THE CLOUDED ELECTION OF JOHN XXIII, pt. 2

Taken from “Vatican II Exposed as Counterfeit Catholicism” by Frs. Francisco and Dominic Radecki, CMRI

Before the 1958 conclave there was wide disagreement among the cardinals since there was no single candidate with sufficient support to win the election. Cardinals who are likely to be chosen as pope are called “papabili.” At the time, strong contenders included Cardinals Agagianian (Roman Curia), Lercaro (Bologna), Masella (Roman Curia), Roncalli (Venice), and Siri (Genoa). Modernists considered Ottaviani too conservative, Siri too young, (he was fifty-two years old) and Roncalli amenable to change. Conservatives believed Lercaro too liberal. Electors were strongly divided regarding social leanings and theology.

Many of the progressives [Modernists], as well as some of the uncommitted cardinals would have preferred Archbishop Montini [the future Paul VI] to Roncalli as a candidate for the papacy, because of Montini’s long and distinguished diplomatic career.

Montini was not yet a cardinal and therefore ineligible for election. Furthermore, “…his election would have made his extreme ideas so obvious that he might have scared too many and too soon. …a radical pope like him would have been premature at the time.” Only cardinals had been chosen for the previous 568 years.

THE KREMLIN’S CHOICE

For many years Cardinal Agagianian had been one of the favorite candidates of Stalin and the Kremlin because he was born and educated in the Soviet Union. Agagianian was also well liked by Communists in Russia and Italy. However, the Communists chose to take a diplomatic approach by backing Roncalli since he had better chances of guiding the Church towards a pro-Communist program without creating alarm.

From a political point of view, Msgr. Roncalli’s opposition to Pius XII’s anti-Communist crusades had qualified him, more than anything else, to be their protege.

Leading Communists, including Stalin, responsible for the deaths of between 50-60 million people, and Nikita Khrushchev loved Roncalli because he was a genuine Socialist, worked with liberals and came from peasant lineage. The international media had Roncalli’s name on almost everyone’s list of “papabili,” even if it was not highly placed. Some bookies gave Cardinal Roncalli 2-1 odds of winning. He was the favorite candidate for those well informed, such as Hans Kung. Modernist Dom Lambert Beauduin said, “If they elect Roncalli, all will be saved. He is capable of calling a Council and canonizing ecumenism.