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THREE MINUTES WITH THE SAINTS
The Smiling Saint: Remembering Pope John Paul I
He’s been forgotten by many; let’s change that
Even two decades after his death, there are few people on earth who haven’t heard of Pope St. John Paul II; his 26 years as pope witnessed the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, the dawn of a new millennium, and changes in society undreamed of when he was elected in October of 1978. Few today, however, remember the man that preceded him as Bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church, in no small part because his time as pope lasted a mere 33 days, the shortest reign in over 370 years. He should not be forgotten, however, and in the first installment of “Three Minutes with the Saints” for 2025, I want to introduce Albino Luciani, the man who was Pope John Paul I and who was affectionately called “the smiling Pope.”
Today, if Pope John Paul I is remembered for anything besides his 33-day pontificate it is for the persistent conspiracy theory that he was poisoned because he was going to reform the Vatican Curia and especially the practices of the Vatican Bank (I debunked that nonsense here). This is a shame, because he is worth remembering for so many more reasons. Here are a few biographical facts and some trivia tidbits to increase your knowledge of this fine man.
