The New York herald., 1922-01-25
CONCLAYE TO VOTE
FOR ITALIAN POPE
Mercier May Get Half the
Votes, but Two-thirds Are
Required.
FIRST BALLOT NO TEST
Cardinals Voting 55, as Those
From American Continents
May Be Late.

WASHINGTON, Jan. "a (Associated
Press) As a result OF the death of
Cardinal Almaraz Y. Santos. Archbishop
of Toledo, Spain. it was said here to.
day the non-Italian Cardinals eligible
to enter the conclave on February 2.
viii he reduce~ to. twenty-nine as against
thirty-one Italians.
1t is considered probable here that
Cardinal O'Connell. who is said to be-
long to the group supporting the elec-
ton of Cardinal Merry Del Val, will not
arrive before the proclamation OF the
new Pope, nor will Cardinal Dougherty
of Philadelphia, who is said to be one
of the group supporting the election of
Cardinal Gasparri.
Other Cardinals who probably will
not participate in the opening Of the
conclave are Begin, Archbishop of Que
bee: Cavalanti. Archbishop Of Rio de
Janeiro, and Frisco. Archbishop of
Naples In such an event there will be
hut fifty-five Cardinals present at the
conclavev.
It is expected here that on the first
ballot the votes will be dispersed so
that no one will even approach the two
thirds vote of thirty-six required. The
first ballot, it was said to-day, would
certainly show woes for .Gasparri, De
Lai, Poppili, La Fontaine, Boggiani,
Iluaiul' Naiii' NieAiS De' 'N'i s'N ~
cier.
Indications on Second Ballot.
The second ballot, however, it was
added, would probably reveal the two
strongest candidates, although neither
perhaps would approach the prescribed
two-thirds. II the necessary vote is not
received by candidate on the third or
fourth ballot it is most likely that at
the fifth ballot, on the morning Of Feb
ruary 4. the majority of the sacred
College will agree on candidate OUT
side Of those who have received insult
ficient votes in the two previous days.
Should this prove to be the case a week
from Saturday shortly before noon
throughout the thousand rooms of the
Vatican the cry will ring out of "Habe-
mus Ponteficem."
The assertion was made here to-day
that any impression that a kind of
rivalty exists between the Italian and
the so-called foreign cardinals over the
selection of a Pope of Italian or nom
Italian authority was mistaken. Most of
the so-called foreign cardinals agree on
the advisabilty that the Pope should be
an Italian, because Of tradition (only
forty-eight Popes were foreigners out of
260), because the seat of the papacy is
in Italy (when it was at Avignon the
Popes were French), and because of the
neutrality which the Italians succeeded
in maintaining i nthe most momentous
periods in the history of the papacy.
Mercier May Get % Votes.
The coming conclave is an example of
1.-The difficulty OF electing Pope from
outside Italy. The most popular foreign
candidate now, it is considered, will be
I,,t L. s.- Ted
| here to receive at the outside only the
votes of the five French Cardinals. two
English, two Poles, one Canadian, one
| Portuguese, one Czecho-Slovak and at
| the very most half the Italians. making
! a total of less than 2S votes, insufficient
| to be elected.
This figure probably could not be
augmented it is said, as the Cardinals
| of Germany, Austria, Hungary, Spain,
Holland and at least half Of Italy, who
have not sympathzed with the attitude
| OF the Belgian member of the Sacred
College during the war would not vote
| for him.
The only possibility Of returning now.
after several centuries, to a non-Italian
Pope. 1t is believed. lies in the selection
OF Cardinal Merry del Val, of Spanish
birth. yet who, because of his long So
| journ in Rome, is considered as an
|
| improbable.
Mgr. Luigi Sincere. one of the most
! important prelates in the Papal Curia.
as result of the changes incident to the
| death of Pope Benedict, 1t was said here
to-day, will automatically become Sec
retary of the conclave, a position Sec
end only to that OF membership in the
Sacred College.
| Secretary often Gets Red Hat.
The secretary Of the conclave is fire.
quently made a cardinal by the new
| Tope--in fact almost Immediately.
When the new Pope Is elected the Sec
retary Of the conclave assists him in
putting on the pontlfical robes and,
kneeling before him, hands him the white
cap which the Pontiff puts on his head.
| In turn some Popes have placed their
red cap on the head OF the kneeling sec
retary OF the consistory. thus showing
their intention Of raising them to the