en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conclave
1 correction found
the only cardinal to ever record the secret proceedings of a Papal conclave
Piccolomini was not the only cardinal ever said to record conclave proceedings. Later sources describe accounts and diaries from other cardinals, especially for the 1903 conclave.
Full reasoning
This absolute claim is contradicted by later evidence of other cardinals recording conclave events.
- Vatican News says that for the 1903 conclave there were multiple written insider sources besides Piccolomini: an anonymous publication attributed to Cardinal Mathieu, the "secret report" of Cardinal Ferrari, and extracts from diaries of Cardinals Ferrata, Svampa, Gibbons, Richard, and Kopp.
- The Catholic Encyclopedia likewise states that the conclave that elected Pius X "is described by an eyewitness (Un Témoin), said to be Cardinal Mathieu".
That means Piccolomini cannot accurately be described as the only cardinal ever to record secret conclave proceedings. Whatever his account's importance, later conclaves also generated cardinal-authored descriptions and diaries.
2 sources
- Agosto 1903: il Conclave, il "veto" e la sorpresa di Pio X - Vatican News
Diverse sono le testimonianze su quanto avvenuto in quei giorni a partire dal diario "Un témoin..." attribuita al cardinal Mathieu ... e poi "Il Resoconto segreto del cardinal Ferrari" e gli estratti di altri diari (dei cardinali Ferrata, Svampa, Gibbons, Richard, Kopp)...
- CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Conclave
The conclave that elected Pius X is described by an eyewitness (Un Témoin), said to be Cardinal Mathieu, in Revue des Deux Mondes, 15 March, 1904.