Vatican (1983: Doomsday)



Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam!

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.

Vatican City State, September 23rd 1983


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,

"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

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 Puis 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
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 Metropolitain and Cardinal Priest, therefore all surviving preletes 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
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 can not 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"

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

 * See main article: 

Having waited a number of years, in the hope that the Pope was somehow alive, and come to the conclusion that he had 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, UAR
 * Estanislao Esteban Karlic, of Paraná, UAR
 * Luis Sánchez-Moreno Lira, Archbishop of Arequipa, Peru
 * Alfonso López Trujillo, Archbishop of Medellín, Colombia
 * Isaías Duarte Cancino, Archbishop of Cali, Columbia
 * 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
 * Youhannes Ezzat Zakaria Badir, 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, UAR, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Bishops
 * Juan Carlos Aramburu, Archbishop Emeritus of Buenos Aires, UAR
 * 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 Tomas 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 Curitiba, Brazil
 * Jorge Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, UAR
 * 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

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.

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 Camerlengo Emeritus. Since Doomsday, these 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

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)
 * Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien, Archbishop of Aberdeen and St. Andrews, Celtic Alliance, Secretary of State (Thought Papabile)
 * Gregorio Rosa Chávez, Archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (1995, 2004)
 * Vasyl Ivasiuk, Patriarch of Halych, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Galicia, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches (2000, 2003)

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


 * Youhannes Ezzat Zakaria Badir, Patriarch of Alexandria for the Copts, Coptic Catholic Church, Greek Federation
 * Ignatius Joseph III Younan, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Syrians, Syriac Catholic Church, Lebanon (2002)
 * Shlemon Warduni, Patriarch of Babylon, Chaldean Catholic Church, Assyria (2004)
 * Lucian Muresan, Major Archbishop of Făgăraş and Alba Iulia, Romanian Church United with Rome, Transylvania (2008)
 * Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, Major Archbishop of Trivandrum, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, India (2008)
 * Bosco Puthur, Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, India (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
 * Kurt Koch, Archbishop of Basel, Alpine Confederation, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
 * Jorge Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, UAR, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops (Thought Papabile)
 * Edmundo Luis Flavio Abastoflor, Archbishop of La Paz, Bolivia, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy
 * Telesphore Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi, India, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education
 * John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
 * Francisco Robles Ortega, Archbishop of Monterrey, Mexico, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (2004)
 * Juan Francisco Sarasti Jaramillo, Archbishop of Cali, Columbia, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (2004)
 * Ramón Ovidio Pérez Morales, Archbishop of Maracaibo, Venezuela, Camerlengo
 * Basile Mvé Engone, Archbishop of Libreville, Gabon, Head of the Vatican Bureau of Exploration

Other Cardinal-Priests:


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

Cardinal-Deacons

 * Fortunato Baldelli, nee' France, and Angola (2002)
 * Renato Martino, nee' Italy, and Thailand (2004)
 * Alfio Rapisarda, nee' Italy and Bolivia (2008)
 * Mauro Piacenza, nee' Genoa (2011)

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
 * Luis Aponte Martínez, Archbishop Emeritus of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Prefect Emeritus of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy
 * Alexandre do Nascimento, Archbishop Emeritus of Luanda, Former Angola, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Catholic Education
 * Thomas Stafford Williams, Archbishop Emeritus of Wellington, New Zealand, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Justice and Peace
 * Simon Pimenta, Archbishop Emeritus of Bombay, India, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
 * Angelo Sodano, nee' Italy and Chile, Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals and former Secretary of State (Former Deacon) (Thought Papabile) (1990, 1994, 2007)
 * Alphonsus Liguori Penney, Archbishop Emeritus of St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Bishops
 * Ramón Echarren Istúriz, Archbishop Emeritus of the Canaries, Republic of Spain, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
 * Edward Idris Cassidy, nee' Australia, and South Africa, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches (1992, 1994) (Former Deacon)
 * Julius Darmaatmadja, Archbishop of Semarang, Indonesia, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (Thought Papabile)

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


 * Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, Patriarch Emeritus of Antioch, Maronite Catholic Church, Lebanon
 * Kévork Khazoumian, Patriarch Emeritus of Cilicia, Armenian Catholic Church, Lebanon (2000)
 * Gregory III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, of Alexandria, and of Jerusalem, Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Israel (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
 * Henri Antoine Marie Teissier, Archbishop of Algiers, Algeria, Prefect of the Congregation for Justice and Peace

Other Cardinal-Priests:


 * Joachim Meisner, Archbishop Emeritus of Berlin, Prussia (February 1983)
 * José Freire Falcão, Archbishop Emeritus of Brasilia, Brazil
 * Serafim Fernandes de Araújo, Archbishop Emeritus of Belo Horizonte, Brazil
 * Altamiro Rossato, Archbishop Emeritus of Porto Alegre, Brazil
 * Estanislao Esteban Karlic, Archbishop Emeritus of Paraná, UAR
 * Antonio Moreno Casamitjana, Archbishop Emeritus of Concepción, Chile
 * Miguel Obando y Bravo, Archbishop Emeritus of Managua, Nicaragua
 * Hugo Barrantes Ureña, Archbishop of San José de Costa Rica, Costa Rica (2004)
 * Robert Edward Mulvee, Archbishop Emeritus of Manchester in Vermont, Vermont
 * John J. Snyder, Archbishop Emeritus of St. Augustine, Florida
 * Leonard Anthony Faulkner, Archbishop Emeritus of Adelaide, Australia
 * Ricardo Vidal, Archbishop Emeritus of Cebu, Philippines
 * Bernard Agré, Archbishop Emeritus of Abidjan, Ivory Coast
 * Emmanuel Wamala, Archbishop Emeritus of Kampala, Former Uganda
 * Christian Tumi, Archbishop of Douala, Cameroon
 * Desmond Connell, Archbishop Emeritus of Dublin, Celtic Alliance
 * Marco Cé, Patriarch Emeritus of Venice, Venetian Republic
 * Georg Eder, Archbishop Emeritus of Salzburg, Alpine Confederation
 * Maurice Rigobert Marie-Sainte, Archbishop Emeritus of Fort-de-France, Martinique
 * Remi De Roo, Archbishop Emeritus of Victoria, Commonwealth of Victoria
 * Jose Tomas Sanchez, Archbishop Emeritus of Nueva Segovia, Philippines
 * Paul Shan Kuo-hsi, Archbishop Emeritus of Kaohsiung, Taiwan
 * Nicolas Cheong Jin-suk, Archbishop Emeritus of Kaesong, Korea
 * Henry Sebastian D’Souza, Archbishop Emeritus of Calcutta, India
 * Raul Nicolau Gonsalves, Archbishop Emeritus of Goa and Patriarch Emeritus of the West Indies, India
 * Michael Michai Kitbunchu, Archbishop of Bangkok, Thailand
 * Alexandre José Maria dos Santos, Archbishop Emeritus of Maputo, Mozambique
 * Aurélio Granada Escudeiro, Patriarch Emeritus of the Azores, Portugal
 * Silvano Piovanelli, Archbishop Emeritus of Prato and Florence, Tuscan Republic
 * Charles Amarin Brand, Archbishop Emeritus of Monaco, Kingdom of Monaco
 * Nicholas Marcus Fernando, Archbishop Emeritus of Colombo, Sri Lanka
 * Evarist Pinto, Archbishop of Karachi, Pakistan (2004)
 * Carlo Furno, nee' Italy, and Brazil (1992, 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 (1998, 2010) (Promoted Deacon)
 * Girolamo Prigione, nee' Italy and Mexico, (1997, 2008) (Promoted Deacon)
 * Luigi Barbarito, nee' Italy and Australia, (1997, 2008) (Promoted Deacon)

Cardinal-Deacons

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

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, UAR, 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, UAR, 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, Columbia, 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, Columbia, 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. However, the merger of the Swiss Confederation, the Duchy of Liechtenstein, and the Austrian Republic into the Alpine Confederation meant that this was not so feasible after contact was restored in 1994. Thus, the previous policy was changed to the soldiers in the Guard being from the entirety of the Alpine Confederation, with all other restrictions remaining in place. And, as a result, the name was changed slightly, from the "Pontificia Cohors Helvetica" before Doomsday to the "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 reestablish 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, UAR (Term ends 2014)
 * Cardinal Eugênio de Araújo Sales, Archbishop Emeritus of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Camerlengo Emeritus and Cardinal-Protopriest (Term ends 2013)

Central and South America and the Caribbean


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.

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. , 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 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

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 & former U.K: In the aftermath of DD and the break down of civilization on the mainland UK 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 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 Joint General Assembly agrees a text of unification with the remainder Roman Church.

See stub.

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

France: Certain parts of the Francophone territories have retained the Roman principles but have relied on the Celtic Church for Clergy and ministry. The majority of the French Church now lies in Monaco & the Sixth Republic (R.T.A).

Monaco: 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 & 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 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.

Sicily: The Mafia based state relationship with the Church is fraught with ambiguities with some clergy supporting the principles of the new state. Nevertheless, the Patriarch of Venice has denounced the regime as an affront to God.

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 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 Gaudencio Rosales.