- Joined
- Aug 28, 2009
- Messages
- 378
Cardinal d'Ursaque had seen this before. With his 75 years of age, he was not the oldest man in the room, but as it has been 49 years since he was appointed, he had been in service the longest amongst all cardinals. That's a long time, 49 years. He was 26, back then, on the 7th of March 1961, when he received a letter of pope Marcus XXII. Cardinal, at that age, and responsable for the final version of the concilium decrees. Brilliant, he was called back than. Old, he was called now.
He had seen it all before. Back in 1963, when Clemens XI was elected. Back in 1981, when Marcus Clemens I was elected. And back in 1992, when Marcus Clemens II was chosen to lead the flock. He entered the room, all chairs in rows, ready to receive the cardinals coming from all sides of the world. All chairs were labeled. Mgr. This and Mgr. That. German names. French names. Names he wondered how to pronounce them correctly. He had heard them before, but forgot how this odd accumulation of letters had to be assembled to an actual name.
As an old cardinal, he knew them all. He better made sure he knew them all. His chair was there, its label was slightly bigger. Mgr. d'Ursaque, it said, accompanied with he word 'president'. Growing old in the Church was a way to make some important carreer moves, even if you didn't want to.
The room filled with purple. Smiling faces, wondering faces, new faces and intriged faces. All went in.
In a way it seemed he had done this before, he required silence, and opened the assemblee with a prayer. The conclave had begun, which had to find a successor for Marcus Clemens II, and would write history. As every conclave does.
"Monseigneurs", he continued, "la parole est à vous". Short, but meaningfull. The discussion could start.
He had seen it all before. Back in 1963, when Clemens XI was elected. Back in 1981, when Marcus Clemens I was elected. And back in 1992, when Marcus Clemens II was chosen to lead the flock. He entered the room, all chairs in rows, ready to receive the cardinals coming from all sides of the world. All chairs were labeled. Mgr. This and Mgr. That. German names. French names. Names he wondered how to pronounce them correctly. He had heard them before, but forgot how this odd accumulation of letters had to be assembled to an actual name.
As an old cardinal, he knew them all. He better made sure he knew them all. His chair was there, its label was slightly bigger. Mgr. d'Ursaque, it said, accompanied with he word 'president'. Growing old in the Church was a way to make some important carreer moves, even if you didn't want to.
The room filled with purple. Smiling faces, wondering faces, new faces and intriged faces. All went in.
In a way it seemed he had done this before, he required silence, and opened the assemblee with a prayer. The conclave had begun, which had to find a successor for Marcus Clemens II, and would write history. As every conclave does.
"Monseigneurs", he continued, "la parole est à vous". Short, but meaningfull. The discussion could start.