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 Beatification of Pope John Paul I Scott 1802 (2022) On September 4, 2022, Pope Francis presided over the Mass in Saint Peter's Square celebrating the beatification Pope John Paul I, affectionately called the 'Smiling Pope'. The act of beatification moved John Paul I one step closer to sainthood. In his homily, Pope Francis stated: With a smile, Pope John Paul managed to communicate the goodness of the Lord...How beautiful is a Church with a happy, serene and smiling face, that never closes doors, never hardens hearts, never complains or harbors resentment, does not grow angry or impatient.Pope John Paul I was born Albino Luciani in Canale d'Agordo, Italy, in 1912. He was elected pope on August 26, 1978, following the death of Pope Paul VI, and took the name John Paul to honor his two immediate predecessors. He died on September 29 after only 33 days as pontiff.  Tomb of Pope John Paul I, Saint Peter's Basilica Photo by Sibode I, taken after his beatification on 4 September 2022 From Wikimedia Commons, under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license During his short pontificate, Pope John Paul I expressed a true humility of spirit, and a simplicity which fostered a closeness to his people. His personality was imbued with mercy and concern for the neediest people, an approachability that graced the Church for too short a time but provides a lasting legacy. Pope John Paul I's reputation of holiness grew from the time of his death, with many praying to him and requesting the opening of his cause for beatification. A miracle attributed to intercessions to him took place in 2011 when a little girl in South America, dying of a very serious illness, was healed. Pope Francis declared him venerable in November 2017. In preparation of the beautification, Vatican City released a new stamp on September 1, 2022, shown at the top of this article. A description of the stamp issue, along with technical details, can be found by clicking on the Vatican Post link below. REFERENCES: |
