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Papal conclave, October 1978

Dates	October 14–October 16, 1978
Location	Sistine Chapel, Apostolic Palace, Vatican City
Dean	Carlo Confalonieri
Vice Dean	Paolo Marella
Camerlengo	Jean-Marie Villot
Protodeacon	Pericle Felici
Ballots	Pope elected after 8 ballots
Elected Pope	Karol Wojtyła (took name John Paul II)

The Papal conclave of October 1978 was triggered by the sudden death, after only thirty-three days in office, of Pope John Paul I on September 28. When the cardinals elected John Paul I on August 26, they expected he would reign for at least a decade. Instead they found themselves having to elect his successor within six weeks. The conclave to elect John Paul I's successor began on October 14, and ended two days later, on October 16, after eight ballots. The cardinals elected Karol Cardinal Wojtyła, then Archbishop of Kraków, as the new pope. Resulting in the most recent Year of Three Popes, he accepted his election and took the pontifical name of John Paul II.

Pope John Paul II, the elected pope

Ten days after the funeral of Pope John Paul I, on October 14, the doors of the Sistine Chapel were sealed and the conclave commenced. It was divided between two particularly strong candidates for the papacy: Cardinal Giuseppe Siri, the conservative Archbishop of Genoa, and the liberal Cardinal Giovanni Benelli, the Archbishop of Florence and a close associate of John Paul I.

Supporters of Benelli were confident that he would be elected. In early ballots, Benelli came within nine votes. But the scale of opposition to both men meant that neither was likely to receive the two-thirds plus one needed for election. Cardinal Franz König, the influential and widely-respected Archbishop of Vienna, individually suggested to his fellow electors a compromise candidate: the Polish Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyła, whom König knew and by whom he was highly impressed.

Also among those cardinals who rallied behind Wojtyła were supporters of Siri, Cardinal Adam Stefan Wyszyński, most of the American cardinals (led by Cardinal John Krol), and other moderate cardinals. Wojtyła ultimately defeated Benelli (who was actually the supposed candidate Wojtyła himself had voted for) on the eighth ballot on the second day with, according to the Italian press, 99 votes from the 111 participating electors. He accepted his election with these words: "With obedience in faith to Christ, my Lord, and with trust in the Mother of Christ and the Church, in spite of great difficulties, I accept." The Pole, in tribute to his predecessor, then took the regnal name of John Paul II. He became the first non-Italian pope since the Dutch Adrian VI, who reigned from 1522 to 1523.

At 6:18 p.m., the white smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, meaning that a new pope had been successfully elected. As the senior Cardinal Deacon, a visibly excited Cardinal Pericle Felici gave the traditional Latin announcement for Wojtyła's election on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. When Felici pronounced the new pope's forename, some members of the crowd below thought that the aged Dean of the College of Cardinals, Carlo Confalonieri, had been elected; upon hearing his surname, some also thought he was an African. More confusion ensued when it was thought that the new pope was Cardinal Ugo Poletti after an Italian newreporter announced, Polacco ("the Pole"). John Paul II appeared on the balcony at 7:15, and while gripping the balustrade, broke precedent by delivering a brief speech before his first Urbi et Orbi blessing:

During the speech, a member of the Roman Curia whispered Basta! ("Enough!") to the new Pope, who ignored the admonition and continued talking. The speech, however, made a good impression on Italian listeners who were nervous at the prospect of a foreign pope.^[2] This was due also to a little mistake made by the newly elected Pope during this speech, given in Italian language, mistake that won immediately the applause of the crowd, releasing the tension of the event. John Paul II said (in Italian): "... se mi sbaglio mi corigerete!" (something like: "... if I make a mistake, you will corict me". The correct form would be: "... se mi sbaglio mi correggerete").^[3].

This was also the last conclave of the 20th century, as the next election for a pope did not occur until after the death of John Paul II in 2005.

1. ^ Catholic-Pages. Pope John Paul II April 2, 2005
2. ^ TIME Magazine. A "Foreign" Pope October 30, 1978
3. ^ The first speech of John Paul II.Youtube October 16, 1978

• Cardinal electors in Papal conclaves, August and October 1978
• Cardinals over 80 in 1978 Papal conclaves

• Politics and the Polish Pope from The New Republic, October 28, 1978. The author discusses the election of Cardinal Wojtyła, and its ramifications for communism. (Subscription required.)
• A "Foreign" Pope from Time Magazine, October 30, 1978. No subscription required.

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