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On to the balcony of St. Peter's, as twilight turned to darkness, stepped a tall, lean, greying man in white, wearing an ermine-bordered red cape. Pope Pius XII —whose 63rd birthday it was—raised his hand in the gesture of a blessing urbi et orbi, "to the city and the world."
Immediately after his election, Pius XII had received the first "obedience" of the Sacred College: each Cardinal in turn had knelt before him, election bent over the cross embroidered on his slipper. Returning from the balcony to the Sistene Chapel, he accepted a second "obedience," then on his throne received the homage of the papal household—including two of his nephews, Giulio and Marcantonio Pacelli, members of the Noble Guard.
With the conclave rapidly disbanding and the Vatican returnin to normal life, the Holy Father went to the luxurious apartment which he had occupied as Secretary of State and which had been considered his "cell" (given the number 13) during his conclave. He telephoned his sisters Elizabella and Giuseppina told them his election gave them his blessing. He visited a devoted friend who had been ill during the conclave—Francesco Cardinal Marchetti-Selvaggini. the ailing Prince raised himself to bow, murmering: "Holy Father. . . ." But the Pope said: "Ah, not for tonight. . . . Let me still be your Eugenio to my Francesco."
At 10 p.m. the Servant of the Servants of God weary, went to bed.
Election. Extraordinary in nearly every way was the election of Pius XII. He was the first Secretary of State to be elected since the office took its present form, more than a century ago; the first Cardinal of the Curia (as distinct from an Archbishop) in a century; the first Roman in two centuries; the first Pope to be elected on voting day, and the second to be elected in only three ballots. For this multiple breaking of precedent there were several reasons. Cardinal Camerlengo Pacelli had been known to hope that the conclave would be short, to show the world the Church's solidarity in time of crisis. During the wait for over seas Cardinals, there had been more time for preliminary discussions than at any previous conclave. In those discussions the name of Pacelli, who had been assured of some "courtesy" votes on early ballots, loomed increasingly large, especially in the minds of the non-Italian Cardinals.
Despite the theoretical secrecy of the conclave, newshawks found it possible to report something of what happened. On the first ballot, Cardinal Pacelli received 35 votes, the scattered remainder representing three types of candidacies: a diplomat (Cardinal Maglione), a purely elected spiritual since leader the office (Florence's took its Cardinal present dalla spiritual leader (Florence's Cardinal dalla Costa), a non-Italian (Quebec's Cardinal Villeneuve). On the second ballot, Cardinal Pacelli received 40 votes, only two short of the required two-thirds majority.