Cardinal Giuseppe Siri; Perennial Papal Candidate

Cardinal Giuseppe Siri, 82, the archbishop of Genoa and a perennial candidate for the papacy. Siri, a cardinal since 1953, attended four conclaves, the meetings in which Popes are elected. He was described as Pope Pius XII’s choice to succeed him, and in the last two conclaves was a leading vote-getter in early balloting. He was an archconservative who opposed many of the reforms of Pope John XXIII and who tried to block initiatives during the Vatican II Council held from 1962-65. A staunch anti-communist, he nonetheless maintained working relations with the Socialist-Communist alliance running Genoa. Siri was the son of a stevedore who was ordained at 22. During World War II, as auxiliary bishop of Genoa, he negotiated with Nazi forces surrounding the city and met secretly with partisan leaders, eventually arranging a Nazi surrender that avoided further bombardment of the city. He became archbishop of Genoa in 1946. At the time of his resignation in July, 1987, he was the last remaining active cardinal named by Pope Pius XII. In Genoa on Tuesday of a heart ailment.