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Pope Francis to live in Vatican guesthouse, not papal apartments

cns ^ | March 26, 2013 | Cindy Wooden

Posted on by NYer

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has decided not to move into the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, but to live in a suite in the Vatican guesthouse where he has been since the beginning of the conclave that elected him, said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman.



"He is experimenting with this type of living arrangement, which is simple," but allows him "to live in community with others," both the permanent residents -- priests and bishops who work at the Vatican -- as well as guests coming to the Vatican for meetings and conferences, Father Lombardi said March 26.



The spokesman said Pope Francis has moved out of the room he drew by lot before the conclave and into Suite 201, a room that has slightly more elegant furnishings and a larger living room where he can receive guests.



The Domus Sanctae Marthae, the official name of the guesthouse, was built in 1996 specifically to house cardinals during a conclave.



Celebrating Mass March 26 with the residents and guests, Pope Francis told them he intended to stay, Father Lombardi said. The permanent residents, who had to move out during the conclave, had just returned to their old rooms.



Pope Francis has been there since his election March 13, taking his meals in the common dining room downstairs and celebrating a 7 a.m. Mass with Vatican employees in the main chapel of the residence.



He will be the first pope in 110 years not to live in the papal apartments on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace.



In 1903, St. Pius X became the first pope to live in the apartments overlooking St. Peter's Square. The apartments were completely remodeled by Pope Paul VI in 1964 and have undergone smaller modifications by each pope since, according to "Mondo Vaticano," a Vatican-published mini-encyclopedia about Vatican buildings, offices and tradition.



The large living room or salon of the apartment is located directly above the papal library where official audiences with visiting bishops and heads of state are held.



Pope Francis will continue to use the library for official audiences and to recite the Angelus prayer on Sundays and holy days from the apartment window overlooking St. Peter's Square, Father Lombardi said.



The apartments contain a chapel, an office for the pope and a separate office for his secretaries, the pope's bedroom, a dining room, kitchen and rooms for two secretaries and for the household staff.



When Pope Francis returned to the guesthouse after his election, Father Lombardi had said the move was intended to be short-term while a few small work projects were completed in the papal apartments. He said March 26 that all the work had been completed, but at least for the foreseeable future, Pope Francis would not move in.



The Domus Sanctae Marthae, named after St. Martha, is a five-story building on the edge of Vatican City.



While offering relative comfort, the residence is not a luxury hotel. The building has 105 two-room suites and 26 singles; about half of the rooms are occupied by the permanent residents. Each suite has a sitting room with a desk, three chairs, a cabinet and large closet; a bedroom with dresser, night table and clothes stand; and a private bathroom with a shower.



The rooms all have telephones and access to an international satellite television system.



The building also has a large meeting room and a variety of small sitting rooms. In addition to the dining room and the main chapel, it also has four private chapels, located at the end of hallways on the third and fifth floors of each of the building's two wings.







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To: Trapped Behind Enemy Lines

Our current POTUS could learn a lot from the new Pope. Isn't the sequester tough enough on Dear Leader and his family? Look at how they're suffering.



by 21 posted onby Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)

To: txrefugee

I agree. He is The Pope. The apartments contain a chapel, an office for the pope and a separate office for his secretaries, the pope's bedroom, a dining room, kitchen and rooms for two secretaries and for the household staff. Considering the position he holds, I actually don't consider this amount of staff or living space to be overdone. Work needs to be done, where are the staff supposed to do that work?



To: FatherofFive

Ditto



by 23 posted onby spetznaz (Nuclear-tipped Ballistic Missiles: The Ultimate Phallic Symbol)

To: PapaBear3625

Oh please. I think he really doesn’t want to be isolated the way Popes usually are and does want to live with other normal human beings (there are something like 60 monsignori who work at the Vatican who live there year round, as well as all sorts of visitors). And I wouldn’t be surprised if BXVI himself recommended this. Remember, he was brought down by Vatican intrigues. One thing he said to a visitor was that his valet, the one who stole and leaked his personal papers, was also the one who gave him his medications every morning. “Just imagine,” he said. So I think the Pope is probably a lot safer at the Domus Mariae than at the Vatican apartments. In any case, living there is relatively recent: popes lived at St John Lateran (the cathedral of Rome) until Pio Nono in 1903.



Comment #25 Removed by Moderator

To: NYer

Some dear Catholic Friends of mine were discussing this with me. They LOVE Pope Francis...BUT they did not like Pope Benedict. When I asked them why not, they replied that Pope Benedict was “too strict”. I offered the possibility, that sometimes children need to be disciplined, if the parents truly love them, and the correction is followed by loving affirmation. I suggested that perhaps Pope Benedict was the “spanking” and Pope Francis is the “Hug” that comes after. Just a thought...



To: PapaBear3625

Honestly none of us know what is in the heart of the new Pope..but ponder this. Luxury and opulence not only give an image of excess but they also serve to corrupt. Perhaps he is not only serving as an example but is careful to keep himself humble as well, so he doesn’t become so concerned with the image and the lifestyle that he forgets his apostolic mission. I know it’s fiction but a worthwhile analogy is Gandalf’s refusal to touch the ring. Same idea, in order to keep his humility he is denying himself the worldly treasures and comforts that tend to corrupt us and keep us from God. I doubt his behavior is all for show.



by 27 posted onby longfellowsmuse (last of the living nomads)

To: NYer

After reading about him washing and kissing the feet of AIDS patients in Argentina, none of this comes as any kind of surprise. I mean, I don’t get the connection. These patients contracted an illness through a deliberate choice of behaviors they knew were risky. Then he goes and rewards them with the gift of the Catholic Church’s humility? It still seems to me we are dealing with a huge dose of “social justice” here, that’s not going to go away anytime soon, despite all of the whisperings to the contrary. Besides, maybe the guy just doesn’t do ghosts.



To: livius

Interesting. It seems that the friendship between Pope Benedict and Pope Francis is a very good thing.



by 29 posted onby trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)

To: LibertarianLiz

He’s still going to work at the Vatican and is also gong to receive official visitors and do the usual papal things there. These places are very close to each other, and all he has to do is take a few minutes walk to his offices. I seriously think this was suggested by BXVI. I think that Francis was probably going to go back to living at St John Lateran, as Bishop of Rome, and probably BXVI persuaded him to live a little closer...but still at a safe distance.



To: livius

I think this is a legitimate expression of his desire to not live in splendor and grandeur. Matthew 8:19-20

Then a scribe came and said to Him, Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go. Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. Personally, I think one of the greatest tragedies of the modern American (Western?) Church is our rampant, unbridled materialism and refusal to share generously with those in need. I am NOT talking about forced redistribution by a cold-hearted, corrupt government agency, but a voluntary LOVING gesture and a spirit of true sacrifice. I applaud Pope Francis for his example



To: knarf

Pope Francis is our new Pope.



To: knarf

I avoid this conflict by not putting anyone upon a pedestal. A Pope, Pastor or Rabbi are not to be worshiped but given respect. Treat either one as a beloved brother, nothing more or less.



by 33 posted onby BipolarBob (Happy Hunger Games! May the odds be ever in your favor.)

To: Alex Murphy

My theory is that the unused funds are going towards even more publicity. What unused funds? The papal apartments will have to be maintained whether or not he is living in them.



To: married21

use facilities that are already there and ready The papal apartments "are already there and ready". In fact they existed before the Domus Sanctae Marthae.



Comment #36 Removed by Moderator

To: NYer

This is going to be a security challenge.



To: txrefugee

It actually doesn’t. It looks like he wants to be in touch and not separated. What often happens with priests and anyone with a little bit of power who is sheltered and kowtowed to they lose touch with reality. (Think U.S. politicians who think the universe revolves around them and whose minions do most of the work and shield them as much as possible.) If he hadn’t already lived simply it would be something to question but he lived that way in Argentina, he made it obvious that he was a servant of God. He needs to make a bold statement because there are too many priests and bishops who live like royalty while ignoring their duties except the ones they can’t avoid. He is leading by example.



To: PapaBear3625

He has just decided to live the way he always did. It wasn’t “excessive humbleness” when nobody knew who he was. I don’t like anybody cooking for me. I would rather cook my own food. I like to cook.



To: 4Runner

These patients contracted an illness through a deliberate choice of behaviors they knew were risky. You really think this child got AIDS through risky behavior? Really?!?



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