Pope John Paul I


John Paul I
Bishop of Rome
John Paul I on 19 September 1978
ChurchCatholic Church
Papacy began26 August 1978
Papacy ended28 September 1978
PredecessorPaul VI
SuccessorJohn Paul II
Previous post(s)
  • Pro-Vicar General of Belluno (1948‍–‍1954)
  • Vicar General of Belluno (1954‍–‍1958)
  • Bishop of Vittorio Veneto (1958‍–‍1969)
  • Patriarch of Venice (1969‍–‍1978)
  • Vice-President of the Italian Episcopal Conference (1972‍–‍1976)
  • Cardinal Priest of San Marco (1973‍–‍1978)
Orders
Ordination7 July 1935
by Giosuè Cattarossi
Consecration27 December 1958
by John XXIII
Created cardinal5 March 1973
by Paul VI
RankCardinal priest
Personal details
Born
Albino Luciani

(1912-10-17)17 October 1912
Forno di Canale, Italy
Died28 September 1978(1978-09-28) (aged 65)
Apostolic Palace, Vatican City
BuriedVatican Grottoes, St. Peter's Basilica
EducationPontifical Gregorian University (PhD)
MottoHumilitas
(Latin for 'Humility')
Signature
Coat of arms
Sainthood
Feast day26 August[1][2]
Venerated inCatholic Church
Title as SaintConfessor
Beatified4 September 2022
St. Peter's Square, Vatican City
by Pope Francis
Attributes
  • Papal vestments
  • Pallium
Patronage
  • Canale d'Agordo
  • Diocese of Vittorio Veneto
  • Patriarchate of Venice
  • Catechists[3]
Ordination history
History
Diaconal ordination
Date2 February 1935
Priestly ordination
Ordained byGiosuè Cattarossi
Date7 July 1935
PlaceChurch of San Pietro, Belluno
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecratorPope John XXIII
Co-consecrators
  • Girolamo Bortignon
  • Gioacchino Muccin
Date27 December 1958
PlaceSt. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Cardinalate
Elevated byPope Paul VI
Date5 March 1973
Other popes named John Paul

Pope John Paul I[a] (born Albino Luciani;[b] 17 October 1912 – 28 September 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, giving rise to the most recent year of three popes—the first since 1605. John Paul I remains the most recent Italian-born pope, the last in a succession of such popes that started with Clement VII in 1523.

Before the August 1978 papal conclave that elected him, he expressed his desire not to be elected, telling those close to him that he would decline the papacy if elected, but despite this, upon the cardinals' electing him, he felt an obligation to accept.[4] He was the first pontiff to have a double name, choosing "John Paul" in honour of his two immediate predecessors, John XXIII and Paul VI. He explained that he was indebted to John XXIII and to Paul VI for naming him a bishop and a cardinal, respectively. Furthermore, he was the only pope to add the ordinal number "I" to his papal name when choosing it. It was reported that John Paul was not aware at the time that this was unusual.

His two immediate successors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, later recalled the warm qualities of the late pontiff in several addresses. In Italy, he is remembered with the appellatives of Il Papa del Sorriso (transl.The Pope of the Smile)[5] and Il Sorriso di Dio (transl. The Smile of God).[6] Time magazine and other publications referred to him as "The September Pope".[7] He is also referred to in Italy as "Papa Luciani" to distinguish him from his successor of the same papal name. In his hometown of Canale d'Agordo a museum built and named in his honour is dedicated to his life and brief papacy.

John Paul I was declared a Servant of God by his successor, John Paul II, on 23 November 2003. Pope Francis confirmed John Paul's heroic virtue on 8 November 2017 and titled him as venerable. Francis presided over John Paul's beatification on 4 September 2022.[8][9]

  1. ^ "33-Tage-Papst Johannes Paul I. Seliggesprochen".
  2. ^ "Pope Francis beatifies John Paul I, pope for 33 days".
  3. ^ "The prayer for Pope Luciani". Corriere delle Alpi. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  4. ^ Allen, John (2 November 2012). "Debunking four myths about John Paul I, the 'Smiling Pope'". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  5. ^ Seabeck, Raymond; Seabeck, Lauretta (2004). The Smiling Pope, The Life & Teaching of John Paul I. Our Sunday Visitor Press.
  6. ^ Papa Luciani: Il sorriso di Dio (Pope Luciani: The Smile of God). Radiotelevisione Italia. 2006. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2018. documentary.
  7. ^ "The September Pope". Time. 9 October 1978. Archived from the original on 23 November 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  8. ^ "33-day 'Smiling Pope' John Paul I beatified at the Vatican". BBC News. 4 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Pope beatifies John Paul I: May he obtain for us the 'smile of the soul'". Vatican News. 4 September 2022.


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