Pope John Paul I

John Paul I, whose real name is Albino Luciani ( born October 17, 1912 in Forno di Canale, † 28 September 1978 in the Vatican City ), was elected Pope on August 26, 1978 ( as the successor of Pope Paul VI. ). Since he still died the same year, 1978 was the year as a three year popes in history. His successor was John Paul II

In Italy, remembers him as " Il Papa del sorriso " ( German: " Pope of Smiles" ) and " Il sorriso di Dio " ( German: " God's smile ").

Career

Albino Luciani was in the northern Italian Forno di Canale ( since 1964 Agordo in Belluno) born and came from a poor background. At the age of eleven, he entered in 1923 the minor seminary in Feltre, a boarding school, were prepared in the boy on the path of life as a priest.

After he had from 1928 to 1935 attended the seminary at the " Gregorian " in Belluno, he was ordained a priest on July 7, 1935. He then worked for two years as a chaplain in his home before he was in 1937 appointed Vice Rector of the " Gregorian ", a position which he held until 1947. There he taught theology. On 23 November 1946, Luciani presented the defense of his doctoral thesis and magna cum laude was awarded his doctorate in theology. He held various functions in his home diocese, including as director of the Catechetical Office and as Pro- Vicar General. He has published several notable publications, including Catechesis in Briciole and Illustrissimi (German Yours very truly ), a collection of letters to famous people - from Jesus Christ to Pinocchio. On December 27, 1958, he was in the course of the first ordinations of the new Pope John XXIII. Bishop of Vittorio Veneto; Co-consecrators were Girolamo Bartolomeo Bortignon, bishop of Padua, and Gioacchino Muccin, Bishop of Belluno e Feltre. Pope Paul VI. appointed him on 15 December 1969 the Patriarch of Venice, and took him on March 5, 1973 as a cardinal priest with the titular church of San Marco in the College of Cardinals to.

Pontificate

After the death of Pope Paul VI. Luciani was elected on 26 August 1978 after a one-day only conclave, which was attended by 111 cardinals in the fourth round to the Pope, allegedly with 99 votes. This conclave was the first on which the Cardinals aged 80 and over were no longer allowed to participate. The alleged by the Archbishop of Florence, Cardinal Benelli, favored choice Luciani was unexpected for the world public, and probably also for himself. His opponent in the conclave was the conservative Giuseppe Siri, who had been considered as early as 1958 as papabile ( Pope suitable ).

His Pope names he chose because he. Legacy of its two predecessor John XXIII and Paul VI. , namely the results of the Second Vatican Council ( on which he had participated as a bishop), was true. His aim was to soften the opposition, which was constructed in the public mind between the two. The simple reason for his choice of name was the fact that John XXIII. him bishop, and Paul VI. had appointed Archbishop Cardinal respectively. One also suspects the Venetian basilica of S. Giovanni e Paolo, grave laying the Doge, had suggested him ( as in the Dictionnaire historique Levillain Ph. de la papauté, Paris 1994 Jean Paul I). As the first pope he wore so that a double name, and he was the first and only pope who already own anfügte its new name, the I.. Before that atomic numbers were added until the second bearer of the name.

On 3 September 1978 he was introduced formally into office - the same day as his idol Gregory the Great in the year 590 was the first pope of the modern era, he renounced the traditional lavish coronation with tiara and let himself in with the celebration of a Mass introduce office. Equally, however, he rejected the use of the Sedia gestatoria ( the traditional sedan chair of the Popes ) from first, she used after persuasion by the Curia henceforth total of four times, with three general audiences as well as the traditional occupation of the Lateran Basilica ( San Giovanni in Laterano ), so the actual Church of the Bishop of Rome.

The pope won by his friendly demeanor ( " The smiling Pope " ) immediately the sympathy even with non-Catholics. As the first pope he used in official letters and speeches for themselves no longer the salutation "we" ( plural majestatis ), but " I ". With the abandonment of the papal coronation and the plural of majesty he also gave his followers against the measure. In general, he moved away from many "little" traditions and practices, and thus raised to the distance the high office in favor of greater closeness to the people around him. He was the first pope who availed himself a telephone and renounced the prostration of the Swiss Guards at his passing, at the Vatican.

In his brief, only 33 -day pontificate he did not have the time to travel to make the Saints to present a government program or publish encyclicals or the like. He pleaded in his few speeches but not limited to the teachings of his predecessors, which, given the choice of the double name could surprise anyone. Luciani still had his own and independent from its predecessors profile. Some already published papers from 1947 reveal it. On September 10, 1978, he spoke in an Angelus address of God as Father, "but it is more than mother " (E ' papà; ancora più è madre. )

Short pontificates are repeatedly happened in history, such as Marcellus II, Urban VII and Leo XI. For the latter, the grave inscription was coined: " magis quam datus ostensus " (more shown as a given ). After the death of " Papa Luciani " this was quoted much again.

Death

After a pontificate of only 33 days of John Paul I died in the night of 28 September 29, 1978. He was buried in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica. An autopsy of his body was denied by both his family and the Vatican. His death was quickly rise to numerous conspiracy theories.

The deceased was found in the morning by the head of the papal household, Sister Vincenza, against five clock in the bed of his bedroom; they agreed then the private secretaries Diego Lorenzi and John Magee. There is evidence that John Magee the Cardinal Secretary of State Jean -Marie Villot informed at 5:37 clock on the death of the Pope. Then, Renato Buzzonetti, the doctor of the Vatican, and Da Ros, the personal physician to the Pope in Venice informed. The time of death was on 28 September, is about 23 clock appreciated.

According to the official version, the body was found in bed sitting up, smiling and holding a document in his hands. John Paul I had a heart condition for several years. In addition, on September 28, also a change in the weather, combined with an autumn storm, impact on the welfare of the Pope could have had.

The Austrian pathologist Hans Bankl examined 1990 published sources and evaluated it in his book Many paths led into eternity. According to him, one could draw from the vague information, no reliable conclusions. As a probable explanations for the sudden death he enters from the vein into the pulmonary artery verschlepptes blood clots or a heart attack on. He clarified that the reference to a possible myocardial infarction - this is the cause, which is also the official death certificate - although it is unproven because of the lack of autopsy. Thus, a heart rhythm disorder, including pulmonary embolism with acute failure of the right ventricle would have led to death. For a poisoning not speak, because to do so give no indication, either from the disease or from the state of death or the circumstances of the death. Why an autopsy had not been agreed to, have, says Bankl, plausible reasons: "A post-mortem examination could have only one of two possible outcomes: either death from natural causes in a previously ill person. How, then, could it have chosen the conclave? It would be an admission, you would have been wrong! The other result, a violent death, would have been even worse! So it was decided to leave anything unclear, and took for the emergence of rumors in buying. " The restrictive information policy of the Vatican has left many speculations run wild in fact, but on the other hand, prevents the personified by the papacy spiritual authority of the Catholic Church was involved in a bipartisan way in these hypotheses.

Conspiracy theories

In 1984 David Yallop the book In God's Name? In it, he claims that John Paul I was poisoned because he wanted to expose and eliminate corrupt machinations of the Vatican Bank. He was himself affected as Patriarch of Venice Of these, the light of the public shying actions, and if they were in direct connection with the affair of the Banco Ambrosiano with Paul Marcinkus, Roberto Calvi and Michele Sindona and their connection to Licio Gelli's Masonic lodge Propaganda Due ( P2).

In addition, Yallop also brought the Cardinal Secretary of State Jean -Marie Villot and John Cardinal Cody, Archbishop of Chicago, with the death of the Pope in connection because both supposedly their offices should be dismissed. This thesis, which was addressed among others by Francis Ford Coppola in The Godfather III and has found its way into the novel Sistine conspiracy by Philipp Vandenberg, holds to this day.

Process of beatification

The beatification process for John Paul I was not opened in 2003 because of his short tenure as usual popes in Rome, but in his home diocese of Belluno Feltre -. On 3 January 2007, the Roman phase of the beatification process was opened after the diocesan phase had ended solemnly in the Cathedral of Belluno, on 10 November 2006.

Writings

• Dear friend. Letters to famous people. St. Benno -Verlag, Leipzig 1981.
• The example of the Samaritan. The Spiritual Exercises of John Paul I. Verlag Styria, Graz 1982.
• My legacy. Verlag Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1986, ISBN 3-222-11677-6.
• In the spirit of Jesus. The example of St. Alphonsus Liguori. Verlag Herder, Freiburg 1987.
• Sake of our children. Verlag Styria, Graz 1992.
• Our Father. Thoughts on the Lord's Prayer. Verlag Styria, Graz 1995.
• Ave Maria. Thoughts on the Mother of the Lord. Verlag Styria, Graz 1997.
• I think. Thoughts on the Creed of the Church. Verlag Styria, Graz 1997.
• Your devoted Albino Luciani: letters to celebrities. Publisher New City, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-87996-362-2.
• Role models. People from whom we can learn. Verlag Styria, Graz 1998.
• Holy times. Meditations for Church Year. Verlag Styria, Graz 1999.
• From the value of the family. Verlag Styria, Graz 2001.

• Message of goodness and hope. The speeches of his pontificate. Publisher Butzon Bercker, Kevelaer 1987.
• The world paid a smile. Words the joy of John Paul I. Verlag Herder, Freiburg 1986.
• Said with a smile. Selected texts for each day of the year. Publisher New City, Munich 1998.

Commemoration

Stamp issue in 2012 of the Office Philatelic of Vatican City 's 100th birthday at the ceremony for the " Pope of Smiles"