In a ceremony in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, which marked the last official step before canonization, Francis praised the short but joyous papacy of John Paul I. “With a smile, Pope John Paul managed to transmit the goodness of the Lord,” he said during the service. “How beautiful is a church with a happy, peaceful and smiling face, that never closes doors, never hardens hearts, never complains or harbors discontent, never gets angry or impatient, never looks sad or longs for the past.” A man holds a photo of Pope John Paul I during the canonization ceremony. Photo: Andrew Medichini/AP Sitting under a canopy outside St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis led the proceedings, which were punctuated by thunder, lightning and rain, prompting cardinals, bishops, the choir and thousands of worshipers to open umbrellas. Born Albino Luciani on October 17, 1912, in the northern Italian town of Canale d’Agordo, John Paul I became the Patriarch of Venice, a cardinal and then 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 bed in his Vatican apartment on September 28 of that year. Although the Vatican said John Paul died of a heart attack, it gave conflicting accounts of the circumstances in which his body was discovered. Although he initially claimed to have been found by a priest serving as his secretary, he later acknowledged that he had been found dead by one of the nuns who brought him his morning coffee. Given the huge financial scandal developing at the time in Italy involving individuals with connections to the Vatican bank, suspicions quickly took root in the secular media that John Paul might have been poisoned because he intended to face wrongdoing. Books speculating on the circumstances of his death sold millions of copies. John Paul’s biographer Christophe Henning said the rumors could be explained by the sudden nature of his death and the “catastrophic communication” from the Vatican at the time. The absence of an autopsy to determine the cause of death has also fueled speculation. However, Henning told AFP he had no doubt the pontiff died of natural causes, adding that he was “in fragile health”. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. John Paul’s short papacy was characterized by the simple, direct manner in which he addressed the faithful – a style markedly different from that of his more formal predecessors. “Let us pray, in his own words: ‘Lord, take me as I am, with my faults, with my imperfections, but make me what you want,’” Francis said. The Pope added that John Paul lived “without compromise” and also “overcame the temptation” to put himself “at the center or to seek glory”. Francis promoted John Paul to sainthood last year after he credited him with mediating the miraculous healing of a child in 2011. The Vatican said the treatment of the 11-year-old girl, Candela Giarda, took place in Buenos Aires, Francis’ hometown. Giarda was suffering from acute brain inflammation, septic shock and other serious medical problems, and doctors said he was on the verge of death. But a local priest took “the initiative to appeal to Pope Luciani,” the Vatican added, and she recovered. Last week, Giarda, who is now 21, told a news conference that she wanted to attend the ceremony but would not be able to because she had broken her leg while working out at the gym. Agence France-Presse and The Associated Press contributed to this report
