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Stop Believing the Conspiracy Theory That Pope John Paul I Was Murdered
This has persisted for far too long
“Your boy really did his homework, Fox. And you’ll have the shortest executive career since that pope that got poisoned.” — Unnamed investment banker to Bud Fox in the film Wall Street.
The pope who got poisoned. That’s the way far too many people remember Pope John Paul I, if they remember him at all. He deserves better, including being remembered for more than just being the man who died after only 33 days as pope, making way for John Paul II to reign for 26 years and become one of the most important popes of the past 500 years.
I’m writing this now because John Paul I has been in the news this week for a positive reason: he was beatified today at the Vatican, the final step before being officially declared a saint. Yet amid the celebration and multiple news stories highlighting the life of the man known as “the smiling pope” and whom Italians call “Papa Luciani” (his name before becoming pope was Albino Luciani) there is always some mention about the “mystery” surrounding his death on September 28, 1978.
I understand that there’s nothing people love more than a good conspiracy theory after shocking events happen (in my youth, I fell down the rabbit hole that is JFK assassination…
