[1] Of the three cardinals who traveled from the United States, James Gibbons of Baltimore and William O'Connell of Boston, did not reach Rome in time to participate in the conclave,[2] nor did Louis-Nazaire Bégin of Quebec.

Domenico Serafini, a Benedictine and assessor at the Holy Office, won the support of the Curia to continue Pius X's anti-modernist campaign as his chief priority.

However, many other cardinals, such as Carlo Ferrari and Désiré Mercier, believed that a Pope with a different focus was needed and supported the Archbishop of Pisa Pietro Maffi, considered very liberal but tainted by being close to the House of Savoy.

According to that account, Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, who had been Pius X's Secretary of State, insisted that the ballots be checked to ensure that Della Chiesa had not voted for himself – he had not.

When the cardinals offered their homage to the new pope, Benedict allegedly said to Merry del Val, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."