Interesting Conclave Facts

New Zealand Tablet, Volume 40, Issue 40, 1 October 1903, Page 2

Interesting Conclave Facts

The hot, sweltering days of eaily August weie memoiablc ones in Rome. The Conclave was in session behind guarded doors, and an impressive scene was witnessed twice each day as the Caidmals assembled to cast their votes under the storied frescoes of the Sistme Chapel. The true story of those hist one meetings of the Church's senators is gradually finding us way over seas and dispelling the wild gues-scs and surmises, the venemous gossip and tittle-tattle, and the imaginative nonsense that constituted a notable pai t oi the ' news ' that was whaled to the ends of the eaith by cableagents during the sittings of the Conclave In the epitaph upon his tomb, Eben Ilolden declared that he ' never ketched a fish bigtrer'n 't was, cr lied 'n a boss trade ' ' There is something noble in publishing truth,' said Dr Johnson But when the cable-demon is dealing with Catholic subjects, tiuth is not the dish that he commonly serves up to his readers It is at best a sauce, like a dash of Yorkshire lelish The decoious realities of the Conclave weie many degrees tot; dull for imaginative writers who were expected to find m its pioceedings those snatches of intrigue, sensation, and cheap melodrama that newspaper editors weie waiting to feed to a gullible world Hence the fishy tales and the ' boss trade' lies that were sped round the earth fiom the special steam-factory of lournahslic fable that was established in Rome during the sittings oi the Conclave

So much of a ' contest '—if we may so call it— as there was lay chiefly between two men who, of all others, were most unwilling to assume the liea\y l)iirden of the Papal office These weic Cardinals Rampolla and Sarto In the early scrutinies Cardinal Gotti also figured conspicuously Omitting the lesser names, the results of the first three ballots weie as follow (1) Cardinal Rampolla 2!, Cardinal (iotti 17, ('animal Saito 5 ; (2) Cardinal Rampolla 20, Caidiral (iotti ll'i, Cardinal Saito 10 , (3) Caidmal Rampolla 2 ( ) , Caulmal Sarto 21 , Cardinal (iotti 9 ' Caidmal Rampolla,' says the well-informed correspondent of the \>\v Ycik ' Freeman,' ' from the day Leo XIII died, besran a stu-t fast lie spent most of his time in the chapel piavmo; before

the Blessed Sacrament. Those who saw him moving from one part -of the Vatican to another noticed tihat his lips were continually moving in prayer. His appearance underwent a great change — he grew thin and. haggard, and the lines about his mouth became more marked. He looked like a man living in the shadow of a great fear. When the first voting showed that he was far ahead of all others he became a prey to nervoiusness and depression, and as the days wore on his conclavist giew appiehensive lor liib life/

When, on Sunday evening, the second day of the Conclave, Austria's ill-timed and intrusive veto was announced against him by one of those rare survivals known as ' court Cardinals, ' Cardinal Rampolla rose in his place and with calm dignity said : ' I am not displeased by this act of the Emperor of Austria, because I know that my name does not bring with it sufficient authority, and I feel all my unworthiness to be ohosen for the lofty office. Yet I must declare that this note is contrary to the spirit of the times ' When the result of the scrutiny that followed became known,' says the correspondent quoted in the last paragraph, 'it was found that Cardinal Rampolla's votes had increased from 29 to 30. The Sacred College had thus solemnly affirmed that the old veto had passed away and that henceforth no interference of crowned or uncrowned heads will be tolerated.'

Through Cardinal Ram,polla's continued entreaties, first six, and later on as many as twenty, of his friends and supporters in the Sacred College transferred their suffrages to Cardinal Sarto On Monday morning the figures were : Cardinal Sarto 27, Cardinal Rampolla 24, Cardinal Gotti 6. On Monday evening : Cardinal Sarto 35, Cardinal Rampolla 16. Cardinal Sarto was one of those who had ' entered the Conclave with a light heart, looking forward to% speedy return to his beloved Venice.' ' On Sunday,' says the New York ' Freeman ' correspondent, l he realised for .the* first time that he himself might be the " Peter m Chains " of whom he spoke half jestingly two days before, and he felt crushed by the thought of the terrible responsibility that might be laid upon him Going about among his supporteis he begged them with tears in his eyes to give their votes elsewhere—he was unable to bear the burden, his health would surely break down, he had not the knowledge, nor the skill, nor the ability necessary for guiding the Church Cardinal Ferrari, Archbishop of Milan, endeavored to calm him and to v\ m his assent, but the Patriarch only renewed his supplications Then Cardinal Bacehen, Bishop of Verona, and his bosom friend for many yeais, told him plainly that he must resign himse'f if the Fathers of the Conclave decided to elect him the Holy Ghost would assist him as lie assisted every successor of St Peter , and as for his health, well, if it broke down, " it was expedient that one man should die for the people " The future Pope consented to abide by the decision whatever it might be ' The end came on Tuesday , morning The finaPrcsult was Caidmal Sarto 50, Cardinal Rampolla 10, Cardinal (iotti 2 Cardinal Sarto's maionty exceeded the requisite two-thirds He gave a resigned and unwilling acceptance to the high and onerous position which is to shut him out for ever from a glimpse of his beloved Venice One by one, in the order of their creation, the Cardinals approached to offer him their ' obedience ' ' But,' says the writer already quoted, ' when the tall figure of Cardinal Rampolla, now ladiant with ioy and the sense of infinite relief, first prostrated itself at the feet of Pius X and stood erect again, the Pope, rising in his chair, threw r both his arms around the neck of his most powerful rival and most strenuous supporter, and for some moments both were locked in a close embrace ' The venerable College of Cardinals looked on with intense emotion '