Siri Thesis

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The Siri Thesis is the belief that Giuseppe Cardinal Siri, the long-serving and conservative Archbishop of Genoa, was actually elected pope in the 1958 papal conclave, but that his election was then suppressed.[1]

By 2006, the Siri Thesis was believed to be held by hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, mostly in Traditionalist Catholic circles.[2] A branch of sedevacantists, adherents of the thesis, who are also known as Sirianists, also believe that John XXIII and his officially-recognized successors are antipopes, while Siri reigned as the suppressed head of the Catholic Church until his death in 1989.[2]

Contents

[edit] Reasons and basis for belief

Traditionalist Catholics reject the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, and in some circles this rejection extends even to the validity of the post-Council Popes themselves; in their view, Pope Pius XII was the "last true Pope."[2]

The followers of the Siri Thesis claim that during the papal conclave of 1958, Cardinal Siri, who was considered the leading conservative candidate, was elected Pope on both the third and fourth ballots on October 26, and took the pontifical name of Gregory XVII[3]. However, the liberal faction at the conclave (particularly the French cardinals) supposedly forced Siri to change his mind, claiming that his strong anti-Communist policies would lead to wide-spread persecution of Catholics in the Eastern Europe. Siri then accepted this suggestion, and announced: Non Accepto ("I do not accept [the Papacy])". This led to the election of Angelo Cardinal Roncalli, who became John XXIII.

Sirianists cite for proof that white smoke initially billowed forth from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signaling the election of a new pope; the smoke then changed to black, signaling that a pope had not been elected, which is claimed to be the work of the liberal cardinals. Father Malachi Martin even claimed to have been the conduit of the information that led to Siri's decision to change his mind and decline the papacy.

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation allegedly also claimed that Siri had indeed been elected on the third ballot.[1] What is unambiguously known is that Vatican Radio did conclude, on the basis of apparently white smoke, that a pope had been elected on the third ballot and announced it as such, telling listeners, "The smoke is white...There is absolutely no doubt. A pope has been elected."[2] After the white smoke appeared, the Swiss Guard assembled to give the ceremonial salute to the new pontiff, only to have to withdraw again with the coming of black smoke.

However, according to Sirianist apologetics, Cardinal Siri's supposed resignation was invalid according to Canon 185 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law, which states as Canon 188 in the 1983 Code of Canon Law: "Resignation made out of grave fear that is inflicted unjustly or out of malice, substantial error, or simony is invalid by the law itself."[4]

[edit] Sedeimpeditism

Sirianism appears to be a major feature in what has been termed sedeimpeditism, which is distinguished from sedevacantism in that sedeimpeditists do not believe that the Holy See is vacant (sede vacante), but rather that a real legitimate pope exists, but that he has been impeded by outside forces (sede impedita) from taking his office, which is still rightfully his de jure. Because sedeimpeditists are not sedevacantists, believing that a pope still exists somewhere in the world, they are also distinguished from conclavists, who are sedevacantists who took the next step and decided to elect their own "popes".

Sedeimpeditists who accept the Siri Thesis, who might be termed "Sirian sedeimpeditists", believe that Giuseppe Siri was the first pope in an irregular but de jure papal line, and that a current valid successor of Siri's is still living somewhere.

[edit] Criticism

The authoritative biography of Cardinal Siri by Raimondo Spiazzi and other Italian biographers do not even mention the newspaper article, [5] possibly, because Italian articles are taken less seriously in Italy than in the USA and other English speaking countries. Hutton Gibson rejected the belief and asserted it was based entirely on a mistranslation of an Italian newspaper article.[2][6] The change of white to black smoke was purportedly recorded by Silvio Negro for the evening edition of Corriere della Sera (Milan, Italy) on 27 October.[2] However, Negro, Gibson notes, was actually discussing an occurrence at the 1939 conclave.[2]

[edit] External links

[edit] Promoting the Siri Thesis

In Today's Catholic World (Has map of "Siri's Prison")

Eclipse of the Church
The Pope In Red

[edit] Against the Siri Thesis

The Siri Thesis Unravels a disputed rebuttal of the Siri Thesis

Gary Giuffre & The 'Siri Thesis' by Hutton Gibson, The War is Now! #66, January 2006

A presentation of the ever chaning Siri thesis containing historical documents that show that the original Siri thesis had his election in 1963 and both 1978 conclaves with no mention of 1958.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Pope in Red. The Siri Thesis
  2. ^ a b c d e f Inside the Vatican staff (February 2006). The "Siri Thesis" Unravels. Inside the Vatican. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
  3. ^ The Pope in Red. Erudite Sermon on "Siri"
  4. ^ Holy See's Official Website. 1983 Code of Canon Law
  5. ^ Raimondo Spiazzi, Il Cardinale Giuseppe Siri, Edizioni Studio Dominicani, Bologna, 1990
  6. ^ Gary Giuffre & The 'Siri Thesis' by Hutton Gibson, The War is Now! #66, January 2006