Cardinal Albino Luciani was elected Pope and took the name Pope John Paul I on this day in history, August 28, 1978.
John Paul I would have a very brief tenure as head of the Catholic Church, dying of a heart attack just 33 days after his election.
Born on October 17, 1912 in Belluno, a city in northern Italy, the future Pope was the son of Giovanni Luciani and Bortola Tancon, says the official Vatican biography.
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He was baptized on the day of his birth, as it was feared he would not survive, the site added.
In 1923, Luciani entered the minor seminary. Five years later, he entered the Gregorian seminary in Belluno. He was ordained a priest on 7 July 1935, at the age of 22.
Pope John Paul I, born Albino Luciani, was elected pontiff on August 26, 1978. Born in Belluno, Italy, he is remembered with this exhibition in his hometown. (Gilardi Photo Library/Getty Images)
Pope John Paul XXIII appointed Luciani Bishop of Vittorio Veneto on 15 December 1958. Vittorio Veneto is located not far from Belluno.
Eleven years after being named bishop, Luciani was named “Patriarch of Venice” by Pope Paul VI.
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He was later named cardinal and elevated to the College of Cardinals on March 5, 1973.
On August 6, 1973, Pope Paul VI died at the age of 80, meaning that Luciani and the other voting members of the College of Cardinals would have to come to the Vatican to elect his successor.
Pope John Paul I greeted the crowd in Vatican City after his election. He was known as the “Smiling Pope” because of his contagious smile. (Keystone Archive/Hulton/Getty Images)
In this process, called a papal conclave, cardinals vote in secret in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel.
After each vote the ballots are burned.
If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the smoke coming out of the chimney is black.
Luciani was elected in the fourth round, a relatively quick election.
If a winner is declared, a chemical is added that causes the smoke to turn white.
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The 1978 conclave began on August 25 and ended the following day. Luciani was elected in the fourth round, a relatively quick election. Official vote totals are not published, although leaks occasionally emerge.
The smoke from the Sistine Chapel was white for only a few seconds before turning gray, then turning white again, causing confusion among the gathered crowd, The Washington Post reported.
The smoke announcing the election of Pope John Paul I was not completely white, causing confusion among the assembled crowd. (François Lochon/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
“It is clear that the chemical rods burned to ensure an unequivocal signal were not a triumph for Italian industry,” wrote journalist Bernard D. Nossiter.
Luciani appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and was announced as the new Pope John Paul II.
He chose the name to honor the two previous popes, Paul VI and John XXIII.
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John Paul I's brief papacy was perhaps best summed up by his episcopal motto: Humilitas (humility). He eschewed the traditional papal tiara and coronation, insisting instead on an investiture ceremony.
He was known throughout Italy as the “Smiling Pope” for his photogenic smile.
Pope John Paul I greets the faithful gathered in Vatican City. His pontificate lasted just 33 days. (Gilardi Photo Library/Getty Images)
Just 33 days after his election, Pope John Paul I was found dead in his bed on September 29, 1978, at the age of only 65.
Doctors believe he died around 11 p.m. last night, the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano reported.
“This morning, 29 September 1978, at around 5.30, the Pope's private secretary, contrary to custom, not finding the Holy Father in the chapel of his private apartment, looked for him in his room and found him dead in bed, with the light on, as if he were reading,” reports L'Osservatore Romano.
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“The doctor Dr. Renato Buzzonnetti, who arrived immediately, confirmed that the death occurred, presumably, around eleven o'clock last night, due to acute coronary thrombosis.”
Despite this statement, conspiracy theories have emerged; there were rumors that perhaps John Paul I's death was actually a homicide.
Pope John Paul I was found dead in his bed on September 29, 1978, just over a month into his papacy. (François Lochon/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
The Vatican maintains that his death was due to natural causes.
No autopsy was performed, as is customary when a Pope dies.
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His 33-day papacy was the shortest in the modern era, although the title for shortest papacy goes to Pope Urban VII, who reigned for 13 days before dying on Sept. 27, 1590, the Vatican website notes.
Pope John Paul I's funeral took place on 4 October 1978 and he was buried in St. Peter's Basilica.
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His successor, Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, took the name Pope John Paul II in his honour.
His cause for canonization was opened on November 23, 2003, according to the website of the John Paul I Vatican Foundation.
Pope John Paul I was beatified by Pope Francis on September 4, 2022. (Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
He was declared “venerable” on November 8, 2017, and beatified by Pope Francis on September 4, 2022.
In the Catholic Church, “beatification” is the next step after canonization.
Pope John Paul I is now known as “Blessed.”
