire Falcão, Archbishop Emeritus of Brasilia, Brazil (June 28th, 1988)
  • Serafim Fernandes de Araújo, Archbishop Emeritus of Belo Horizonte, Brazil (June 28th, 1988)
  • Estanislao Esteban Karlic, Archbishop Emeritus of Paraná, Argentina (June 28th, 1988)
  • Miguel Obando y Bravo, Archbishop Emeritus of Managua, Nicaragua (June 28th, 1988)
  • Leonard Anthony Faulkner, Archbishop Emeritus of Adelaide, Australia (June 28th, 1988)
  • Maurice Rigobert Marie-Sainte, Archbishop Emeritus of Fort-de-France, Martinique (June 28th, 1988)
  • Christian Tumi, Archbishop of Douala, Cameroon (June 28th, 1988)
  • Raul Nicolau Gonsalves, Archbishop Emeritus of Goa and Patriarch Emeritus of the West Indies, India (June 28th, 1988)
  • Alexandre José Maria dos Santos, Archbishop Emeritus of Maputo, Mozambique (June 28th, 1988)
  • Antonio Moreno Casamitjana, Archbishop Emeritus of Concepción, Chile (August 24th, 1990)
  • Nicholas Marcus Fernando, Archbishop Emeritus of Colombo, Sri Lanka (August 24th, 1990)
  • Remi De Roo, Archbishop Emeritus of Victoria, Commonwealth of Victoria (October 15th, 1992)
  • Nicolas Cheong Jin-suk, Archbishop Emeritus of Kaesong, Korea (October 15th, 1992)
  • Desmond Connell, Archbishop Emeritus of Dublin, Celtic Alliance (November 26th, 1994)
  • Georg Eder, Archbishop Emeritus of Salzburg, Alpine Confederation (November 26th, 1994)
  • John J. Snyder, Archbishop Emeritus of St. Augustine, Florida (November 26th, 1994)
  • Henry Sebastian D’Souza, Archbishop Emeritus of Calcutta, India (November 26th, 1994)
  • Aurélio Granada Escudeiro, Patriarch Emeritus of the Azores, Portugal (November 26th, 1994)
  • Silvano Piovanelli, Archbishop Emeritus of Prato and Florence, Tuscan Republic (November 26th, 1994)
  • Charles Amarin Brand, Archbishop Emeritus of Monaco, Kingdom of Monaco (November 26th, 1994)
  • Altamiro Rossato, Archbishop Emeritus of Porto Alegre, Brazil (September 25th, 1996)
  • Emmanuel Wamala, Archbishop Emeritus of Kampala, Former Uganda (September 25th, 1996)
  • Robert Edward Mulvee, Archbishop Emeritus of Manchester in Vermont, Vermont (February 21st, 1998)
  • Ricardo Vidal, Archbishop Emeritus of Cebu, Philippines (February 21st, 1998)
  • Bernard Agré, Archbishop Emeritus of Abidjan, Ivory Coast (February 21st, 1998)
  • Jose Tomás Sanchez, Archbishop Emeritus of Nueva Segovia, Philippines (February 21st, 1998)
  • Paul Shan Kuo-hsi, Archbishop Emeritus of Kaohsiung, Taiwan (February 21st, 1998)
  • Evarist Pinto, Archbishop of Karachi, Pakistan (March 13th, 2004)
  • Hugo Barrantes Ureña, Archbishop of San José de Costa Rica, Costa Rica (March 13th, 2004)
  • Carlo Furno, nee' Italy, and Brazil (October 15th, 1992, March 13th, 2004) (Promoted Deacon, Former Protodeacon)
  • Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, nee' Italy, Nicaragua, and Honduras (1996, 2008) (Promoted Deacon)
  • Sergio Sebastiani, nee' Italy, and Madagascar (February 21st, 1998, November 20th, 2010) (Promoted Deacon)
  • Girolamo Prigione, nee' Italy and Mexico, (September 25th, 1996, July 11th, 2008) (Promoted Deacon)
  • Luigi Barbarito, nee' Italy and Australia, (September 25th, 1996, July 11th, 2008) (Promoted Deacon)

Cardinal-Deacons[]

  • Jorge Medina Estévez, of Chile (June 24th, 2002) (Cardinal Protodeacon)
  • Edoardo Rovida, nee' Italy, and the Alpine Confederation, Former Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva (June 24th, 2002)

In Pectore[]

Cardinals made "In pectore" are appointments to the College of Cardinals by the Pope when the name of the newly appointed cardinal is not publicly revealed. Currently, there are two such Cardinals, believed to be from the Sicilian Republic and Japan. They were appointed in 2000, and in 2006, respectively.

Territory[]

While the Holy See is sometimes called a "South American country" today, its only claimed sovereign territory is still the Vatican City in Rome. It enjoys extraterritoriality in the buildings and grounds in Rio de Janeiro that house the Curia and serve as the centers of administration. These include the former Italian consulate and some other buildings.

The famous Catedral de São Sebastião remains the cathedral church of the archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, not the Pope. The Pope has adopted as his church the autonomous São Bento Monastery, which is separate from the archdiocese and directly under the Holy See. But he also preaches in the city cathedral fairly often.

Curia[]

The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope. It coordinates and provides the necessary central organization for the correct functioning of the Church and the achievement of its goals.

There are many different elements to the Curia, chief among them the Congregations. Beyond that, there is the Tribunals, Pontifical Councils, Offices, Pontifical Commissions, Pontifical Academies, the Secretariat of State, the reformed Alpine Guard, and the Vatican Bureau of Exploration. Most of these elements, excepting the Guards and the Congregations, are headed up by bishops. While these bishops may once have been Titular bishops, and continue to formally be such, they are no longer assigned to any of what had once been the titular sees, as most have now been completely destroyed. In part due to its foundation and early history after the events of Doomsday, many of these bishops and other lower-level administration positions are currently held by priests from South and Central America, though that is beginning to change, now.

In addition to these positions, there are also the roles of the Camerlengo, Secretary of State, Dean of the College of Cardinals, and Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals, all of whom must be cardinals.

Besides these positions, there is also the seven-member Pontifical Commission for the Vatican, all appointed for five-year terms, which while being formally called a Pontifical Commission, is not one at all, but actually holds responsibility for governing the grounds of the Vatican in Rio itself.

Congregations[]

Headed by a Prefect, always a cardinal, with various bishops assisting him and in many cases with a Prefect Emeritus, as well, Congregations are the most important elements of the Roman Curia. Unlike prior to Doomsday, when only three of them carried the title of "Cardinal-Bishop" with them, all have it today, in addition to not needing to resign their previous diocese, in an effort by the late John XXIV to make the various church remnants that Vatican explorers came across more open to rejoining the church with little unrest, as well as making the church slightly more decentralized in order for it to better handle disasters such as Doomsday. It is unknown how much difference this may have made, but the vast majority of such groups have rejoined with little or no argument. One of the Pontifical Councils, for Justice and Peace, was also named a Congregation by John XXIV as well, in light of the post-Doomsday situation around the globe and the chaos that still exists in many places. Today, the Congregations are:

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

  • Juan Landázuri Ricketts, Archbishop Emeritus of Lima, 1987-1990, Prefect Emeritus 1990-1997, Deceased
  • Hyacinthe Thiandoum, Archbishop Emeritus of Dakar, Senegal, Prefect 1990-1997, Prefect Emeritus 1997-2004, Deceased
  • Gregorio Rosa Chávez, Archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador, Prefect, 1997-Present

The Sacred Congregation for the Clergy

  • Luis Aponte Martínez, Archbishop Emeritus of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Prefect 1987-1997, Prefect Emeritus 1997-Present
  • Eusébio Scheid, Archbishop Emeritus of Florianópolis, Brazil, Prefect, 1997-2008, Prefect Emeritus 2008-Present
  • Edmundo Luis Flavio Abastoflor, Archbishop of La Paz, Bolivia, Prefect 2008-Present

The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life

  • Paulo Evaristo Arns, Archbishop Emeritus of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Prefect 1987-1996, Prefect Emeritus 1996-Present
  • John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, Prefect 1996-Present

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

  • Ernesto Corripio y Ahumada, Archbishop Emeritus of Mexico City, Mexico, Prefect 1987-1994, Prefect Emeritus 1994-2008, Deceased
  • Peter Turkson, Archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana, Prefect 1994-2003, Named Dean of the College of Cardinals
  • Julius Darmaatmadja, Archbishop of Semarang, Indonesia, Prefect 2003-2009, Prefect Emeritus 2009-Present
  • Francisco Robles Ortega, Archbishop of Monterrey, Mexico, Prefect 2009-Present

The Congregation for Bishops

  • José Gottardi Cristelli, Archbishop Emeritus of Montevideo, Uruguay, Prefect 1987-1998, Prefect Emeritus 1998-2005, Deceased
  • Alphonsus Liguori Penney, Archbishop Emeritus of St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, Prefect 1998-2001, Prefect Emeritus 2001-Present
  • Jorge Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Prefect 2001-Present

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints

  • José Salazar López, Archbishop Emeritus of Guadalajara, Mexico, Prefect 1987-1991, Deceased
  • Simon Pimenta, Archbishop Emeritus of Bombay, India, Prefect 1991-1996, Prefect Emeritus 1996-Present
  • Kurt Koch, Archbishop of Basel, Alpine Confederation, Prefect 1996-Present

The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples

  • Mario Revollo Bravo, Archbishop Emeritus of Bogota, Colombia, Prefect 1987-1995, Deceased
  • Ramón Echarren Istúriz, Archbishop Emeritus of the Canaries, Republic of Spain, Prefect 1995-2005, Prefect Emeritus 2005-Present
  • Alfonso López Trujillo, Archbishop of Medellín, Colombia, Prefect 2005-2008, Deceased
  • Juan Francisco Sarasti Jaramillo, Archbishop of Cali, Colombia, Prefect 2008-Present

The Congregation for Catholic Education

  • Alexandre do Nascimento, Archbishop Emeritus of Luanda, Former Angola, Prefect 1987-2000, Prefect Emeritus 2000-Present
  • Telesphore Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi, India, Prefect 2000-Present

The Congregation for the Oriental Churches

  • Justinus Darmojuwono, Archbishop Emeritus of Semarang, Indonesia, Prefect 1987-1994, Deceased
  • Edward Idris Cassidy, nee' Australia, and South Africa, Prefect 1994-1999, Prefect Emeritus 1999-Present
  • Domingos Lam Ka Tseung, Archbishop of Macau, Macau, Prefect 1999-2003, Prefect Emeritus 2003-2009, Deceased
  • Vasyl Ivasiuk, Major Archbishop of Halych, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Galicia, Prefect, 2003-Present

The Congregation for Justice and Peace

  • Thomas Stafford Williams, Archbishop Emeritus of Wellington, New Zealand, Prefect 1987-2005, Prefect Emeritus 2005-Present
  • Henri Antoine Marie Teissier, Archbishop of Algiers, Algeria, Prefect 2005-Present

Alpine Guard[]

The Alpine Guard is a small force maintained by the Holy See and is responsible for the safety of the Pope, including the security of his residence. It serves as the de facto military of the Vatican in many regards.

Prior to Doomsday, the Guard, then called the Swiss Guard, only came from Switzerland. After reliable contact between Brazil and Switzerland was restored in 1994, the Swiss wished to re-form the old Guard; but the great distance and state of the world made it difficult to do this alone. By this time, it had joined with Austria and Liechtenstein to form the Alpine Confederation, and with their combined resources, forming a new Guard was more feasible. Thus, the previous policy was changed so that soldiers in the Guard can come from any part of the Alpine Confederation, with all other restrictions remaining in place. And, as a result, the name was changed from "Pontificia Cohors Helvetica" before Doomsday to "Pontificia Cohors Alpino" today.

Prior to contact being restored, the Papal See was guarded, first by a detachment of Brazilian Army Commandos from 1984-1985, and then a detachment of commandos, with members from each of the countries in contact with Rio in it, from 1986 until 1995, when recruits from the Alpine Confederation were trained and arrived in Rio to take up their duties. There was some dispute at the time, but the Pope overruled his Cardinals on the matter, believing that the Alpine people, still viewed as neutral by all, would still be the best option for lack of bias.

The Guard is larger today than it was prior to Doomsday, in part due to the Vatican not being in only one location inside of Rio, but also due to the partial de-centralization of the Church. Each Congregation, located at least part of the year in the archbishopric of the Prefect, has a detachment of guards as well. Most years, the Guard numbers somewhere around 500 men, under the Commandant, and his officers, which have increased in number since Doomsday as well, including the addition of a lieutenant rank, primarily to serve as deputy of the Congregation guard detachments, which are headed by captains of the guard.

Currently, the Commandant of the Guard is Elmar Mäder, of St. Gallen.

Vatican Bureau of Exploration[]

The Vatican Bureau of Exploration, usually referred to as either the "Vatican Explorers" or the "VBE," is a new organization that has been part of the Vatican since a Church structure was begun to be rebuilt by the South American Cardinals in 1984.

At the time, its primary goal was to find more of the surviving cardinals, in order to hold a conclave. Once the Conclave had been held, this became a secondary goal, with the primary goal being to rediscover and re-establish contact with isolated and lost dioceses and parishes worldwide, and Catholics in general. It is these reports that the new structure of the Church is being built around, with regards to dioceses and archdioceses and the seats. With regards to how it operates, it functions much like the Congregations and its headquarters functions in much the same way.

In addition to this, they also aim to find areas were there might be potential for converts - upon finding such an area, the explorers inform the appropriate congregation, who then deals with the matter, and the exploration teams move on.

Currently, the Bureau is primarily active inside of Europe, Africa, and North America. However, exploration still occurs elsewhere. It is felt that eventually, the Church will decide that the mission of the Bureau is complete and disband it, but as of yet no talk of this has been heard out of the Vatican.

The Bureau is headed up by a Cardinal from the College, who makes the ultimate reports over its findings, and immediately under him is the Captains of the exploration vessels and teams.

Since the founding of the Bureau in 1984, it has been led by:

  • Octavio Beras Rojas, Archbishop Emeritus of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 1984-1990, Deceased
  • Adolfo Antonio Suárez Rivera, Archbishop Emeritus of Monterrey, Mexico, 1990-2003, Deceased
  • Basile Mvé Engone, Archbishop of Libreville, Gabon, 2003-Present

Secretariat of State[]

The Secretariat of State is the diplomatic service of the Holy See. Headed by the Secretary of State, who holds the rank of Cardinal-Bishop in the Roman Curia, the Secretariat is one of the most important branches of the Curia, and is where many of the Cardinal-Deacons originate.

Secretaries of State since Doomsday include:

  • Mario Revollo Bravo, Archbishop Emeritus of Bogota, 1984-1987 (Temporary)
  • Joseph Marie Anthony Cordeiro, Archbishop Emeritus of Karachi, Pakistan, 1987-1994
  • Angelo Sodano, nee' Italy and Chile, 1994-2007
  • Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien, Archbishop of Aberdeen and St. Andrews, Celtic Alliance, 2007-Present

Pontifical Commission for the Vatican[]

The Pontifical Commission for Vatican City-State is the legislative body of the Vatican and has responsibility for governing the grounds of the Vatican, primarily the Sao Bento Monastery, in Rio itself. It consists of seven Cardinals appointed to seven year terms by the pope, always ending at the very end of the year. However, they may be renewed for being on the Council as often as the Pope may wish. Normally, the Archbishops of Rio are among those on the Council, given that the Vatican is inside that city, though this has not always been the case since 1987.

Laws and regulations proposed by the Commission must be submitted to the pope through the Secretariat of State prior to being made public and taking effect. Laws, regulations, and instructions enacted by the Commission are published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, the official gazette of the Church.

The Commission is led by a president, currently Cardinal Carlo Furno, nee' Italy, and Brazil. In addition to his legislative role, the president is delegated executive authority for the state by the pope. Should a member pass away before his term is up, a replacement will be named, and a new term of appointment will begin.

Currently, its members include:

  • Carlo Furno, nee' Italy, and Brazil, Cardinal President (Term ends 2013)
  • Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Term ends 2015)
  • Cardinal Fortunato Baldelli, nee' France, and Angola (Term ends 2011)
  • Cardinal Renato Martino, nee' Italy, and Thailand (Term ends 2012)
  • Cardinal Jorge Medina Estévez, of Chile (Term ends 2015)
  • Cardinal Estanislao Esteban Karlic, Archbishop Emeritus of Paraná, Argentina (Term ends 2014)
  • Cardinal Eugênio de Araújo Sales, Archbishop Emeritus of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Camerlengo Emeritus and Cardinal-Protopriest (Term ends 2013)

Structure of the Church[]

Central and South America and the Caribbean[]

Cath Brasilia

Brasilia Cathedral during the vigil.

Eventually, when the Cardinals, and especially the Camerlengo, decided that the Pope had to be deceased, and in the spring of 1987, along with surviving African, Asian, and Australasian Cardinals that had been contacted, voted on a new pope, who was from South America.

Being the new center of the church, the region has become the location of many of its cardinals as well, much like the case of Italy prior to the events of Doomsday. Structurally, however, little has changed overall.

Former Panama is now divided into two Archbishoprics, one centered at Colon in the Canal Zone for the Zone itself and Colombian-annexed areas, while another is based in the city of David in the west. Cuba, with the nuclear destruction of Santiago and Havana, now is led by the Archbishop of Camagüey, whose regions were largely unaffected by the war, and the Archbishops of Pinar del Rio and Holguín, governing the Church in areas once under Havana and Santiago, respectively.

Aside from some areas of Mexico that were damaged by blasts on American cities right next to them, and some areas in the rest of the Americas where fighting of some sort occurred, there has been no real other damage, and neither of these led to a change in the church hierarchy, though the Diocese of Ciudad Juárez and the Archdiocese of Tijuana in Mexico did have to temporarily reside elsewhere for a few years because of blast on El Paso and San Diego, respectively.

North America[]

For many years, the only established Archbishopric in North America that the Church remained in contact with onside of North America, north of Mexico, was in the nation-state of West Texas. In the years following the 1987 conclave, with more and more survivors and survivor-nations being discovered in the continent, that situation has changed. Many dioceses and parishes, however, have also developed very unique characteristics in that span of time, such as the priestesses of Niagara Falls, that sometimes go against church policy.

For more information see Roman Catholic archdioceses in North America

ANZC[]

The Roman Catholic Church in the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand has remained intact since Doomsday, although the destruction of Australia's three largest cities, along with their archbishops, and the construction of new cities in Geelong, Bunbury, and Jervis Bay, prompted some reorganization. In Micronesia, the destruction of Guam required the elevation of Palikir to an archdiocese to replace Agana. Here are its divisions: See also the dioceses of the Oceanian RCC in OTL.

Australia

Ecclesiastical Province of Adelaide

  • Archdiocese of Adelaide
  • Diocese of Darwin
  • Diocese of Point Pirie

Ecclesiastical Province of Brisbane

  • Archdiocese of Brisbane
  • Diocese of Cairns
  • Diocese of Rockhampton
  • Diocese of Toowoomba
  • Diocese of Townsville

Ecclesiastical Province of Geelong

  • Archdiocese of Geelong
  • Diocese of Ballarat
  • Diocese of Sale
  • Diocese of Sandhurst

Ecclesiastical Province of Bunbury

  • Archdiocese of Bunbury
  • Diocese of Broome
  • Diocese of Geraldton

Ecclesiastical Province of Maitland-Newcastle

  • Archdiocese of Maitland-Newcastle
  • Diocese of Armidale
  • Diocese of Bathurst
  • Diocese of Broken Bay
  • Diocese of Canberra
  • Diocese of Lismore
  • Diocese of Parramatta
  • Diocese of Wagga Wagga
  • Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes
  • Diocese of Wollongong

Ecclesiastical Province of Jervis Bay

  • Archdiocese of Jervis Bay
  • Diocese of Kiama
  • Diocese of Nowra
  • Diocese of Ulladulla

The Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn and the Archdiocese of Hobart also exist, but remain directly subject to the Vatican, as they were before the events of Doomsday.

New Zealand

Ecclesiastical Province of New Zealand

  • Archdiocese of Wellington
  • Diocese of Auckland
  • Diocese of Christchurch
  • Diocese of Dunedin
  • Diocese of Hamilton
  • Diocese of Palmerston North

Samoa /Micronesia/Marshall Islands

Ecclesiastical Province of Micronesia

  • Archdiocese of Palikir (formerly, Diocese of the Caroline Islands)
  • Diocese of Chalan Kanoa
  • Prefecture of the Marshall Islands

Ecclesiastical Province of Samoa

  • Archdiocese of Apia
  • Diocese of Pago Pago
  • Mission Sui Iuris of Funafuti (for Tuvalu)
  • Mission Sui Iuris of Tokelau

Europe[]

Irish Republic and former U.K: In the aftermath of DD, civilization broke down in much of the mainland UK and new waves of violence broke out in Northern Ireland. The Catholic Primate of Ireland, the Archbishop of Armagh, determined that direction from Rome had lapsed and no communication was forthcoming. So the churches of Ireland acted on their own to create a new religious structure to promote peace among the churches: the Conference of Churches of the Celtic and Allied Nations, later unofficially known as the Celtic Church. With time it attracted other member churches around the British Isles and worked to promote and revive the Isles' deepest religious traditions. Though made without papal approval, the Conference has been tacitly accepted by the Church hierarchy.

Portugal: The surviving clergy welcomed the Papal representatives with open arms and maintained an active structure.

France: Much of the surviving French Church now lies in Monaco and the Sixth Republic (R.T.A). The Archbishop of Monaco has direct links to Rio and has been able to maintain the Catholic hierarchy.

Spain: Due to disputes in the Iberian Peninsula, Spanish bishops have been included in the bishops of Portuguese delegation as part of a single Hispanic-Portuguese Conference.

Switzerland, Austria and Germany: Early evidence points to a fragmented social order across much of the wastelands of Europe; outside the main states. Celtic Church missionaries have reported that small communities of religious orders - Jesuits, Dominicans and Franciscans - are maintaining libraries, education and providing safety in old monastic buildings. The Alpine Confederation has a stronger Catholic structure with direct links now existing with Rio. The German states in the north, however, are reportedly staunch Protestants and atheists.

Italy:

Africa[]

Little was known about the extent of church activity across the continent until 1999, with only isolated pockets remaining in contact with the Church prior to that year. Nevertheless, local churches have begun to communicate via the reemerging structures through the Dioceses and extensive religious orders that have been active prior to DD. The church is fully intact throughout País del Oro, Republic of South Africa, New Union of South Africa, New Britain, Zaire, and the Republic of KwaXhosa and now has full contact with Rio. The Church in Africa constitutes the second largest population of Roman Catholics in the world.

Dioceses include:

Pais del Oro

  • Archdiocese of Rabat (titular)
  • Diocese of Laayoune
  • Archdiocese of Tanger (titular)
  • Diocese of Ceuta (titular)
  • Diocese of Melilla
  • Diocese of Tenerife
  • Diocese of Canarias
  • Diocese of Ibiza
  • Diocese of Mallorca
  • Diocese of Menorca
  • Military Archdiocese (vacant)

Former South Africa

  • Archdiocese of Bloemfontein
  • Diocese of Bethlehem
  • Diocese of Keimoes-Upington
  • Diocese of Kimberley
  • Diocese of Kroonstad
  • Archdiocese of Cape Town
  • Diocese of Aliwal
  • Diocese of De Aar
  • Diocese of Oudtshoorn
  • Diocese of Port Elizabeth
  • Diocese of Queenstown
  • Archdiocese of Durban
  • Diocese of Dundee
  • Diocese of Eshowe
  • Diocese of Kokstad
  • Diocese of Mariannhill
  • Diocese of Umtata
  • Diocese of Umzimkulu
  • Archdiocese of Johannesburg
  • Diocese of Klerksdorp
  • Diocese of Manzini
  • Diocese of Witbank
  • Archdiocese of Pretoria
  • Diocese of Pietersburg
  • Diocese of Rustenburg
  • Diocese of Tzaneen
  • Vicariate of Francistown

Asia[]

Until 1996, when contact with the Philippines was resumed, ANZC-controlled East Timor was the only known surviving Catholic nation in Asia. The Archdiocese of Manila-NCR, led by Jaime Cardinal Sin, was quick in sending correspondence to the post-Doomsday clergy; insisting its communion with the Church in Rome in line with the decrees issued by Pope Pius XII. In the years following Doomsday, the Catholics of Southeast Asia have encouraged humanitarian and missionary work, as well as inter-faith peace efforts with Muslims. It was arguably the Archdiocese that helped hold together the faithful in the years prior to the contact.

Cardinal Sin, in particular, survived the chaos of the "Indefinite Emergency" to emerge as a freedom advocate against Marcos. Following the formation of the Third Republic in 1987, he organized a charity group comprising of both laymen and clergy whose aim was to uphold the Church's work for "the poorest of the poor;" known as Gawad Bayanihan. In time this group would become one of the most influential non-government Organizations (NGOs) in the Philippines. The NGO's efforts helped reduce poverty rates nationwide, and bring the Christian-Islamic quarrels in Mindanao and Sabah to a close by 2001.

As of 2009, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of East Timor and the Philippines (CBCEP) is the main representative of Asia, under its president, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales.

See also[]

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