| Pope Urban VIII had seen all the Cardinals, who had been elevated to the purple by his predecessors, die; so that in the Sacred College there remained only those Cardinals chosen by himself, such that he could say to the College, in the phrase of the Gospel: ("Non vos me elegisti, sed ego elegi vos") "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you". (60 PAPI; Sac. Scavuzzo; Presbyterium, Padova - Napoli; 1955) |
| Giuseppe Sarto, who became Pius X and would one day be canonized a Saint, was from humble origins, carrying his shoes to school, he walked barefoot to save the leather. His life as a bishop and Cardinal was less one of study and more pastoral. When the dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals, a Frenchman, came to him and announced in French that he had been chosen Pope, Cardinal Sarto responded that he didn't understand French. The dean observed: "You can't be Pope, you don't even know French". Whereupon Sarto retorted: Well that's a relief! |
| Felice Peretti was the son of a poor farmer and had in his youth been a keeper of pigs. After the death of Pope Gregory XIII, the mood of the Cardinals seems to have been for a short next pontificate, giving therefore some of the Cardinals another shot at the papacy within just a few years and thus their preference would have been for an older cardinal. Cardinal Felice Peretti perhaps was just the man. He entered the conclave bent over and with a cane. Upon being elected and taking the name Sixtus V, Peretti, much to the surprise of the other Cardinals, immediately threw away his cane and walked out of the conclave straight as a Lebanese cedar. The ambassador from Japan, who attended the inauguration cerimonies even remarked what a fine stance Sixtus had on his horse! |
| One election, so the legend goes, the Cardinals felt that it would be a while before they settled on a new pope and therefore it was safe to cast their first ballot somewhat casually merely to honor a friend by their initial vote. Enough however were thinking this way so as to arrive at the sufficient votes for a new pope. When some began to murmur among themselves that they really did not intend that vote to be conclusive, the new pope elect, stood up and announced his acceptance and that anyone who challenged that would be forthwith excommunicated! |
| Pope Pius XII was virtually chosen Pope even before the Cardinals even entered the conclave, even the American Cardinals openly declaring themselves for Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli upon arriving in Rome. Already elected on the first ballot, he asked the Cardinals to think the matter over carefully and vote again. He received all votes except his own. |
| The multilingual Armenian Patriarch Cardinal Gregory Agajanian, a popular choice of many in the conclave that elected the Patriarch of Venice, Angelo Roncalli, who took the name Pope John XXIII, let it be known that, if elected, he would not accept. |
| Italiano Aneddoti del conclave: |
| Papa Urbano VIII aveva visto morire tutti i Cardinali che erano stati elevati alla porpora dai suoi predecessori. Infatti nel Sacro College non erano rimasti che quei Cardinali eletti da lui stesso, sì che poteva dire al College, colla frase evangelica: ("Non vos me elegisti, sed ego elegi vos") "Non voi eleggesti me; ma io elessi voi" (60 PAPI; Sac. Scavuzzo; Presbyterium, Padova - Napoli; 1955) |