The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-27
Who Will BE the Next POPE?


Pope LEO Kill died at little after
four in the afternoon of Monday, July 20.
1t has been customary for Conclave
to begin on the tenth day after Pontitfs
death, but on this occasion it will meet
on the eleventh day, namely, Friday,
July 81. After the doors Of the Vatican
have been locked upon the Sacred COL
lege. no information will be obtainable
concerning the course and outcome of
it's deliberations until the new Pope is
proclaimed Meanwhile, rumor will be
busy with the chances Of conspicuous
candidates, and with the combinations
OF factions within the Curia.
Owing to the fact that a candidate re-
uuires for election the votes Of two
thirds of the Cardinals present, it seldom
happens that the choice Of the Conclave
can be predicted in advance with any
close approach TO certainty. 1t is COM
paratively easy to indicate combination
by which the requisite two-thirds could
be secured but the formation Of such
a combination is always difficult and
often impracticable, so that the suffrages
of the Cardinals are ultimately given to
some one not identified with any par
ticular faction. At the present time it
is believed that if the friends of Cardinal
GoTTI, Cardinal RAMPoLLA and Cardinal
SERAFINo VANNuTELLr should combine
on the first name, or on any candidate,
they would DO able to elect him on the
first ballot.
Few well-informed persons believe,
however that tho supporters OF Cardinal
RAMpOLLA and of his Francophile policy
would enter into any such coalition. 1t
must also he borne in mind that one of
the French Cardinals may have been
instructed by the French Government to
veto the selection Of Cardinal GoTTI.
Neither President LouBET nor Premier
Comics is known to have authorized the
report that France has no intention of
asserting the veto power II * the pos
sibIe ,lse Of the veto by Austria. France
or Spain that renders all calculations
liable 10 he upset.
1t is improbable that the privilege will
be waived by Spain one OF the repre-
sentatives Of which in the Conciave Of
1881 forbade the election Of Cardinal
GIusTINIANI at moment when he had
nearly obtained the requisite number
of votes The same thing may bo said
of Austria, which VIGOROUSLY meant TO
Use her privilege in 1916, and would have
done so had her Cardinals, charged with
the fufilment of her purpose, reached
Rome in time. The more eminent and
influential a Cardinal ia, the more likely
is he to become associated with one or
another faction in the Sacred College,
and thus to have rendered himself dis
tasteful to one Of the Governments in
vested with the veto power.
When we say, therefore, that Cardinal
GoTTI, Cardinal SERAFINo VANNUTELLI
and Cardinal RAMPoLT4A are each credited
now with certain number Of votes, we
must, at the same time, recognize that
for this very reason measures may have
been taken to exclude each Of them in
the supposed interest Of France or of the
Triple Alliance.
There are some signs that the GUS
tom, observed for centuries, of regarding
Camerlengo as ineligible to the Papacy
may be violated in the case of Cardinal
OREGLIA. as it was in the case of Cardinal
PECcI. At the meetings of the Sacred
College which have taken place since the
Pope's death the utmost Difference has
been paid to the suggestions of tho
Camerlengo, and large majorites have
been given to his nominees for the post
of secretary Of the Conclave and for the
function of delivering a Latin grafton
in commemoration of the departed
PontiIf If the respect thus publicly
testified to him who is The executive head
of the Church during the intcrreGnum
could be construed as the expression of
q desire to place Cardinal OREGLIA in the
Papal chair, We might regard him as
sure of election, provided, of course, no
veto should be interposed. But ex-
perence has shown that no one can lore
tell from their previous acts what Card-
nails will do when they come to secret