Criticism
The authoritative biography of Cardinal Siri by Raimondo Spiazzi and other Italian biographers do not even mention the newspaper article, possibly, because Italian articles are taken less seriously in Italy than in the USA and other English speaking countries. Hutton Gibson, who was a one time cautious supporter of the Siri Thesis, rejected the belief and asserted it was based largely on a mistranslation of an Italian newspaper article. The change of white to black smoke was recorded by Silvio Negro for the evening edition of Corriere della Sera (Milan, Italy) on 27 October. However, Negro, Gibson contends, was actually discussing an occurrence at the 1939 conclave in one key paragraph in the article. Gibson's assertion has been itself disputed by supporters of the Thesis.
The Siri thesis was first promoted by Gary Giuffre in four installments of 'Exile of the Pope Elect'. At that time it was theorized that Siri was elected in the 1963 (not 1958) conclave and in both 1978 conclaves. Giuffre alleges it was revealed by Siri himself in Rome in June 1988 to a traditional priest from Vietnam, that following the death of Pius XII that he was elected at the October 26, 1958 conclave and chose the name Gregory XVII. No evidence has been produced to support this claim.
Read more about this topic: Siri Thesis
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“To be just, that is to say, to justify its existence, criticism should be partial, passionate and political, that is to say, written from an exclusive point of view, but a point of view that opens up the widest horizons.”
—Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867)