Papal Conclave - 2007 The Vatican - Habemus Papam... Leo XIV!!!

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Yea

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"This is a momentous moment that God has bestowed upon us.  As all of you know, billions of people are watching this event unfold and we must keep their views and prayers in our hearts. However, we must let God be the only motivator of our actions in this Conclave. May God be with us all.

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Antony Cardinal Miller

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(Cardinal Miller rises and peers around)

Brothers, we have heard many opinions on the sanctity and importance of the Sacrements in the Church.  Some of these opinions differ from one another but I believe they all have been respectable and have their own unique points. So I thank the conclave for keeping these expressions of views respectable.

As for myself, I believe the Sacrements play an intrical part in distinguishing Gods Church.  All the Sacrements have their own unique powers that God bestows upon us.  In my view, the Sacrements strengthen our souls and bring us closer to God.   
However, some believe that only through the Sacrements can we find Jesus and through him Salvation.  I beg to differ from this opinion.  Don't get me wrong, I think the Sacrements make us grow with God and help us on the road to Salvation but they are not the sole purpose of the Chruch nor are they absoutely neccessary for Salvation. 
An example of this would be the case of infant Limbo.  As you know, some infants die in birth and are not given the gift of Baptism. Therefore, they are send directly to hell because Adam and Eve's original sin is still upon them and hasnt been cleansed yet.  In this case, I believe the Sacrements arent absouletly necessery for salvation.
Basically, If you live a good life, attemped to emulate Jesus in your daily lives, preform good deeds, follow the 10 Commandments and worship God and ask forgiveness for your sins then you will probably be saved. The Sacrements are definitly helpful in acheiving Salvation but for those unable to recieve them then they still may be saved.
 
Thank you and God Bless.

(Cardinal Miller sits down slowly)

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Antony Cardinal Miller

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*Antony Cardinal Miller rises and nods to the Cardinals.*


Brothers, the question posed by Cardinal Hernandez is a good one. It is one that is intricate who I am as a person of God and to you all, of course.  To answer my dear brothers question I must talk about my life.  As all of you know, I am from Ireland.  I grew up in a land of conflict. Conflict of ideas, conflict of personalities, conflict of government, and conflict of faith.  The Protestant and Catholic divisions of Ireland have a deep impact on who I am as a person. It is easy for me to see my friends and family murdered and want to resort to anger and conflict. However, I stop myself and think, what would St. Charles Lwanga do? Lwanga, who was a Christian in Uganda, a land lead by a ruler Hostile to our kind. Lwanga was a Christian convert who was burnt to death for his unwavering faith in God and his spread of Justice and Peace. He preached peace and never resorted to violence or conflict. I, for one, tried and still try to follow his example everyday as I go about my life. He was the one that inspired me to go into the faith instead of stupidly going to war with my christian brothers. 

Im sorry if some were expecting a more complex answer but my faith holds no complexity as many of you will find out later.

*Cardinal Miller seats himself*

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Antony Cardinal Miller

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*Cardinal Miller slowly unseats himself, peering around at the conclave, he sighs, and puts on puts on his glasses*

Brothers, Cardinal Bertone asks a very good question. The Papacy is, I'm very sure, a significant part of all our lives. The Papacy, to me, is the most dignified and humbling position God can give our mere earthly bodies. It is the beacon by which the Church spreads Gods message and word of Salvation.
The messages which emanate from the holder of this office can sway millions. Whoever holds the office has the monumental responsibility of being the shepherd of Gods Church. This individual must be willing to lead with determination and perseverance. However, the person must also be willing to listen to even the most humble of persons.  The Pope must spread Christs message not only by speeches and sermons but by his everyday actions.
I believe the Vicar of Christ must have experience to deal with the numerous situations and conflicts that will, undoubtedly, arise during his reign. He must be able to deal with conflict and moments of great stress even within Gods Church. 
The individual charged with this great responsibility can also lead the Church into the light. By enlightening us with Gods word, and setting an example of humbleness and good deeds can do wonders for the Church. The bottom line of what I'm trying to say is that the Pope, whoever it may be, must be someone of expireance, patience, perseverance and the willingness to spreads Gods word every waking seconds of the day.

Finally, I wish to express something that has been on my mind for the moments. Some may say that it is best to have a Italian be the next Bishop of Rome. That, in my opinion, is wrong and the worst course to go. We should not care what country the Pope hails from, but of what good ideas he can bring to Rome. People who reallies on the nationality of the candidate as their deciding factor are just plain wrong.

Thank you, Brothers and God Bless.

*Cardinal Miller seats himself*

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Antony Cardinal Miller

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Miller

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Cardinal Miller stands up

Brothers, I'm going to try to be very blunt with all of you. The Church is currently in a state of, let us say, fuzziness. Many Catholics are confused on what the Church's stance is on many issues. This troubles me. We need another Council, in short, to define and concrete the Church's stance on these numerous issues, whatever they may be. We, as shepherds, have failed in that respect.

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Miller

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miller

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I welcome all of you with a humble heart to this most Holy place of God. I also greet all that are watching and listening around the world. I am feeling many emotions at the current moment *chuckles*. I am, to be blunt, shocked. But, I am also not without gratitude to my fellow friends and to most of all God. I would also like to thank the Virgin Mary, and all of you for the most warm welcome. It is with great humility that I accept the position once held by the Apostle Peter.

After the death of my honored predecessor Benedict XVI, I hope we may return to a sense of normalcy and march forward on the path to eternal salvation. First I would like to explain my choice of Leo XIV as my papal name. I hope to forge a spiritual connection with my predecessor Leo XIII. He was first and foremost "The People's Pope'' and I hope to replicate that image in my papacy. His courageous will to stand up to French Monarchists, who had considerable power among French Catholics, to support the idea if a French Republic was inspiring. As was his insight into see the flaws in Communism and uncontrolled capitalism. Also, his writings in Rerum Novarum returned the Church to the People and stressed why we need to give great attention to the poor and unfortunate. I pray that he will give me guidance in these most trying times.

Many of us are familiar with the Biblical verse from Romans 12:5.
It says, "Though we are many, we are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another." At the beginning of my Papacy I ask God to unite us into one Church, under God. May we all help one another in our daily tasks and live as one!

This Unity is key to my main goals as the Vicar of Christ. Christians have been, for too long, split from one another. Arguing over the 1% we don't necessarily agree on while ignoring the 99% we do agree on. I believe we can, with the help of God, find common ground on which we can finally unify the Church as it was back in the days of St. Peter. This has been my philosophy from my days fighting for peace in the unnecessary conflict between Christians in my native Ireland.
Let me say that is with many years of thinking that we must call for a Vatican III to clarify a host of positions that the Church and its People are not clear about. I am blunt because that Is what I believe the Council must be, Blunt.

Dear Friends, thank you again for your visit, and thank you for the affection with which you surround me. I cordially reciprocate these sentiments with a special Blessing, which I impart to all of you here, to your relatives and to all your loved ones.

Let us conclude with this prayer:

Sancti Apostoli Petrus et Paulus: de quoroum potestate et auctoritate confidimus ipsi intercedant pro nobis ad Dominum.

R) Amen.

Precibus et meritis beatæ Mariae semper Virginis, beati Michaelis Archangeli, beati Ioannis Baptistæ, et sanctorum Apostolorum Petri et Pauli et omnium Sanctorum misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus; et dimissis omnibus peccatis vestris, perducat vos Iesus Christus ad vitam æternam.

R) Amen.

Indulgentiam, absolutionem et remissionem omnium peccatorum vestrorum, spatium verae et fructuosae poenitentiæ, cor semper penitens, et emendationem vitae, gratiam et consolationem Sancti Spiritus; et finalem perseverantiam in bonis operibus tribuat vobis omnipotens et misericors Dominus.

R) Amen.

Et benedictio Dei omnipotentis, Pa + tris et Fi + lii et Spiritus + Sancti descendat super vos et maneat semper.

R) Amen.

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Congratulations Jtf. I suppose we don't get to see the final tally? Though I get the feeling that it was mostly my and Antonioni's voters jumping ship and Jas's to an extent keeping with him?

Thank you. I was quite suprised myself.

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Yea I loved it