by Br. Alexis Bugnolo
If anything is certain since Feb. 11, 2013, it’s that at the Vatican those who are in power don’t know how to say or do anything aright in Latin and in accord with ecclesiastical law. I know this because I found 40+ errors in the Latin of Pope Benedict XVI’s Declaration, which he read aloud on that day, and at least 6 canonical errors in the text that cause it to have no juridical effect whatsoever.
Most recently, the Conclave of May, 2025, had no valid juridical result, also, because the Cardinals seemingly read the erroneous Italian translation of Universi Dominici Gregis, n. 33, rather than the Latin.
So, since THE juridical problem at the Vatican now requires that Robert Cardinal Francis Riggitano Prevost-Martinez has to abdicate his fake claim to the Papacy, I do not have confidence that anyone in the Vatican could prepare a valid Latin text for him to read, to effect that.
So, without further ado, I will propose a text which is juridically valid, if he reads it out loud in the presence of the College of Cardinals, and preferably before cameras to provide an incontrovertible testimony to the same.
Ego, Robertus Franciscus Prevost, hucusque mihi “Leo XIV” nominando, muneri Romani Ponteficis renuntio plene et integre, ex cognoscentia honesta quod electio mei invalida fuit per praecepti transgressionem Cardinalium electorum numeri maximi, in numero triginta tres Constitutionis Apostolicae, Universi Dominici Gregis, quod praeceptum in vigore remanet semper, sine omni dispensationis possibilitate, dum Sedes Apostolica vacet secundum numerum quartum illius Constitutionis.
My Translation:
I, Robert Francis Prevost, heretofore naming myself, “Leo XIV”, fully and entirely renounce the munus of the Roman Pontiff, on account of an honest recognition that my election was invalid, on account of the transgression of the precept regarding the maximum number of Cardinal electors, in n. 33 of the Apostolic Constitution, Universi Dominici Gregis, which precept remains in force at all times while the Apostolic See is vacant, according to n. 4 of the same Constitution, without any possibility of dispensation.
It’s without a doubt cheeky of me to suggest such a text, but while I have the freedom to be such, at FromRome.Info, I will do so for the sake of my readers.
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Brother
Can you compare the erroneous Italian translation of no 33 to your translation of no. 33?
The Latin says,
“Maximus autem Cardinalium electorum numerus centum viginti ne excedat”
https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/la/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_22021996_universi-dominici-gregis.html
The exact meaning of the Latin is, “Moreover, let the maximum number of Cardinal electors not exceed 120.”
The Italian translation at the Vatican, says
“Il numero massimo di Cardinali elettori non deve superare i centoventi.”
https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/it/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_22021996_universi-dominici-gregis.html
In common Italian, the Italian translation means, “The maximum number of Cardinal Electors should not surpass 120.”
The Italian translation fails on 3 levels: it omits the Latin, “autem”, which should be translated as, “Inoltre”, it replaces the verb, “exceed” with “surpass”, even though the Italian has the verb, “excedere”, and it converts the precept of the hortatory subjunctive, “Let … not exceed”, to a descriptive fittingness of “should not surpass”, thus apparently removing a strict obligation.
When I personally met Father Michelli, S. J. in about 1984, when he visited Ocala, Florida, when I asked him to give me advice about my vocation, he profetically said this to me: “The Modernists are trying to put through their revolution chiefly by publishing erroneous translations of Vatican documents. Don’t read anything but the Latin version of the original.” — I could not imagine what he was talking about and how important it would turn out to be. I consider Father a saint, for giving me such guiding light.
Wow. Helpful comparative analysis of the text. Father Michelli, S. J, pray for us.
I admit you’ve got me there Fra Bugnolo. Since, if he is an antipope, how may someone who believes such consider it appropriate to concede even so little as a polite but meaningless formula to have him renounce the papal munus? Surely he should rather publicly repent of usurping the ministerium with no reference to munus?
A juridical act of renunciation needs only what is necessary to remove any basis of future claims, it does not have to be a full confession of crime or sin. So I made the pill the least bitter to swallow as possible.
Also, remember, that the usurpation consists in an invalid claim on the munus and everything which flows from that, thus the formula renounces the munus fully and integrally, that is with all its consequences and implications.
If he was deluded by others and is in some sense a victim, this formula allows him to claim that afterwards to save face, which is his responsibility, not the responsibility of the formula. But human nature being what it is, in such situations, the more sugar that can be applied, the better.
In this I am not on the same page as Saint Hildebrand, who most certainly would want to extract a full confession of all the crimes and iniquitous violations. But then again, he had the Imperial Army at his side when he interrogated John, Bishop of Velletri who had been illegally elected as Benedict X.
Sometimes I wonder what the IQ level has to be to be able to grasp all of the rules of the One True Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church in all of Its glory .
One needs the IQ of a simple innocent child, who trusts in Jesus 100%.