Rome Newsroom, Feb 19, 2024 / 12:30 pm
Cardinal Protase Rugambwa took possession of his titular church, Santa Maria in Montesanto — one of the twin churches that sits in Rome’s Piazza del Popolo — on Sunday.
The Rite of Possession of a titular church takes place within the context of a solemn high Mass. After the procession of the cardinal into the church and the opening liturgical prayers, a papal bull assigning the titular church to the cardinal is read aloud.
A titular church is located within the geographic boundaries of the Diocese of Rome and is assigned to a cardinal, symbolizing the bond between the cardinal and the pope as well as the communion between the local and universal Church.