Pope Francis beatified the happy and humble Pope John Paul I, known as the “Smiling Pope”, who died just 33 days later as the leader of the world’s Roman Catholic Church.
At a ceremony in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Francis praised Pope John Paul I’s short but hilarious pontificate.
“Pope John Paul could convey the Lord’s good intentions with a smile,” he said during Mass.
“Have a happy, gentle smile, don’t slam doors, harden your heart, complain or hold grudges, don’t get angry or impatient, put on a melancholy face, show nostalgia for the past.” How beautiful is a church that does not feel.”
Seated under a canopy outside St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis led proceedings interrupted by thunder, lightning and rain, offering cardinals, bishops, choirs, and thousands of lay loyalty an umbrella. was expanded.
Born albino Luciani on October 17, 1912 in the northern Italian town of Canale d’Agordo, John Paul I became the Patriarch of Venice, Cardinal and Head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Luciani, who took the name John Paul after being elected Pope on August 26, 1978, was found dead in his bed in his Vatican apartment on September 28 of that year.
The Vatican said John Paul died of a heart attack, but offered conflicting versions of the circumstances under which his body was found.
Initially, he claimed he was found by the priest who was his secretary, but later admitted that he was found by one of the nuns who brought him his morning coffee.
Given the massive financial scandal that erupted in Italy at the time involving a person with ties to the Vatican Bank, the secular media speculated that John Paul was poisoned because he intended to commit fraud. Suspicions soon took root.
A book speculating on the circumstances surrounding his death sold millions of copies.
Christophe Henning, a biographer of John Paul, said the rumors could be explained by the sudden nature of his death and “disastrous communications” by the Vatican at the time. The fact that it is not also fuels speculation.
However, Henning told Agence France-Presse that there was no doubt that the pope died of natural causes and was “in poor health”.
John Paul’s brief papacy was marked by his simple and direct way of addressing his followers, markedly different from the style of his more formal predecessors.
“Pray in his own words, ‘Lord, accept me for who I am. With my faults and shortcomings, let me be what you want me to be,'” Francis said. I was.
The Pope added that John Paul had “overcome the temptation” to live “without compromise” and “center himself or seek glory.”
Frances promoted John Paul to sainthood last year after admitting to intervening in a child’s miraculous healing in 2011.
The Vatican said the treatment of 11-year-old Candela Jarda took place in Buenos Aires, the birthplace of Francis. Giarda, suffering from acute encephalitis, septic shock, and other serious medical problems, was told by doctors that he was on the brink of death. “Summoned,” the Vatican added, and she recovered.
Last week, Jarda, now 21, told a press conference that she would have loved to attend the ceremony but was unable to because she broke her leg while working out at the gym.
Agence France-Presse and Associated Press contributed to this report
