| Papal conclave March 1939 | |
|---|---|
| Dates and location | |
| 1–2 March 1939 Sistine Chapel, Apostolic Palace, Vatican City | |
| Key officials | |
| Dean | Gennaro Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte |
| Sub-dean | Donato Sbarretti |
| Camerlengo | Eugenio Pacelli |
| Protopriest | William Henry O'Connell |
| Protodeacon | Camillo Caccia-Dominioni |
| Secretary | Vincenzo Santoro |
| Election | |
| Ballots | 3 |
| Elected pope | |
| Eugenio Pacelli Name taken: Pius XII | |
 | |
The papal conclave held on 1 and 2 March 1939 saw Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli elected on the third ballot to succeed Pius XI, who had died on 10 February, as pope. All 62 cardinals took part. Pacelli, who had been camerlengo and secretary of state, took the name Pius XII. The day was his 63rd birthday.
The conclave of 1939 was the shortest of the 20th century.[1] It was also the last to include all living cardinals.
Pacelli was the first Pope born in Rome since Innocent XIII, in 1721, and the first member of the Roman Curia to become Pontiff since Gregory XVI (1831).[2][3] Another Curial cardinal would not be elected Pope until the 2005 papal conclave, who chose the name Benedict XVI.
- ^ Allen Jr., John L. (2002). Conclave: The Politics, Personalities, and Process of the Next Papal Election. Doubleday. ISBN 9780385504560. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
nyt19390303was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Padellaro, Nazareno (1957). Portrait of Pius XII. Dutton. p. 7.