Oct. 17, 1912: Born July 7, 1935: Ordained a priest for the Diocese of Belluno-Feltre Dec. 27, 1958: Consecrated a Bishop 1958-1969: Bishop of the Diocese of Vittorio Veneto 1969-1978: Patriarch Archbishop of Venice March 5, 1973: Elevated to Cardinal by St. Paul VI Aug. 26, 1978: Elected Pope Sept. 28, 1978: Died June 17, 2003: Named Servant of God Nov. 8, 2017: Declared Venerable
MORE ABOUT VEN. POPE JOHN PAUL I
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis approved
the establishment of the John Paul I Vatican Foundation to preserve and promote
the writings, thinking, example and study of “the smiling pope.”
The pope also appointed as the foundation
president Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, who, like Pope
John Paul, is from Italy’s northern Veneto region.
The Vatican made the announcement April 28.
Born Albino Luciani in 1921, Pope John Paul
I served only 33 days as pope. He died in 1978 at the age of 65, shocking the
world and a Church that had just mourned the death of St. Paul VI.
St. John Paul II said his predecessor’s
importance was inversely proportional to his brief pontificate, and Cardinal
Parolin said this pope “was and remains a point of reference within the history
of the universal Church.”
Much about the pope, his life and work has
been gathered over the course of his sainthood cause, which Pope Francis
furthered in 2017 with the recognition that Pope John Paul lived the Christian
virtues in a heroic way.
Cardinal Parolin said in a written
commentary in the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, April 28 that
assembling all the sources of information for the sainthood cause has spurred
on new research and important details from a historical point of view.
“Therefore, a necessary reclaiming of the
memory of Pope Luciani is now possible so that his historical significance may
be fully restored” and new prospects be opened to greater study into his work,
the cardinal wrote.
Having this new foundation, he added, would
allow for the needed preservation of all of the late-pope’s works and writings
and would help promote his thinking and spirituality, particularly since his
example and message are “extraordinarily timely” today.
This is the cover of the book, “Pope Luciani: Chronicle of a Death.” The Vatican announced April 28, 2020, that Pope Francis approved the establishment of the John Paul I Vatican Foundation to preserve and promote the writings, thinking, example and study of “the smiling pope.” (CNS photo/courtesy of Stefania Falasca)
This Italian pope, born into poverty in a
small mountain village, was “a pastor near to his people, focused on the
essentials of the faith, including an extraordinary social sensitivity,” the
cardinal wrote.
“Being close, humility, simplicity,
insisting on God’s mercy, love for one’s neighbor and solidarity are some of
his major characteristics,” he wrote.
Cardinal Parolin said Pope John Paul applied
the Second Vatican Council throughout his brief pontificate, emphasizing the
Gospel, renewed missionary spirit, collegiality, the search for Christian
unity, interreligious dialogue, dialogue with the modern world and the
promotion of justice and peace.
The foundation will sponsor various
initiatives, including conventions, meetings, seminars and study sessions and
will eventually offer scholarships and other types of awards. It will also publish
research and be a point of reference throughout the world for people who wish
to further their studies regarding Pope John Paul I.
According to the Vatican communique,
Cardinal Parolin named six members to the foundation’s administrative board.
With each serving a five-year term, the members include: Cardinal Beniamino
Stella, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, who was a young priest in the
Diocese of Vittorio Veneto when Pope John Paul was its bishop and is postulator
of the pope’s sainthood cause; Stefania Falasca, a journalist and vice
postulator of the cause; and Lina Petri, one of the pope’s nieces.
The six members of the foundation’s
scientific committee had yet to be named.