Quick Links

Australia and the Popes

Pope John Paul I : 1978 (33 days)

Shortest papacy of the Twentieth Century:

Pope John Paul I reigned as pope and as sovereign of Vatican City from August 26, 1978 to September 28, 1978. His 33-day papacy was one of the shortest reigns in papal history, resulting in the most recent Year of Three Popes. Having died before he could make a legacy as a pope, he is best remembered for his friendliness and humility, drawing comparisons with "Good Pope John", the widely popular Pope John XXIII.

His birth name had been Albino Luciani (17 October 1912 – 28 September 1978)

He was the first pope to choose a double name and did so to honor his two immediate predecessors, Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI. He was also the first (and so far only) pope to use "the first" in his regnal name.

John Paul I described himself as quiet, unassuming, and modest, with a warm sense of humor. In his notable Angelus of August 27, delivered on the first day of his papacy, he impressed the world with his natural friendliness. What also struck Catholics was his humility, a prime example being his embarrassment when Pope Paul VI took off his stole and put it on Luciani while he was a cardinal. He recalls the occasion in his first Angelus as:

"Pope Paul VI made me blush to the roots of my hair in the presence of 20,000 people, because he removed his stole and placed it on my shoulders. Never have I blushed so much!"

Continued on next page... >>

<< Prev: Australia during Paul VI's pontificate |
Next: Pope John Paul I (cont'd) >>

The textual material on these pages was sourced from a large number of places all of which can be found through the links on each page. The material was researched, assembled and produced by Brian Coyne for Catholic Australia. The images used in the Flash animations are in the public domain. Other images used are in the public domain or sourced from the webpages to which they are linked.