Pope John Paul I
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
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| motto: Humilitas | |
| Birth name | Albino Luciani |
|---|---|
| Born | October 17, 1912 Forno di Canale (today Canale d'Agordo), Italy |
| Died | September 28, 1978 Apostolic Palace, Vatican City |
| Papacy from | August 26, 1978 – September 28, 1978 |
| Came after | Pope Paul VI |
| Came before | Pope John Paul II |
Pope John Paul I was born on October 17, 1912 in Canale d'Agordo, Italy. His name before he was Pope was Albino Luciani. He was elected Pope in 1978, but he died 33 days after he was elected. His time as Pope is one of the shortest in history.
When he was elected as Pope, he chose the name John Paul I to honor the two Popes who served before he did. John Paul I was the first pope to have two names as a Pope.
[change] Election
Many people expected the election of a new Pope to take a long time. This is because there were several large groups in the College of Cardinals who wanted to elect different people to be the Pope. Luciani was elected because he was someone that all the groups agreed would make a good Pope. Luciani did not expect to be elected Pope. In one famous picture of him taken when he was elected, his hair is messy. He did not have his hair cut before the election because he did not think he had a chance of becoming the Pope.
When Popes were elected, they took part in a ceremony called the Papal Coronation in which they received a tiara, like Kings and Queens do when they start ruling a country. John Paul I did not want to do this. He had an Inauguration instead. All of the Popes that came after John Paul I have had an Inauguration too.
[change] Time as pope
John Paul I was confused during his time as Pope. There was a lot of paperwork to read, and the large amount of information was too much for him to understand in the short amount of time he was given to read it. A lot of people who worked with the Pope thought that someone else should have been elected. John Paul I agreed with this. Several times, he asked his assistants, "Why did they pick me?"
He was known to be very friendly. He was called "The Smiling Pope" because he smiled a lot when seen in public. He was very popular with the Catholics of the world. He spoke in a way that was easy for many people to understand.
[change] Death
John Paul I died on September 28, 1978, 33 days after his election, branding him the title "the Pope who ruled for 33 days". His death surprised the world. No one expected the Pope to die so soon after being elected. Some people believe that John Paul I was murdered, possibly by drinking a cup of poisoned coffee. This has not been proven.
