Pope John Paul I

Pope Blessed John Paul I
Bishop of Rome
Official photograph, 1978
Church	Catholic Church
Papacy began	26 August 1978
Papacy ended	28 September 1978
Predecessor	Paul VI
Successor	John Paul II
Orders
Ordination	7 July 1935 by Giosuè Cattarossi
Consecration	27 December 1958 by John XXIII
Created cardinal	5 March 1973 by Paul VI
Personal details
Born	Albino Luciani (1912-10-17)17 October 1912 Canale d'Agordo, Belluno, Veneto, Kingdom of Italy
Died	28 September 1978(1978-09-28) (aged 65) Apostolic Palace, Vatican City
Previous post(s)	Pro Vicar General of Belluno (1948–1954) Vicar General of Belluno (1954–1958) Bishop of Vittorio Veneto (1958–1969) Patriarch of Venice (1969–1978) Vice-President of the Italian Episcopal Conference (1972–1976) Cardinal-Priest of San Marco (1973–1978)
Education	Pontifical Gregorian University (PhD)
Motto	Humilitas (Humility)
Signature
Coat of arms
Sainthood
Feast day	26 August[1][2]
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Beatified	4 September 2022 Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope Francis
Attributes	Papal vestments Pallium
Patronage	Catechists[3]
Other popes named John Paul

Pope John Paul I (Latin: Ioannes Paulus I; Italian: Giovanni Paolo I; born Albino Luciani [alˈbiːno luˈtʃaːni]; 17 October 1912 – 28 September 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, resulting in the most recent year of three popes and the first to occur since 1605. John Paul I remains the most recent Italian-born pope, the last in a succession of such popes that started with Clement VII in 1523.

Before the August 1978 papal conclave that elected him, he expressed his desire not to be elected, telling those close to him that he would decline the papacy if elected; upon the cardinals' electing him, he felt an obligation to say yes.^[4] He was the first pontiff to have a double name, choosing "John Paul" in honour of his two immediate predecessors, John XXIII and Paul VI. He explained that he was indebted to John XXIII and to Paul VI for naming him a bishop and a cardinal, respectively. Furthermore, he was the first pope to add the regnal number "I", designating himself "the First".

His two immediate successors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, later recalled the warm qualities of the late pontiff in several addresses. In Italy, he is remembered with the appellatives of Il Papa del Sorriso (transl. The Smiling Pope)^[5] and Il Sorriso di Dio (transl. The Smile of God).^[6] Time magazine and other publications referred to him as "The September Pope".^[7] He is also known in Italy as "Papa Luciani". In his hometown of Canale d'Agordo a museum built and named in his honour is dedicated to his life and brief papacy.

He was declared a servant of God by his successor, John Paul II, on 23 November 2003, the first step on the road to sainthood. Pope Francis confirmed his heroic virtue on 8 November 2017 and named him as Venerable. Pope Francis presided over the beatification on 4 September 2022.^[8][9]