Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1922-02-09
CARDINAL RATTl
CHOSEN P0NTIFF
Archbishop Of Milan Succeeds
Benedict XIV.
TAKES NAME OF Plus xI
"Fisherman's Ring" is Placed on His
Finger and He is Acclaimed Head
of Church With Historic Ceremonial.

/ ADCllChitl q v liz ID tlC --OlSL OItu-
pant of the throne of st. Peter.
He is in his Goth year and has taken
the name of Plus XI. He was chosen
on the seventh ballot, as was Plus X.
his predecessor in name but not in
date. Like his direct predecessor,
Pope Benedict, he had been a cardi-
nal less than year.
| The coronation of Pope Plus II will
take place February u, it was offici-
ally announced.
The thousands waiting in front of
! st. Peters for the wisp of smoke which
would tell of the election of a new
pope or the failure of the Sacred Col
/ lege of Cardinals to reach a decision
gave a mighty shout when a thin wisp
of smoke came from the chimney lead
ing from the Sistine chapel It was
then known the Catholic church had
once more duly elected a pontiff.
1t was striking scene as Pope
Plus made his first appearance at the
front of st. Peters. As his holiness
gave the benediction the assembled
troops presented arms, while the
crowd acclaimed the new pontiff
| cardinal Ratti was accounted one
of the leading possibilities of Cardinal
Gasparri's group, or peace party" as
it has been termed. 1t stands for re-
Cancellation with the Italian govern
ment, perhaps with formal recognition.
The opposition under Cardinal Merry
del VAL of Spanish birth, but long
residence in Italy, was accounted as
favoring a reversion to the policy of
Plus X, which opposed any change in.
the relations, or rather lack of them,
between the vatican and the quirinal)
AS soon as the two-thifds vote for
Cardinal Ratti had been verified, Car
dinal VannutelH, as dean of the Sa-
cred College, arose and proceeded to
the throne of the chosen one, accom-
panied on either side by Cardinals
Logue and Bisleti, respectively, deans
of the cardinal priests and the cardi-
nal deacons.
He was asked in Latin by Cardinal
Vannutelli, in accordance with custom,
if he accepted the election to be SUI
preme pontif, and answered in the
formal manner: "Since it is the will
Of God, l must obey"
Then the purple canopies over the
thrones Of the cardinaIs were let
down, one by one until only that over
the new pohtiff remained This was
done to show the whole Sacred College
rendered obeisance to the new head
of the church.
Cardinal Vannutelli thereupon asked
the new incumbent what name he
chose to take during his pontificate,
and upon his reply "Pius XII" Monsig-
nor Sincere, secretary of the conclave,
verified his election to the Papal
chair
The new pope was then escorted to
the ante-room within the Sistine cha
pei, where he discarded his cardinals
robes, assisted by the conclavists, and
the Papal vestments, which had been
held in readiness since the opening of
the conelave, were placed upon him.
The pontiff, fully vested in the Pa
pal garb and accompanied by his car
dinals, thereupon returned to the
throne he had occupied in the Sistine
chapel.
There the cardinals, according to
their rank, and headed by Vannutelli,
made their first act of alteration to
his holiness, kissing first his feet and
then his hands. After this the pope
received them in embrace and bestow-
ed upon them his first apostolic bene-
diction.
The "Fisherman's ring" wac placed
on his finger and he left the chapel,
the whole assembly vending it's way
through the Sala Ducale and the Sala
Regia, along the loggias to the Sala
Clementina, the pope's official resi-
dence.
Meanwhile the dean of the cardinal
deacons, Bisleti, followed by several
cardinals, repaired to the central bal.
cony of st. Peters, from which the
elections of scores of popes have been
officially proclaimed to the world, and
soiemnly announced to the great crowd
awaiting expectantly below:
Il announce to your great joy the
election of the Pontiff.'
This confirmed to the throngs i'm
st. Peters square the election which.
had been indicated by the thin stream
of white smoke which came from the
metal stove pipe projecting from the
roof of the Sistine chapel when the
voting papers of the final ballot were
burned. No straw is mixed with the
ballots when there has been an cleo
| ton.
Meanwhile Pope Plus XI, after wait
Ing fer some moments in the Clemen-'
tine hall, had left for st. Peters, ac-
companied by the members Of the Sa-
cred College.
| Arriving at the balcony at the cut
side Of the cathedral, he raised his
hand and bestowed upon the multitude
his first public beHediction. He then
returned to the vatican, where, al
though reignfng, the popes have re-
manned virtual prisoners until their
Deaths 81