Why Siri is down for the count

The theory advanced by Texan Gary Giuffre, that Cardinal Siri was elected at the 1958 conclave but was forced to resign, making Siri and his unknown successors hidden popes all these years is enjoying a revival of sorts in Internet circles recently.

Giuffre has established his own website these days, no doubt in response to recent comments made by Hutton Gibson in his long-lived newsletter The War Is Now against the Siri thesis. Gibson, once Giuffre's funder and fellow theorist, backed out on Giuffre's perpetual Siri project in July, complaining he had seen no return on funds invested 15 years ago and that the upcoming publication of Giuffre's book now seems unlikely. Giuffre responded by posting the book Gibson funded to the Internet for online viewing and an online newspaper later announced the confirmation of some of Giuffre's research.

This sell-Siri campaign might be worth consideration if both timing and motives were not so obviously skewed and the facts themselves bore up under close scrutiny. They don't.

Subscribers to the theory back in 1990 must surely remember the last-minute scramble to locate the "Cardinal Camerlengo" Siri allegedly appointed in order to call an election prior to the conclave scheduled for July 16, 1990. Giuffre even advertised for this chief cardinal to come forward in the Houston Post, as though a cardinal appointed by Siri would be hiding out in his own backyard. If an election had already taken place within three months of Siri's death May 2, 1989 as Canon Law required, why were they looking for the Cardinal Camerlengo and not Siri's successor?

The further one travels into the never-never land of Sirianism, the more fantastic the claims and inconsistent with the facts on record the theory becomes. But three scenarios never before anticipated by Siri theory supporters take Siri down once and for all, and these scenarios are all presented in free downloads available from this website.

Deceiving the Elect describes why Siri never officially became Pope, even if it were allowed he was elected in 1958. La Salette and the Papacy explains why the Secret of La Salette does not and cannot support an alleged Siri papacy and presents the reason why Siri promoters cannot claim force and fear canonically excuse his actions. And the upcoming September issue of Eadam Sempiternum will demonstrate why the Siri hypothesis is inherently opposed to Divine law.

Readers should also ask the obvious question, "Why is this theory still being advanced after all these years?" Some might believe its very survival is proof it could easily be true but again, the canonical evidence available — and all Church matters must be judged according to the laws of the Church, not evidentiary laws of the land — does not and cannot support the case. So what then is the real reason for the incessant peddling of this theory?

Many encouraged the promoter s of the 1990 papal election to postpone the conclave until a more providential time, when Traditional bishops would be more open to the election idea. But this time has yet to arrive, unless it is what the Siri crowd now anticipates. Are the conspirators on the move again, ready to do anything that will steer Traditionalsits away from the truth?

Don't miss this month's Eadem Sempiternum for the answer to this important question.