Thepapal conclaveheld on 25 and 26 August 1978 was the first of the two held that year. It was convoked to elect a successor toPaul VI,who had died on 6 August 1978. After thecardinal electorsassembled inRome,they elected CardinalAlbino Luciani,Patriarch of Venice,as the newpopeon the fourth ballot. He accepted the election andtook the nameJohn Paul I.
| Papal conclave August 1978 | |
|---|---|
| Dates and location | |
| 25–26 August 1978 Sistine Chapel,Apostolic Palace, Vatican City | |
| Key officials | |
| Dean | Carlo Confalonieri |
| Sub-dean | Paolo Marella |
| Camerlengo | Jean-Marie Villot |
| Protopriest | Carlos Carmelo de Vasconcelos Motta |
| Protodeacon | Pericle Felici |
| Secretary | Ernesto Civardi |
| Election | |
| Ballots | 4 |
| Elected pope | |
| Albino Luciani Name taken:John Paul I | |
 | |
It was the first conclave since the promulgation ofIngravescentem aetatem(1970), which made cardinals who had reached the age of 80 by the day the conclave began ineligible to participate in the balloting. There were 15 cardinals excluded by that rule. The number of votes cast for Luciani on the final ballot was so great that even the uniform opposition of these cardinals would not have changed the outcome.[1]
Papabili
editAmong thepapabili,or top candidates, wereSergio Pignedoli,President of theSecretariat for Non-Christians,Giuseppe SiriofGenoa,andCorrado UrsiofNaples.[citation needed]Others namedGiovanni BenelliofFlorence,until recently Vatican Secretary of State,Sebastiano Baggio,Prefect of theCongregation for Bishops,and non-cardinalAnastasio Ballestrero,Archbishop ofTurin.[2]The non-Italian most often mentioned wasJohannes Willebrands,Archbishop ofUtrecht.[3]Aloísio Lorscheiderof Brazil, head of theEpiscopal Conference of Latin America,favoredAlbino Luciani,thePatriarch of Venice,while Luciani is believed to have favoured Lorscheider.[4]Timereported that the Dean of the College,Carlo Confalonieri,who was excluded from participating because of age, had been the first to suggest Luciani.[5]
Proceedings and balloting
edit
The conclave was held for two days from 25 August to 26 August 1978 at theSistine Chapelin theVatican.CardinalJohn Wright,an official of theRoman Curia,was in the U.S. for medical treatments and unable to attend.[6]Proceedings on 25 August 1978 included aMasscelebrated atSt. Peter's Basilicaby thecardinal electorsfor divine guidance in their task to elect Pope Paul's successor. The cardinals processed into the Sistine Chapel six hours later while the chapel choir sang the hymnVeni Creator Spiritus.MonsignorVirgilio Noè,thePapal Master of Ceremonies,gave the traditional command ofExtra omnes( "Everybody out!" ), the doors were locked, and then the actual conclave began, with Cardinal Villot presiding (as would happen again in October) due to being the senior Cardinal bishop in attendance. The chapel windows remained closed, some sealed, and the summer heat was oppressive. Belgian CardinalLeo Suenenslater wrote: "My room was an oven. My cell was a kind of sauna."[7]The conclave of August 1978 was the largest ever assembled. The traditional canopied thrones were replaced with twelve long tables to accommodate the electors.Karol Wojtyła,Aloísio Lorscheider,andBernardin Gantinreportedly served asscrutineersduring the balloting.
Luciani had told his secretary that he would decline the papacy if elected.[8]During the third ballot,Johannes WillebrandsandAntónio Ribeiro,who sat on either side of Luciani, whispered words of encouragement to him as he continued to receive more votes.Jaime Sintold Luciani, "You will be the new pope".[9]Luciani was elected on the fourth ballot and whenJean-Marie Villotasked Luciani whether he accepted his election he replied, "May God forgive you for what you have done" and accepted his election. In honor of his two immediate predecessors, he tookJohn Paulas hisregnal name.After the election, when Cardinal Sin paid him homage, the new pope noted: "You were a prophet, but my reign will be a short one".[9]
On 26 August 1978 at 6:24 p.m.local time(4:24 p.m.UTC), the first signs of smoke appeared from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. It was unclear for over an hour whether the smoke was white to indicate a pope had been elected or black to indicate that balloting would continue. Some of the cardinals had personally deposited their notes and tally sheets in the stove, darkening what should have been white smoke.Pericle Felici,as theranking Cardinal Deacon,then stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and delivered theHabemus PapaminLatin,announcing Luciani's election.[10]At 7:31 p.m. John Paul I appeared on the balcony and gave his blessing. When he appeared about to address the crowd, he was reminded that was not traditional, and he withdrew without speaking further.[7]He invited the cardinal electors to remain in conclave for another night and dined with them, occupying the same chair as he had at their earlier group dinners.[7]
This was the first conclave since1721in which three future popes participated–John Paul I,John Paul II,andBenedict XVI–and the first since1829in which two did so.[citation needed]
Reported voting tallies
edit| Duration | 2 days |
|---|---|
| Number of ballots | 4 |
| Electors | 111 |
| Africa | 13 |
| Latin America | 19 |
| North America | 11 |
| Asia | 8 |
| Europe | 56 |
| Oceania | 4 |
| Italians | 26 |
| DECEASED POPE | PAUL VI (1963–1978) |
| NEW POPE | JOHN PAUL I (1978) |
Several authors have provided what they claim to be the vote totals at the conclave. Cardinals were not required to destroy notes they took during the conclave.
- Yallop tally
As presented byDavid Yallop,who claims thatJohn Paul I was murdered.[11]
- First Ballot:Siri 25, Luciani 23,Pignedoli18, Lorscheider 12,Baggio9, scattered 24.
- Second Ballot:Siri 35, Luciani 30, Pignedoli 15, Lorscheider 12, scattered 19.
- Third Ballot:Luciani 68, Siri 15, Pignedoli 10, scattered 18.
- Fourth Ballot:Luciani 99, Siri 11, Lorscheider 1 (cast by Luciani). This ballot (and the alleged murder of John Paul I) appears in the filmThe Godfather Part III,except that the fictionalized Cardinal Lamberto stands in for Luciani.
- Burkle-Young tally
As presented by Francis A. Burkle-Young,[12]based on the notes of CardinalMario Casariego,Archbishop ofGuatemala City.[7]
- First Ballot:Siri 25, Luciani 23, Pignedoli 18, Baggio 9,König8,Bertoli5,Pironio4, Felici 2, Lorscheider 2, and 15 others one each.
- Second Ballot:Luciani 53, Siri 24, Pignedoli 15, Lorscheider, Baggio, Cordeiro, Wojtyła 4 each, Felici 3.
- Third Ballot:Luciani 92, Pignedoli 17, Lorscheider 2.
- Fourth Ballot:Luciani 102, Lorscheider 1 (cast by Luciani),Nemini(no one) 8.
- Thomas-Witts tally
As presented byGordon ThomasandMax Morgan-Witts.[13]
- First Ballot:same as Burkle-Young's count except 5 votes for Pironio, fourteen candidates with 1.
- Second Ballot:Luciani 46, Pignedoli 19, Lorscheider 14, Baggio 11, Bertoli 4, others unspecified.
- Third Ballot:Luciani 66, Pignedoli 21, Lorscheider 1 (cast byAramburu), others unspecified.
- Fourth Ballot:Luciani 96, Pignedoli 10, Lorscheider 1 (cast by Aramburu).
According to one report of the balloting, French traditionalist ArchbishopMarcel Lefebvrereceived a small number of votes—variously reported as three or "several" —causing some consternation among the cardinals.[14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Reese, Thomas (1998).Inside the Vatican.Harvard University Press. p. 101.ISBN9780674418028.Retrieved22 June2018.According to Reese, 16 cardinals were excluded from voting because of their age.
- ^Tanner, Henry (7 August 1978)."Pope Paul VI Is Dead of a Heart Attack at 80; Guided the Church Through Era of Change".The New York Times.Retrieved22 June2018.
- ^Hofmann, Paul (9 August 1978)."Choice of Non-Italian Pope Held Possible but Unlikely".The New York Times.Retrieved22 June2018.
- ^Reese, Thomas (1998).Inside the Vatican.Harvard University Press. p. 93.ISBN9780674418028.Retrieved22 June2018.
- ^"A Swift, Stunning Choice".Time.4 September 1978.
- ^"Leading U.S. Cardinal To Miss Papal Voting".New York Times.9 August 1978.Retrieved31 October2017.
- ^abcd"A look back at the Conclave that elected Albino Luciani Pope".La Stampa.25 August 2015.Retrieved22 June2018.
- ^Allen Jr., John L. (2 November 2012)."Debunking four myths about John Paul I, the 'Smiling Pope'".National Catholic Reporter.
- ^abKnowles, Leo (2003).Modern Heroes of the Church.Our Sunday Visitor.[page needed]
- ^Nossiter, Bernard D. (27 August 1978)."Venice Cardinal Elected Pope".Washington Post.Retrieved22 June2018.
- ^Yallop, David (2007).In God's Name.Basic Books.ISBN978-0-553-05073-8.Retrieved22 June2018.[page needed]
- ^Burkle-Young, Frances A. (1999).Passing the Key: Modern Cardinals, Conclaves, and the Election of the Next Popes.Madison Books. pp. 255–257.ISBN1-56833-130-4.
- ^Thomas, Gordon; Morgan-Witts, Max (1983).Pontiff:The Vatican, the KGB, and the Year of the Three Popes.Doubleday.ISBN0-451-12951-2.[page needed]
- ^White, David Allen (2006).The Horn of the Unicorn.Angelus Press.ISBN189233139X.[page needed]
External links
edit- "The Conclave: 25 August 1978 – 26 August 1978".John Paul I Blog.Archived fromthe originalon 8 November 2017.Retrieved9 April2007.
