Vatican (1983: Doomsday)

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 cathedra 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 emergency decree of Pope Pius XII.

Rome, September 23rd 1983
On the morning of September 26 Pope John Paul II gathers with members of the Pontifical Council for the Laity in the Vatican to discuss common issues and strategies,

"J’ai éprouvé une grande joie à célébrer cette messe, avec vous, Eminence, qui assurez la présidence du Conseil pontifical pour les Laïcs, ainsi qu’avec vous, membres, consulteurs et délégués du “Congresso”. The Final address of Pope John Paul II to the Pontifical Council for the Laity at the Vatican Friday, 23 September 1983

Rome has suffered a direct hit from several ICBM's, destroying the ancient city and the Vatican City State. Due to no warning, the papacy is destroyed and the decrees transferring the power of the Cardinal Camerlengo to Rio de Janeiro are brought into force.



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 the Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro making the Archbishop a Cardinal. This document has already been seen by each Metropolitain and Cardinal Priest, therefore all surviving preletes across the globe look to Rio 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.



Post Doomsday Sede Vacante
October 7th Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary:

An emergency meeting of the Bishops of Brazil is convened by Cardinal Priest Eusebio Archbishop Oscar Scheid, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro Camerlengo of the Holy See.

"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 can not forget the words of Saint Mark


 * 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" 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 there after permits

Reaffirmed at the meeting of the Bishops of the Americas in sight of the Cardinal Camerlengo on the 2nd November 1983, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Americas
On the feast of All Souls 2nd November 1983 the 1st full meeting of the Catholic Church in the Americas is convened in Sao Paulo ,in sight of Cardinal Priest Eusebio Archbishop Oscar Scheid, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro Camerlengo of the Holy See. delegates represent the vast majority of surviving Catholics in the Americas.

/ /  /  /  /  /
 * Central American Delegates

/ / Brazil /  /  /  /  /  /  /  /  /  /
 * South American Delegates

Claudio Hummes, Archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil, is appointed President of the Bishops Conference of the Americas

Celtic Alliance & Europe
In the aftermath of DD the unification of the remaining churches has brought about the re-emergence of the. Until 1992, no contact with other religious leaders was possible and a redesigned and reformed church has emerged. The principle Primate of the Roman Church being the being the Archbishop of Armagh, places the decrees of Pius XII as lapsed as no communication is forthcoming. For all intents and purposes, it is Catholic in all but name; similar to Anglicanism.

In addition the General Assemblies of the remaining Free Churches & State Church of Scotland meet in emergency session in Armagh. The General Assembly agrees a text of unification with the remainder Roman Church.

See stub.

In contrast, the surviving clergy of Mainland Europe welcomed the Papal representatives with open arms. The Church in the Continent, comprises of the Dioceses from ,because of disputes between the various successor states in the Iberian Peninsula spanish bishops have been included in the bishops of this delegation as part of a single Hispanic-Portuguese Conference, the, French territories and Sicily.

The events of Doomsday prompted the Continental Church to help solidify efforts in keeping society intact. Cooperation with Protestants have helped foster solidarity between the two former faith-rivals.

Asia
Until 1996, when contact with the was resumed, ANZC-controlled  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 Gaudentio Rosales.

The CBCEP has urged the Camerlengo to give consideration to holding a Conclave in November 2009.