John Paul I

John Paul I 1912-78, pope (1978), an Italian (b. Canale d'Agordo) named Albino Luciani; successor of Paul VI . Born into a poor, working-class family, he trained at local seminaries and at the Gregorian Univ. in Rome. He was patriarch of Venice (1969-78) and was made a cardinal in 1973. He was present at the Second Vatican Council (see Vatican Council, Second ) and vowed during his papacy to put its mandates into effect. John Paul I eliminated the traditional, elaborate papal coronation, opting for a simpler ceremony. He died one month after becoming pope and was succeeded by John Paul II .

John Paul I (1912–78), Pope from 26 Aug. to 28 Sept. 1978. Albino Luciani was ordained Bp. of Vittorio Veneto by John XXIII in 1958; in 1969 Paul VI nominated him Patr. of Venice and in 1973 created him a cardinal. At Venice he acted as host to five ecumenical conferences. His election as Pope was unexpected; it appears that a majority of the cardinals were anxious for a new style of Pope, without curial connexions but with pastoral experience. After 33 days he died of a heart attack. Vatican ineptitude allowed the spread of rumours of foul play.

John Paul I (1912–78). Pope from 26 Aug. to 28 Sept. 1978. He was made bishop of Vittorio Veneto in 1958, and patriarch of Venice in 1969. He was made cardinal in 1973. He was elected pope on the third ballot and was acclaimed as ‘God's candidate’, and as one who would develop Vatican II while conserving the tradition. He died of a heart attack while reading papers in bed. Subsequent theories (building in part on the absence of an autopsy) claimed that he was poisoned because of his determination to clarify the suspect dealings of the Vatican Bank. He wrote Catechesis in Easy Stages (1949) and Illustrissimi (1978), letters addressed to figures in the past. The hope that the papacy would continue to develop the vision of Vatican II and would be committed, not just in rhetoric but in reality, to a gospel of commitment to the poor, faded under his successor: see JOHN PAUL II.