until its conclusion. For the Last Gospel, the emperor again, for the third and last time, removed his crown, and remained uncrowned until the conclusion of the sermon that followed the Mass, the promulgation of indulgences and the imparting of the solemn blessing, as described below, resuming the use of the crown as soon as the blessing was given. After the Mass: final rites in the Church The sermon and the solemn final blessing Immediately after the Last Gospel, the Mass being finished, a sermon was preached. The emperor, without crown as described above, but holding the sceptre, sat on the throne to hear the sermon. The sermon for the coronation of Pedro I was preached by the friar preacher of the imperial household, and the sermon for the coronation of Pedro II was preached by the abbot general of the Order of St. Benedict in Brazil. The theme of this last sermon was the anointing of Solomon by Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet. After the sermon, the indulgences granted by the presiding prelate were announced, and the prelate imparted upon all those present the solemn pontifical blessing, according to the form contained in the Roman Pontifical for use in special occasions. The rubrics of this promulgation of indulgences and solemn blessing were contained in the Roman Pontifical under the heading Ritus et Formula Absolutionis et Benedictionis Pontificalis post homiliam seu sermonem infra Missae solemnis celebratione. The rubrics of the coronation rite also specifically called for this blessing to be given at the end of the coronation liturgy. Once the solemn pontifical blessing was given, the emperor resumed the use of his crown. The said blessing concluded the liturgical acts of the coronation. After the solemn blessing, in the case of the coronation of Pedro II, the emperor commanded the exit procession to start, and in procession departed the church. The civil oaths at the coronation of Pedro I in 1822 In the case of the 1822 coronation of Emperor Pedro I, however, the liturgy of the coronation proper was followed by oaths that were taken by the emperor and by representatives of the people, still inside the church. Only after those oaths were taken, Emperor Pedro I commanded the exit procession to start and departed the church. Those oaths taken at the conclusion of Pedro I's coronation were religious in character, because they were made on the