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 Coronation Pope John XXIII Scott 250 (1959) Undoubtedly there are members of the VPS who still remember Pope John XXIII, who reigned as pope from October 1958 through June of 1963. He has been voluminously discussed in our Daily Emails, and appears on numerous stamps issued by Vatican City. One of the most popular popes of the 20th century, he projected a grandfatherly calm while also launching one of the most transformative events in Church history: Vatican II. The Feast of Pope Saint John XXIII is celebrated on October 11. Unlike most saints, whose feast days are celebrated on the dates of their deaths (or in close proximity to those dates), the date of his feast coincides with the date of the opening of the Second Vatican Council on October 11, 1961. Pope John XXIII convened Vatican II, but died prior to its completion. Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (1881-1963) was elected pope on October 28, 1958, following the death of Pope Pius XII. Rather than repeat the details of the life of this great pope, let's take a look at an interesting story surrounding Pope John XXIII: the choice of his papal name. "John" is the most common name taken by popes, most likely to honor Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. The first Pope John (Pope Saint Ioannes) was elected in 523. The last legitimately-elected pope prior to 1958 to take the name "John" was Pope John XXII, whose pontificate in Avignon was from 1316 to 1334. The "first" Pope John XXIII was an amoral antipope, one of three competing popes between 1409 and 1417, the years that marked the conclusion of the Western Schism that rocked the Church from 1378 to 1417. Upon his election in 1958, Cardinal Roncalli chose the name "John" and the number "XXIII", putting an end to any lingering confusion about the historical status of the first John XXIII. At one point he commented “I choose John … because it is the name of the humble parish church where I was baptized, the solemn name of numberless cathedrals scattered throughout the world, including our own basilica [referring to the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran]. Twenty-two Johns of indisputable legitimacy have been Pope, and almost all had a brief pontificate. We have preferred to hide the smallness of our name behind this magnificent succession of Roman popes.” (emphasis added)In actuality, there have only been 21 legitimate popes named John. Misnumbering and the inclusion of one antipope named "John" in the list of popes adds to the confusion. Following his election, Pope John XXIII announced three goals for his pontificate: revision of canon law, a diocesan synod for Rome, and the convening of an ecumenical council. Vatican II, as the Second Vatican Council came to be called, was, according to historian J. N. D. Kelly “a sudden inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Its objective he later explained, was to be a new Pentecost, a means of regeneration for the church bringing its teaching, discipline, and organization up to date, and opening a way towards the reunion of the separated brethren of east and west.”The last pope to openly smoke cigarettes, John XXIII died of stomach cancer on 3 June 1963. He was beatified in 2000 by Pope John Paul II and canonized in 2014 by Pope Francis. Historian Kelly summarized the life of Pope John XXIII as being: “warm hearted and unaffectedly simple in spite of his erudition and command of many languages, attached to his humble origins and always retaining a peasant’s shrewdness and jovial humor. John brought a wind of change of his office, relaxing its hieratic stiffness and, after decades of growing centralization giving the episcopate a new awareness of its importance.”Here are examples of stamps issued by Vatican City following the death of Pope Saint John XXIII:  50th Anniversary of the Death of Pope John XXIII Scott 1531 (2013)  Beatification of Pope John XXIII Scott 1166 (2000)  Canonization of Pope Saint John XXII Scott 1557 (2014) REFERENCES: |
