Ubi periculum

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ubi periculum ( German  where there is danger ) was a papal bull of Gregory X. , which was promulgated on July 7, 1274 during the Second Council of Lyon . It set conclaves as the selection process for the Pope . The regulations were a reaction to the experiences of the lengthy conclave 1268–1271 , which Gregory X. chose. There the voting cardinals were at the mercy of the Viterbo magistrate .

The bull's aim was to reduce protracted maneuvering and delays during the election and to protect the election from outside influences. Clear rules should also prevent schisms and controversial elections. The introduction of monastic ways of life during the election should lift voters out of their everyday lives and make them aware of the spiritual dimension of the election.

Ubi periculum seems to have been inspired by the Dominican constitution of 1228. The fact that the closest collaborator of Pope Cardinal Peter von Tarantaise, Bishop of Ostia, was a Dominican supports this thesis. Cardinal Bonaventura , Bishop of Albano , was a Franciscan and Cardinal Bertrand de Saint Martin, Bishop of Sabina, was a Benedictine .

The bull of Gregory X. established some points of the conclave:

  • that the election should take place in the place where the Pope and his Curia lived. If this location is unsuitable, the election should take place in the next city of the diocese, unless this is subject to an interdict .
  • that the election should only begin after ten days.
  • that cardinals who are not in the conclave have no right to vote.
  • that not only cardinals but also other men can be elected Pope.
  • that after the end of the Novendiale and the Mass on the Holy Spirit, which is sung on the tenth day, the cardinals should be locked up with one servant each or, if necessary, more in the palace in which the Pope died. Nobody should leave the conclave unless they are sick or join them. The room should have no walls, but each cardinal's room should be separated from the others by curtains.
  • that the location of the conclave and its entrances should be carefully monitored.
  • that the cardinals cannot leave the conclave for any reason until a pope is elected.
  • that no cardinal should be prevented from voting, even if he is excommunicated.
  • that cardinals who arrive after the beginning of the conclave, but before the papal election, may also participate in the conclave.
  • that if the Pope is not elected after three days, only one meal of the day will be given.
  • that nobody may be made anathema during the election , may be bribed, nobody may make promises or negotiate in order to influence the outcome of the election.
  • that no other business should be done during the election.
  • that no pope can be elected without two thirds of the votes in the conclave.
  • that with the death of the Pope all offices, except for the camerlengo , penitentiary and major penitentiary , will be lost.

The first choice after Ubi periculum lasted only one day. The application was suspended by Pope Hadrian V in consultation with the cardinals in order to make improvements. But since the Pope died after 39 days, there was no reform. The papal elections of 1277 , 1280–1281 , 1287–1288, and 1292–1294 were long and drawn out. The exposure of the Ubi periculum was only one factor. The interference of Kings Charles I and Charles II of Naples and the dispute between the French and Imperial cardinal factions also delayed the elections. Pope Celestine V , a non-cardinal and Benedictine monk, reinstated the bull through the conclave.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Under Gregory X - Lyons-2. Retrieved January 13, 2018 .
  2. ^ William Cartwright, On Papal Conclaves (Edinburgh 1868), 9-29.
  3. ↑ These are summarized from the Constitution 'ubi primus', by Franciscus Pagi, Breviarium historico-chronologico-criticum illustriora pontificum Romanorum, Conciliorum Generaliorum acta ... III (Antwerp 1718), pp. 406-408.
  4. ↑ Sede Vacante and Conclave of January, 1276 (Dr. JP Adams).
  5. ↑ Prof. John P. Adams, Modern and Classical Languages ​​and Literatures: SEDE VACANTE. Retrieved January 13, 2018 (American English).
  6. ↑ Prof. John P. Adams, Modern and Classical Languages ​​and Literatures: SEDE VACANTE. Retrieved January 13, 2018 (American English).
  7. ↑ Pope Celestine legislated in the constitution Quia in futurorum (issued from Aquila, October 28, 1295), and another on December 10, 1294, to the same effect: A. Theiner (ed.), Caesaris SRE Cardinalis Baronii Annales Ecclesiastici Tomus 23 , under the year 1295, §17, p. 143 and p. 144.
  8. ↑ Martin Marker: Conclave election order. Retrieved January 13, 2018 .