Giuseppe Siri
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Giuseppe Siri (20 May 1906 – 2 May 1989) was an Italian
cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Genoa from 1946 to 1987, and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1953. A protege of Pope Pius XII, he was, at one point, considered a papabile
.
Early life and ministry
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Siri was born in
priesthood by Archbishop Carlo Minoretti on 22 September 1928. Finishing his studies at the Gregorian, he earned his doctorate in theology summa cum laude and also did pastoral
work in Rome until autumn 1929.
Upon returning to Genoa, he served as a
curia in 1936 and rector
of Collegio Teologico S. Tommaso d'Aquino in 1937.
Episcopal career
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On 14 March 1944, Siri was appointed
episcopal consecration on the following 7 May from Cardinal Pietro Boetto at the St. Lawrence Cathedral. He became vicar general for the archdiocese on 8 September 1944. During his tenure as an auxiliary, he was a member of the Italian resistance movement in World War II. He negotiated with the Nazi forces surrounding Genoa and met secretly with partisan leaders, eventually arranging a Nazi surrender that avoided further bombardment
of the city.
Following the death of Cardinal Boetto, Siri was named
Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome, in the consistory of 12 January 1953. At the time of his elevation, he was the youngest member of the College of Cardinals. He became known as the "minestrone cardinal" for his relief work in soup kitchens
.
Siri was noted for his staunchly conservative views. At the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), he sat on its Board of Presidency and, alongside Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and Cardinals Alfredo Ottaviani and Thomas Cooray, he was part of the association of traditionalist Council fathers named Coetus Internationalis Patrum. However, Siri once said, "I would describe myself as an independent, a man who walks alone and is not a member of any group."[1] He was opposed to collegiality[2] and innovation.[3]
Vaticanologists suggested that the eventual winner, Cardinal Wojtyła, who became Pope John Paul II, was chosen as a compromise candidate between the two. Shortly afterwards, Siri implied that he disapproved of Wojtyła's election.[2]
In a biography of Siri,
schismatic activities. But even until the last minute, Siri begged him ("on his knees") not to break with Rome. In the end, Siri resigned himself to the inevitability of his friend's excommunication
.
Buonasorte commented: "In all probability, it is due to Siri that Lefebvre had no significant following in Italy".[6]
Siri reached age 80 in 1986 and thus lost the right to participate in future conclaves; he was the last remaining cardinal elector who had been elevated by Pope Pius XII. Siri resigned from his post in Genoa on 6 July 1987, after 41 years of service. He died in Villa Campostano, Genoa, at age 82, and was buried at San Lorenzo metropolitan cathedral in Genoa.
Conclave speculation
Siri was considered a strong candidate in the
white smoke was seen coming from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, a traditional signal to the crowds in the square outside that a pope has been elected.[8] No announcement was made, however, and after about half an hour, the smoke turned black, indicating that there was no result. Vatican Radio corrected its report.[7]
Sometime in the late 1980s, an American
1963 conclave that elected Giovanni Battista Montini as Pope Paul VI.[7]
Siri himself never made these claims, and accepted the authority of all popes in his lifetime. He was appointed president of the
New York Times obituary,[1] in the biography written by Raimondo Spiazzi,[11] or in a speech given by Giulio Andreotti on the centenary of Siri's birth in 2006.[12]
See also
- Cardinal electors in Papal conclave, 1958
- Cardinal electors in Papal conclave, 1963
- Cardinal electors in Papal conclaves, August and October 1978
References
- ^ a b "Giuseppe Cardinal Siri Of Genoa Is Dead at 82". The New York Times. AP. 3 May 1989. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ a b "A 'Foreign' Pope". Time. 30 October 1978. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
- ^ a b "The Princes of the Church". Time. 30 March 1962. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008.
- ^ a b Allen, John L. Jr. (2005). "How a pope is elected". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ "How Pope John Paul I Won". Time. 11 September 1978. Archived from the original on 17 April 2008.
- ^ Carioti, Antonio (13 December 2006). "Siri, il cardinale dell'Ostpolitik segreta". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). p. 43. Archived from the original on 22 October 2008.
fu amico fraterno di monsignor Marcel Lefebvre, ma disapprovò le sue iniziative scismatiche e lo scongiurò fino all'ultimo («in ginocchio», gli scrisse) di non staccarsi da Roma. Infine ammise che non c' erano alternative alla scomunica del vescovo dissidente. «A Siri – osserva la sua biografa – si deve, con tutta probabilità, la mancanza di un seguito significativo di Lefebvre in Italia».
- ^ ISBN 0-8018-6265-5. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
- ^ The Tablet. 1 November 1958. Quoted in Williams, Paul (2009). The Vatican Exposed: Money, Murder, and the Mafia. p. 239.
- ^ Cardinale, Gianni (2007). "The Italian Episcopal Conference and its Presidents". 30 Days. No. 2. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ISBN 0-19-534635-1. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- ^ Spiazzi 1990.
- ^ Andreotti, Giulio (2006). "Defender of Tradition and of workers' rights". 30 Days. No. 4. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
Sources
- Spiazzi, Raimondo, ed. (1990). Il cardinale Giuseppe Siri, arcivescovo di Genova dal 1946 al 1987: la vita, l'insegnamento, l'eredità spirituale, le memorie (in Italian). Bologna: Studio domenicano. ISBN 88-7094-018-7.
- Buonasorte, Nicla (2006). Siri: tradizione e Novecento (in Italian). Bologna: Il Mulino. ISBN 88-15-11350-9.
- Siri, Giuseppe (1980). Getsemani: Riflessioni sul movimento teologico contemporaneo (in Italian). Rome: Fraternità della SS. Vergine Maria. ICCU IT\ICCU\TO0\0554891.
- Lai, Benny (1993). Il Papa non eletto: Giuseppe Siri, cardinale di Santa Romana Chiesa (in Italian). Rome: Laterza. ISBN 88-420-4267-6.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Giuseppe Siri.
- Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
- Main website propounding the Siri Theory
- Book, "Mio Padre" (My Father) By Giuseppe Siri, 1975 in English.
- Discussions about the Siri Theory
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