Papal conclave 1903: Encyclopedia II - Papal conclave 1903 - Favoured candidate vetoed by Francis Joseph of Austria

Papal conclave 1903 - Favoured candidate vetoed by Francis Joseph of Austria

When the cardinals assembled in the Sistine Chapel attention focused on Count Mariano Cardinal Rampolla del Tindaro, Leo's Secretary of State. Rampolla was seen as the leading papabile (a cardinal thought likely to be elected pope). As expected Rampolla was close to being elected, but was then vetoed in the name of Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph by Prince Jan Maurycy Pawel, Cardinal Puzyna de Kosielsko, the Prince-Bishop of Krakow in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Rampolla was suspected, as there was ample evidence, of being a Freemason. Francis Joseph von Habsburg-Lothringen (Lorraine), as heir to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire, had the power of veto.

Three leading Catholic heads of state (the King of France, the King of Spain, and the Holy Roman Emperor (later called the Emperor of Austria & Apostolic King of Hungary)) claimed vetos, though they were rarely exercised; no candidate against whom the veto was claimed had ever been elected Pope, though in 1846 an attempted veto failed when the cardinal whom the Austrian Emperor had entrusted to issue the veto arrived too late to find the conclave over and the man he was meant to veto publicly announced as pope. See Veto in papal conclaves.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Favoured candidate vetoed by Francis Joseph of Austria", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki