This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(June 2015) |
Thepapal conclaveheld from 2 to 28 September 1823 ended with the election ofAnnibale della Gengato succeed the death recently deceasedPius VIIaspope.Della Gengatook the nameLeo XII.
| Papal conclave September 1823 | |
|---|---|
| Dates and location | |
| 2–28 September 1823 Quirinal Palace,Papal States | |
| Key officials | |
| Dean | Giulio Maria della Somaglia |
| Sub-dean | Bartolomeo Pacca |
| Camerlengo | Bartolomeo Pacca |
| Protopriest | Giuseppe Firrao |
| Protodeacon | Fabrizio Ruffo Dionigi |
| Election | |
| Vetoed | Antonio Gabriele Severoli |
| Elected pope | |
| Annibale della Genga Name taken:Leo XII | |
 | |
Pius VII, who had been elected in 1800, had an unusually longpontificate,during which theCatholic Churchhad faced, in theFrench Revolutionand its aftermath, a severe attack on its power and legitimacy. Pius himself had been a prisoner of Napoleon in France for six years.
Description
editDuring Pius VII's papacy, the cardinals had tended to divide into two groups, thezelantiand thepoliticani.Thezelantiwere more radically reactionary than thepoliticaniand wanted a highly centralised Church and vehement opposition to the secularising reforms that had resulted in France. Thepoliticani,though anti-liberal, were much more moderate and favoured a conciliatory approach to dealing with the problems that new ideologies and the incipientIndustrial Revolutionwere creating. The leader of this faction was Pius VII'sCardinal Secretary of State,Ercole Consalvi,but thezelantiwanted a much less moderate pontiff and they set fervently to this task from the time of Pius VII's death.
The length of Pius VII's papacy had a significant influence because of the forty-nine electors who participated in the conclave, onlyGiulio Maria della SomagliaandFabrizio Dionigio Ruffowere already cardinals when Pius VII was elected in 1800. Forty-seven of the forty-nine electors had had no experience electing a pope.[1]
A number of cardinals were thought at the beginning of the conclave to be possible successors to Pius VII.Antonio Gabriele Severoliwas at first seen as the most likelypapabile,but the veto ofFrancis I,Emperor of Austriaruled him out when he looked to have a reasonable chance.
Francesco Saverio Castiglionithen emerged as the most likely candidate. The deceased pope Pius VII had in fact seemingly endorsed Castiglioni by having referred to the latter as Pius VIII,[2][3]and indeed the candidate who was eventually elected predicted during the conclave that Castiglioni would someday reign under that name (as he did, succeeding the elected Leo in 1829). Castiglioni lost support in the 1823 conclave when thezelantiCardinals came to realize that he was quite close to Consalvi.[2][3]
Following the decline of Castigioni's support in this conclave, the experienced Cardinal della Somaglia then had a turn as a possible candidate, but for some the mere fact that he had signed his letters "Citizen Somaglia" during the occupation of the Papal States byNapoleon I of Franceruled him out.
It was only then that the eventual winner, Vicar of Rome Annibale della Genga, who was being promoted by thezelanti,began to gather support. Whilst his tall,asceticlook and reactionary reputation was not an attraction for thepoliticani,the fact that he was seemingly at death's door seemed an attraction for those cardinals by now desperate for a resolution of the conclave. As a result, della Genga was elected on 28 September and took theregnal nameLeo XII.
Leo XIIwas crowned as Pope on 5 October 1823.
| Duration | 26 days |
|---|---|
| Electors | 53 |
| Present | 49 |
| Absent | 4 |
| Veto used | by EmperorFrancis I of Austria againstAntonio Gabriele Severoli |
| DECEASED POPE | PIUS VII (1800–1823) |
| NEW POPE | LEO XII (1823–1829) |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Burkle-Young, Francis A. (2000).Papal Elections in the Age of Transition, 1878-1922.Le xing ton Books. p. 22.ISBN9780739101148.Retrieved23 April2018.
- ^abValérie Pirie."The Triple Crown: An Account of the Papal Conclaves - Leo XII (De la Genga)".
- ^abValérie Pirie."The Triple Crown: An Account of the Papal Conclaves - Pius VIII (Castiglione)".
Sources
edit- Artaud de Montor, Alexis François (1843).Histoire du Pape Léon XII.Paris 1843, I, pp. 26–84.(in French)
- Cipolletta, Eugenio (1863).Memorie politiche sui conclavi da Pio VII a Pio IX, compilate su documenti diplomatici segreti.Milano: Legros e Marazzani 1863, pp. 127–164 [based on Neapolitan documents].(in Italian)
- Iervese, Marco (2016). "La registrazione dei voti nel Barberiano latino 4662." Sermattei and Regoli,Il conclave e l'elezione di Leone XII Genga,pp. 307–317.(in Italian)
- Sermattei, Ilaria Fiumi; Regoli, Roberto (edd.) (2016).Il conclave e l'elezione di Leone XII Genga, castello, chiesa di San Clemente 31 luglio - 28 agosto 2016.Stampato dal Consiglio Regionale Assemblea legislativa delle Marche. Quaderni del Consiglio Regionale delle Marche, n. 209. Ancona 2016.(in Italian)
