Editing Pope Pius XII (section)

===Consistories===
{{further|Cardinals created by Pius XII}}
[[File:Pope Pius XII in Throne.jpg|thumb|One of the first official color portraits of Pius XII, {{circa|1939–40}}]]

Only twice in his pontificate did Pius XII hold a [[papal consistory|consistory]] to create new [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinals]], in contrast to Pius XI, who had done so 17 times in as many years. Pius XII chose not to name new cardinals during World War II, and the number of cardinals shrank to 38, with [[Dennis Joseph Dougherty]] of [[Philadelphia]] being the only living U.S. cardinal.

The first occasion on 18 February 1946 yielded the elevation of a record 32 new cardinals, almost half of the College of Cardinals and reaching the canonical limit of 70 cardinals.{{Efn|[[Pope John Paul II|John Paul II]] surpassed this number on 21 February 2001, elevating 44 cardinals. By that time, the limit had been suspended and over 120 cardinals existed.}} In the 1946 consistory, Pius XII, while maintaining the maximum size of the College of Cardinals at 70, named cardinals from China, India, the [[Middle East]] and increased the number of Cardinals from the Americas, proportionally lessening the Italian influence.<ref>Oscar Halecki, James Murray, Jr. ''Pius XII, Eugenio Pacelli, Pope of Peace'', p. 371</ref>

In his second consistory on 12 January 1953, it was expected that his closest co-workers, Msgrs. [[Domenico Tardini]] and Giovanni Montini would be elevated<ref>Levillain, 2002, p. 1136</ref> and Pius XII informed the assembled cardinals that both of them were originally on the top of his list,<ref>Pio XII, La Allocuzione nel concistorio Segreto del 12 Gennaio 1953 in Pio XII, Discorsi e Radiomessaggi di Sua Santità, Vatican City, 1953, p. 455</ref> but they had turned down the offer, and were rewarded instead with other promotions.<ref>Tardini later thanked him for not appointing him. The Pope replied with a smile. "Monsignore mio, you thank me, for not letting me do what I wanted to do". I replied "Yes Holy Father, I thank you for everything you have done for me, but even more, what you have not done for me". The Pope smiled. In Domenico Cardinale Tardini, Pio XII, Tipografia Poliglotta Vaticana, 1960 157</ref> Both Montini and Tardini would become Cardinals shortly after Pius' death; Montini later became [[Pope Paul VI]]. The two consistories of 1946 and 1953 brought an end to over five hundred years of Italians constituting a majority of the [[College of Cardinals]].<ref>Tobin, Greg. (2003). ''Selecting the Pope: Uncovering the Mysteries of Papal Elections''. Barnes & Noble Publishing; {{ISBN|0-7607-4032-1}}. pp. xv–xvi, 143.</ref>

With few exceptions, Italian prelates accepted the changes positively; there was no protest movement or open opposition to the internationalization efforts.<ref>For example, Padellaro: "Church history will memorize with special letters the secret conclave of 1946, and the cosmopolitan Pius XII, who called men of all races into the Senate of the Church", Nazareno Padellaro, Pio XII Torino, 1956, p. 484</ref>