Habemus Papam

"Habemus Papam" is the announcement given in Latin by the senior Cardinal Deacon upon the election of a new pope.

The announcement is given from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. After the announcement, the new pope is presented to the people and he gives his first "Urbi et Orbi" blessing.

Format

The format for the announcement when a cardinal is elected Pope is:

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum:Habemus Papam!Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum,Dominum [First Name] ,Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalem [Last Name] ,Qui sibi nomen imposuit [Papal Name] .

In English, it reads:

I announce to you a great joy:We have a Pope!The most eminent and most reverend Lord,Lord [First Name] ,Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church [Last Name] ,Who takes to himself the name of [Papal Name] .

In the most recent "Habemus Papam" announcement, given by Cardinal Jorge Medina Estévez on 19 April 2005 upon the election of Pope Benedict XVI, the announcement was preceded by a greeting in several languages:

Fratelli e sorelle carissimi. (Italian)

Queridísimos hermanos y hermanas. (Spanish)

Bien chers frères et sœurs. (French)

Liebe Brüder und Schwestern. (German)

Dear brothers and sisters. (English)

Announcing the names of the new Pontiff

In announcing the name of the newly-elected pontiff, the new pontiff's birth forename or first name is announced in Latin in the accusative case (e.g., "Angelum Iosephum", "Ioannem Baptistam", "Albinum", "Carolum", "Iosephum"), but the new pontiff's surname or family name is given in the original form (e.g., "Roncalli", "Montini", "Luciani", "Wojtyła", "Ratzinger"). The new pope's regnal name is usually given in the genitive case in Latin (e.g., "Ioannis vicesimi tertii", "Ioannis Pauli primi" etc.), although it can also be declined in the accusative case in Latin (as was the case in 1963 when Pope Paul VI's regnal name was announced as "Paulum sextum"). Many Latinistswho, however, consider the accusative form to be the more proper declension.

Protodeacons who gave announcement

This is a partial list of protodeacons (senior cardinal deacons) who have been known to have given the "Habemus Papam" announcement.
*Francesco Sforza di Santa Fiora, announced the elections of Pope Leo XI and Pope Paul V in 1605
*Andrea Baroni Peretti Montalto, announced the election of Pope Gregory XV (1621)
*Alessandro d'Este, announced the election of Pope Urban VIII (1623)
*Carlo de' Medici, announced the election of Pope Innocent X (1644)
*Giangiacomo Teodoro Trivulzio, announced the election of Pope Alexander VII (1655)
*Rinaldo d'Este, announced the election of Pope Clement IX (1667)
*Francesco Maidalchini, announced the elections of Pope Clement X (1670), Pope Innocent XI (1676) and Pope Alexander VIII (1689)
*Urbano Saccetti, announced the election of Pope Innocent XII (1691)
*Benedetto Pamphilj, announced the elections of Pope Clement XI (1700), Pope Innocent XIII (1721) and Pope Benedict XIII (1724)
*Lorenzo Altieri, announced the election of Pope Clement XII (1730), but was not able because of illness to announce the election of Pope Benedict XIV in 1740 (Cardinal Carlo Maria Marini acted as his substitute).
*Alessandro Albani, announced the elections of Pope Clement XIII (1758), Pope Clement XIV (1769) and Pope Pius VI (1775)
*Antonio Doria Pamphilj, announced Pope Pius VII's election (1800)
*Fabrizio Ruffo, announced Pope Leo XII's election (1823)
*Giuseppe Albani, announced the elections of Pope Pius VIII (1829) and Pope Gregory XVI (1831)
*Tommaso Riario Sforza, announced Pope Pius IX's election (1846)
*Prospero Caterini, announced Pope Leo XIII's election (1878)
*Luigi Macchi, announced Pope Pius X's election (1903)
*Francesco Salesio Della Volpe, announced Pope Benedict XV's election (1914)
*Gaetano Bisleti, announced Pope Pius XI's election (1922)
*Camillo Caccia-Dominioni, announced Pope Pius XII's election (1939)
*Nicola Canali, announced Pope John XXIII's election (1958)
*Alfredo Ottaviani, announced Pope Paul VI's election (1963)
*Pericle Felici, announced the elections of Pope John Paul I and Pope John Paul II (1978)
*Jorge Medina Estévez, announced Pope Benedict XVI's election (2005)

Media

Habemus Papam recordings

multi-listen item|filename=HabemuspapamPXII.ogg
title=Habemus Papam of Pope Pius XII|description=Camillo Caccia-Dominioni announcing the election of Eugenio Pacelli as Pope Pius XII (March 2, 1939)|format=Oggmulti-listen item|filename=HabemuspapamJXXIII.ogg
title=Habemus Papam of Pope John XXIII|description=Nicola Canali announcing the election of Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli as Pope John XXIII (October 28, 1958)|format=Oggmulti-listen item|filename=HabemuspapamPVI.ogg
title=Habemus Papam of Pope Paul VI|description=Alfredo Cardinal Ottaviani announcing the election of Giovanni Battista Montini as Pope Paul VI (june 21, 1963)|format=Oggmulti-listen item|filename=HabemuspapamJPI.ogg
title=Habemus Papam of Pope John Paul I |description=Pericle Felici announcing the election of Albino Luciani as John Paul I (August 26, 1978)|format=Oggmulti-listen item|filename=HabemuspapamJPII.ogg
title=Habemus Papam of Pope John Paul II |description=Pericle Felici announcing the election of Karol Wojtyła as John Paul II (October 16, 1978)|format=Oggmulti-listen item|filename=HabemuspapamBXVI.ogg
title=Habemus Papam of Pope Benedict XVI |description=Jorge Arturo Medina Estévez announcing the election of Joseph Ratzinger as Benedict XVI (April 19, 2005)|format=Ogg