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HT THIS DAY: October 29, 1958 — Italian Cardinal Angelo Giuseppe Roncelli is elected new Pope
Cardinal Roncelli is an Italian. A peasant’s son, he was papal envoy in the Balkans and the Near East for nearly 20 years
Vatican City- Cardinal Angelo Giuseppe Roncelli, Patriarch of Venice, has been elected Pope. The 76-year-old pontiff will take the name John XXIII.
Cardinal Roncelli is an Italian. A peasant’s son, he was papal envoy in the Balkans and the Near East for nearly 20 years.
He is a moderate and equally at ease in palaces and humble homes. He is noted for his sayings.
His axiom for Government - “see everything, turn a blind eye on much of it, correct a little.” He is the author of a number of learned works.
The successful ballot by the cardinals was the eleventh, on the third day of their secret conclave.
The announcement was given to a widely cheering crowd outside St Peters’ basilica by Cardinal Nicola Canali.
Bells of all Rome churches and Catholic church bells all over the world burst into joyful peals at the announcement.
In Rome the Prime Minister immediately suspended the meeting of the Lower House of Parliament to enable the members to rush to St. Peters to see the new Pope.
Exactly an hour after the first smoke signal was given, the new Pope appeared on the balcony and gave the solemn blessing: urbi et orbi (to the city and to the world).
