1939 papal conclave
Papal conclave March 1939 | |
---|---|
Dates and location | |
1–2 March 1939 Eugenio Pacelli Name taken: Pius XII | |
The
The conclave of 1939 was the shortest of the 20th century.[1] It was also the last to include all living cardinals.
Pacelli was the first Pope born in
Papabili
Time magazine announced that
Pacelli was heavily favored among the cardinals to win. Pius XI had hinted that he favored Pacelli as his successor.[8] On 15 December 1937, during his last consistory, Pius XI strongly hinted to the cardinals that he expected Pacelli to be his successor, saying "He is in your midst."[9][10] He had previously been quoted as saying: "When today the Pope dies, you'll get another one tomorrow, because the Church continues. It would be a much bigger tragedy, if Cardinal Pacelli dies, because there is only one. I pray every day, God may send another one into one of our seminaries, but as of today, there is only one in this world."[10]
Like
Balloting
Pacelli, in his role as Camerlengo, announced on 10 February that the College would wait the maximum time allowed, eighteen days from the death of the pope, to start the conclave. The time period before starting had been lengthened following the previous conclave, for which three North American cardinals had arrived too late to participate.[11][12] When the 31 cardinals available discussed the question on 11 February, they amended his plan only to provide that they would start earlier if all those who planned to attend had arrived in Rome.[5] The cardinals arrived slowly in Rome, with just 37 attending the papal funeral on 14 February[13] and 46 at a funeral Mass on 18 February.[14] By 20 February, starting the conclave on 28 February appeared to be a possibility, as only three non-Italians had yet to arrive: William Henry O'Connell of Boston, Sebastião da Silveira Cintra of Rio de Janeiro, and Santiago Copello of Buenos Aires.[15] On 22 February the cardinals sitting in general congregation settled on 1 March, expecting the three to arrive at Naples on the S.S. Neptunia on that morning.[16]
The conclave was held in the Apostolic Palace. All the cardinals attended, 35 Italians and 27 from other countries.[6] The doors closed at 6:17 pm.[17]
Pacelli won a narrow victory on the second ballot with the lowest possible two-thirds majority, 42 out of 62. He then asked for an additional ballot to confirm his election by a larger margin.[11][a] To the question "Acceptasne electionem de te canonice factam in Summum Pontificem?", Pacelli replied "Accepto in crucem" (I accept it as a cross). He explained his choice of Pius by saying, "I call myself Pius; my whole life was under Popes with this name, but especially as a sign of gratitude towards Pius XI."[19]
Duration | 2 days |
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Number of ballots | 3 |
Electors | 62 |
Absent | 0 |
Africa | 0 |
Latin America | 2 |
North America | 4 |
Asia | 1 |
Europe | 55 |
Oceania | 0 |
Italians | 35 |
DECEASED POPE | PIUS XI (1922–1939) |
NEW POPE | PIUS XII (1939–1958) |
The white smoke signifying a successful election appeared at 5:30 pm, but began to turn black.
Change in conclave procedure
Pius had been narrowly elected before seeking an additional ballot to demonstrate wider support, and he knew that a very close ballot in the
See also
Cardinal electors for the 1939 papal conclave
Notes
References
- ISBN 9780385504560. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ a b c "Hailed by Throngs" (PDF). The New York Times. 3 March 1939. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- ^ Padellaro, Nazareno (1957). Portrait of Pius XII. Dutton. p. 7.
- ^ a b "Death of a Pope". Time. 20 February 1939. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
- ^ a b "31 Cardinals Meet to Plan Conclave" (PDF). New York Times. 12 February 1939. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ a b "5 Cardinals Lead in Vatican Contest" (PDF). New York Times. 13 February 1939. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ "Vatican Regards Americans Highly" (PDF). New York Times. 20 February 1939. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- ^ Weigel, George (21 April 2005). "Conclaves: Surprises abound in the Sistine Chapel". Madison Catholic Herald. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
- ^ "Medius vestrum stetit quem vos nescetis. Everybody knew what the pope meant". Domenico Cardinale Tardini, Pio XII, Tipografia Poliglotta Vaticana, 1960, p. 105 (in Italian)
- ^ ISBN 3885670410.
- ^ ISBN 9781461601814. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ "Conclave to Elect Pope is Postponed to March 1" (PDF). New York Times. 11 February 1939. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ "Pope Pius is Buried in St. Peter's Crypt with Splendid Rite" (PDF). New York Times. 13 February 1939. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ "Rites at St. Peter's Held by Cardinals" (PDF). New York Times. 18 February 1939. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- ^ "Rites for Pope Pius Brought to a Close" (PDF). New York Times. 20 February 1939. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- ^ "Vatican Conclave is Set for March 1" (PDF). New York Times. 22 February 1939. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- ^ "Vatican Door Shut on 62 Cardinals as Conclave Opens to Elect Pope" (PDF). The New York Times. 2 March 1939. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-19-517834-0. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ Brosch, Joseph (1968). Pius XII, Lehrer der Wahrheit. Trier: Kreuzring. p. 45.
- ^ "The "Siri Thesis" Unravels". Inside the Vatican. Archived from the original on 15 February 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2007.
- ^ "Habemus Papam – Pope Pius XII". YouTube. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- ^ "Habemus Papam! – Pope Pio XII" (in Italian). YouTube. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ "Habemus Papam Pope Pius XII" (in Italian). YouTube. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ISBN 9780860120926. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-19-517834-0. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ Pope Pius XII (8 December 1945). Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis (in Latin). Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved 25 November 2017; paragraph 68.
- Sources
- Alvarez, David; Graham, Robert A. (2013). Nothing Sacred: Nazi Espionage Against the Vatican, 1939–1945. New York: Routledge. pp. 65–67. ISBN 978-1-135-21714-3.
- ISBN 9780198716167.
- Tornielli, Andrea (2007). Pio XII: Eugenio Pacelli : un uomo sul trono di Pietro (in Italian). Milano: Mondadori. ISBN 978-88-04-57010-3.
- Ventresca, Robert A. (2013). "4. A Tremendous Responsibility". Soldier of Christ: The Life of Pope Pius XII. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. pp. 129–138. ISBN 978-0-674-06730-1.
External links
- Pope Pius XII (8 December 1945). Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis (in Latin). Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved 25 November 2017.