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Two powerful cardinals—Palermo's Ruffini and Genoa's Siri—supported Cardinal Ottaviani, who remarked to a friend, "We're always with Peter and under Peter, even when he is in the greatest danger." But others were not so sure. Said one Irish bishop: "We have had a mistaken idea that Cardinal Ottaviani represents the Holy See. We'll have to revise our definition of what the Holy See is."
It was the Holy See rather than the council that ordered a specific change in liturgy last week. Pope John decreed that the name of St. Joseph be inserted after that of Mary in the Canon, the most solemn part of the Mass. The Pontiff's motive for making the first Canon "change since the 7th century was billed as an honor for the patron of the council, but the timing was strange. Extra honor for Joseph had been discussed inconclusively in the council. Council fathers conjectured that the Pope might be setting an example of liturgical change—or that he might be showing that final authority rested with him. Some saw the inclusion as a minor matter. Complained one theologian during the council discussion: "Half the world doesn't even believe in God, and we worry about St. Joseph."