44 years ago, John Paul I was pope for just over a month. In Italy he is also known as the «Pope of Smiles».
Pope Francis during the beatification of his predecessor John Paul I.
(dpa) John Paul I, who went down in history as the 33-day Pope, has been beatified. Pope Francis included him in the canon of the blessed in a solemn ceremony on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square according to the Catholic rite. As a thunderstorm broke over Rome, a portrait of Pope John Paul I, who had died unexpectedly almost 44 years earlier, just over a month into the beginning of his pontificate, was unveiled on the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica. From now on he may be worshiped publicly in certain regions, his memorial day is August 26th.
John Paul I was the pre-predecessor of Francis. He was born Albino Luciani on October 17, 1912 in a northern Italian village in the Dolomites. In 1958 he became a bishop, later attended the Second Vatican Council and became a cardinal in 1973. After the death of Pope Paul VI. the conclave elected him the new pope in August 1978 after a day of deliberations.
John Paul I was often referred to as “the Pope of smiles”.
On September 28, he died after only 33 days at the age of 65. He was one of the shortest-serving popes. His successor was the Pole Karol Wojtyla, who called himself John Paul II.
Known as the «Pope of Smiles»
There had always been speculation about the circumstances of John Paul I’s death. At a press conference this week, Stefania Falasca, who documented the process of beatification as a so-called vice-postulator, emphasized that all the documents and medical certificates pointed to a heart attack.
Pope John Paul was buried on September 30, 1978.
The short-term pontifex is also known in Italy as the “Pope of Smiles”. In his home diocese of Belluno-Feltre, the beatification process began in 2003 and was completed in 2017.
Finally, in October 2021, Pope Francis recognized an event as a miracle according to the Catholic faith, which is said to have happened through the intercession of John Paul I.
Ten years earlier, an 11-year-old girl who was said to be terminally ill recovered in Buenos Aires. This only happened because a priest prayed to John Paul I. Such an event, recognized as a miracle by the Vatican, is the final requirement for beatification in the Catholic Church. A canonization can follow a beatification.