The New York herald., 1922-01-24
PREPARING A TOMB
Body to Be Inferred in
St. Peters Near
That of Pope
Plus x.
CONCLAVE OPENS FEB. 2
Cardinal Gasparri, Cham
berlain, to Direct Church
Pending Election.
OTHER NAMES MENTIONED
Laurenti, De Lai, Merry del
Val, Ratti and La
Fontaine.
OTHER NAMES MENTIONED

Special Gable to THE NYw YORK HERALD.
Copyright. 1929. By THE NEw YORK HERALD.
ROME. Jan. 23.-The body of Pope
Benedict XIV. will lie in state in St..
Peters only two days, THE New York
HERALD correspondent here learned
tonight. Following the demise OF
the Pontiff 1t was assumed the usual
procedure and ceremonies would be
carried out and the body of the Pope
would lie in state for nine days. 1t
was authoritatively stated to-day,
however, that the Holy Father had
left strict instructions that his body
should not be embalmed
Because of these wishes on the
part Of the Pope, his body will lie
in state In st. Peters oniy to-day and
tomorrow His funeral will be held
in st. Peters on Wednesday and his
body inferred in crypt there. Masons
are already at work preparing his
tomb near that. of Pope Plus X.
1t was announced tonight that the
conclave which win elect successor
TO Pope Benedict will open on Feb
ruary 2.
Gasparri Assumes Charge.
Cardinal Gasparri, Papal Secretary
Of State, left the secretarys apart
ments to-day and has assumed the
position Of Chamberlain of the Holy
Roman Church. He has been in
charge Of the papal household and of
all the affairs Of the church since the
death of Pope Benedict and will con-
tinue In this position during tho
interregnum.
In his will Pope Benedict left all
his wealth. except his family prop
erty. to the church. The objects he
had In his apartments in the Vatican
he left to his successor. To his
nephew, the Marchese della Chiesa,
he bequeathed his estate at Pegli, in
Liguria.
The body of Pope Benedict was re-
moved from the Vatican to st. Peters
to-day, attended by the members OF
the papal court. followed by hun
dreds of priests and acolytes, the full
corps OF the Noble Guard, composed
of members of the most ancient fam
lilies OF Rome. and other papal
guards. The procession moved from
the Sala Clementina down the Regia
Scala to the Chapel of the Sacra-
ment. where the Cardinals who are
in Rome had assembled in their pur-
pie robes.
Chances of Successor.
Efforts to forecast the name of the
Cardinal who will be selected to sue
ceed Pope Benedict amount at best.
of course, to mere conjecture. II is
believed here, however. that the
strongest possibilities are Cardinals
de Lai. secretary of the Consistorial
Congregation; Maffi, Archbishop ot
Pisa Merry del Val. who was Sec
retary OF State under Pope Plus X:
Gasparri and La Fontaine, Patriarch
OF Venice.
Cardinal Ratti, Archbishop OF
Milan. and Cardinal Laurenti. one OF
the recently created princes of the
church, also are favorably mentioned.
Practically all OF the thlrty-ons
italian Cardinals have arrived in
Rome. but II Is believed not moro
than fifty-three or fifty-four Cardinals
will participate in the balloting in
the Sacred College. Cardinal Mafi,
who also is an astronomer, appears
a popular favorite.
There appears to be an undercur-
rent of opinion in and around the
Vatican that the successor TO Pope
Benedict should be a religious"
rather than political" Pontiff.
The Cardinals who will enter tho
conclave and their secretaries will re-
tire into seclusion on the night of Feb
ruary I. OF course no one knows how
long the conclavc will last. Actual
arrangements for the conclave are In
the hands Of Cardinal Nannutelli. who
Is not only dean OF the CARDINAL
Bishops since the death of Cardinal
Gibbons. but also is dean Of the entire
Sacred College. having been elevated
10 the cardinalate by Pope Leo XIII.
thirty-three years ago. Although no
Is s5 years old. Cardinal vannutelli is
extremely active and Is hale and