The 85th Anniversary of the Election of Pope Pius XII

From the archives of British Pathé: on this day in 1939, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli was elected to the Papacy, taking the name Pius XII; it was also also his 63th birthday. As is sometimes the case with these old newsreels, there are a few comic moments; note the gestures of the Cardinal (Camillo Caccia) who announces the new Pope’s name, and the weird distortion of Pius’ voice when he speaks into the microphone.