1939 CORONATION OF POPE PIUS XII VATICAN CITY CATHOLIC CHURCH 77294

This 1939 silent newsreel was originally made for private home viewing, and sold in American department stores. The film shows the process by which Pope Pius XII was selected, and features footage of many of the Cardinals who participated in the process including American George Cardinal Mundelein and Dennis Cardinal Dougherty. Pope Pius XI died on 10 February 1939. Several historians have interpreted the conclave to choose his successor as facing a choice between a diplomatic or a spiritual candidate,