On September 4, Pope Francis beatified Pope John Paul I – “the smiling pope” – who died after just 33 days in office. At a ceremony in St Peter’s Square – the last formal step before canonisation – the Pope said: “How beautiful is a Church with a happy, serene and smiling face, that never closes doors, never hardens hearts, never complains or harbours resentment, does not grow angry or impatient, does not look dour or suffer nostalgia for the past.” Yet, whenever the name of the former pope comes up, there is inevitably speculation about his untimely death at the age of 65.
Born Albino Luciani on 17 October 1912 in northern Italy, John Paul I was found dead in his bed at a Vatican apartment very shortly after taking office. His brief papacy was characterised by a simple manner of addressing the faithful, which endeared him to millions. Francis advanced John Paul along the path to sainthood after crediting the former pontiff with interceding in the miraculous healing of 11-year-old Candela Giarda in Buenos Aires. A local priest took “the initiative to invoke Pope Luciani”.
Mystery has continued to surround his death, however, ostensibly from a heart attack, especially since the Vatican gave conflicting versions as to the circumstances in which he was discovered. Despite initially claiming he had been found by a priest who served as his secretary, it then said he had been found by a nun. Much has also been made of a financial scandal at the time involving figures linked to the Vatican’s bank. Given that John Paul I intended to investigate and that no autopsy was ever undertaken, speculation has only grown. Other commentators have suggested the then pope was in poor health.
One name which has come up in connection with John Paul I’s death is that of Cardinal Sebastiano Baggio, then head of the Vatican’s Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. According to Fr. Charles Theodore Murr – who wrote Murder in the 33rd Degree: The Gagnon Investigation into Vatican Freemasonry – Baggio was a Freemason who attempted to guarantee liberal bishops were promoted but who was later demoted by John Paul I. Most conspiracies tend to focus on the financial dimension, however. Meanwhile, the fact the then Pontiff was found smiling, sitting up in bed and holding reading material has fuelled conspiracy theories, given how unlikely it would be that someone who had suffered a fatal heart attack would look like that.
Sunday’s ceremony, however, was really an opportunity to reflect on the former pope’s life rather than his untimely death, and the miracle in Argentina. A humble and happy leader of the Catholic Church, John Paul I is remembered fondly by Catholics. Most significantly perhaps, he was the last Italian pope. As the Church’s demographics change, it has become accepted in many circles that an Italian – perhaps even a European – would not be as able to reach a global audience as a non-European pontiff.
This has put Filipino prelate, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, in pole position to succeed Pope Francis, although the Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdő, and the Italian prelate, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, are also considered leading contenders. Other candidates to succeed the Pope include the Dutch conservative, Cardinal Wim Eijk, as well as compromise candidate, Cardinal Mario Grech from Malta. Also in the running are liberal Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, and another Italian, the conservative Cardinal Angelo Scola. There is also the outside chance of an African pontiff, as well as the growing possibility of an American pope, or even a British pontiff.
So, while the brevity of John Paul I’s papacy will be thought of as its primary characteristic, perhaps it was the fact he was the last Italian pope which is most significant, not least because most popes historically have come from Italy. As the Church shifts to the Global South – and even within Europe the centre of gravity of Catholicism has moved from southern to eastern Europe – the sense has grown that an Italian pope would not reflect the modern Church and could not reach out to the modern world. Perhaps that is unjust, but given that Francis set a recent precedent for a non-European pope – and given how international the College of Cardinals now is – John Paul I may well go down in history as the last Italian pope for many years to come.
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