Pope John Paul I beatified

Blessed Pope John Paul I (1912-1978)

The smiling Pope who reigned for a mere 33 days will be beatified today at the Vatican. Albino Luciani became Pope John Paul I in a surprising move that saw him combine the name of his two predecessors as a chosen name for a Pontiff. It was the first time that this name was chosen just as it was surprising for Jorge Bergoglio to choose Francis. Born on October 17, 1912 in Canale d’Agordo, Belluno, Italy, he was ordained to the priesthood on July 7, 1935, and was consecrated as Bishop on December 27, 1958, and made Cardinal on March 5, 1973 by his predecessor St. Paul VI. He had served as Bishop of Vittorio Veneto between 1958 and 1969, and Cardinal Patriarch of Venice between 1969 and 1978. John Paul I was regarded as a skilled communicator and writer. His book Illustrissimi, written while he was a cardinal, is a series of letters to a wide collection of historical and fictional persons. Among those still available are his letters to Jesus, King David, Figaro the Barber, Empress Maria Teresa, Pinocchio, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens and Christopher Marlowe. In his brief pontificate, John Paul I impressed people with his personal warmth. He died on September 28, 1978 at the Vatican.

To read a funny section of one of his letters to Hippocrates, from Illustrissimi, click here in one of my previous posts:

http://dungiljan.blogspot.com/2017/09/characters-and-temperaments.html