It’s been 55 years now…

A Bizarre Anniversary:
White Smoke, Still No Pope on Oct. 26, 1958

white-smoke-1958

The Mysterious Conclave of 1958
Was someone else elected before John XXIII?

It’s where all the official trouble began, it’s the one event that started it all: the conclave of October 1958, which met to elect a successor to Pope Pius XII, and, after a great many ballots and some curious shenanigans, presented Cardinal Angelo Roncalli as “Pope” John XXIII on Oct. 28. What many people don’t know is that two days prior to Roncalli’s appearance as “Pope”, namely, on Oct. 26, white smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel already.… READ MORE