"John Paul I, he mysteriously dies. In ""The Company: A Novel of the CIA"" by Robert Littell, Pope John Paul I is murdered by a KGB hired killer. Pope John Paul I conspiracy theories Pope John Paul I died suddenly in September 1978, 33 days after his election. Following contradictory reports about the circumstances of his death and apparent anomalies about the issuing of the death certificate and other procedures, several conspiracy theories have gained currency. Many of these concern the serious corruption in the Vatican Bank (Istituto per le Opere Religiose), possibly linked to Freemasonry, which is forbidden by"
"Pope Pius VIII Pope Pius VIII (20 November 1761 – 30 November 1830), born Francesco Saverio Castiglioni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 31 March 1829 to his death in 1830. Pius VIII's pontificate was the shortest of the 19th century, and is likely the least remembered. His brief papacy witnessed the Catholic Emancipation in Great Britain in 1829, which he welcomed, and the July Revolution in France in 1830, which he reluctantly accepted. Pius VIII is often remembered for his writings on marriages between Catholics and Protestants in the 1830 encyclical ""Litteris"
"1978. He took part in the conclaves that elected Pope John Paul I and Pope John Paul II in August and October. He lost the right to participate any future conclaves when turned 80 years of age in 1985. He died on 5 October 1993 in Rome. His funeral mass, presided over by Pope John Paul II, and concelebrated by thirty cardinals and numerous archbishops and bishops, took place in the patriarchal Vatican basilica at 5:30 pm on 7 October 1993. The cardinal's body was flown to Monreale on 8 October and transferred to Palermo, where another funeral took place"
"1378 Papal conclave The papal conclave of 1378 which was held from April 7 to 9, 1378 was the papal conclave which was the immediate cause of the Western Schism in the Catholic Church. The conclave was one of the shortest in the history of the Catholic Church. The conclave was also the first held in the Vatican and in Old St. Peter's Basilica (the elections and conclaves in Rome prior to the Avignon Papacy having been held mostly in the Basilica of St. John Lateran) since 1159. Pope Gregory XI died on March 26, 1378 in Rome, having returned"
"August 1978 papal conclave The papal conclave of August 1978, the first of the two conclaves held that year, was convoked after the death of Pope Paul VI on 6 August 1978 at Castel Gandolfo. After the cardinal electors assembled in Rome, they elected Cardinal Albino Luciani, Patriarch of Venice, as the new pope on the fourth ballot. He accepted the election and took the name of ""John Paul I"". It was the first conclave since the promulgation of ""Ingravescentem aetatem"" (1970), which made cardinals who had reached the age of 80 by the day the conclave began ineligible to"
"Pope Pius IX died on 7 February 1878, aged 85, concluding the longest pontificate in papal history, after that of Saint Peter, whom tradition holds had reigned for 37 years. His last words were, ""Guard the church I loved so well and sacredly"", as recorded by the cardinals kneeling beside his bedside. His body was originally buried in St. Peter's grotto, but was moved in a night procession on 13 July 1881 to the Basilica of Saint Lawrence outside the Walls. When the cortege approached the Tiber River, a group of anticlerical Romans screaming ""Long live Italy! Death to the"
"1878 Papal conclave The papal conclave of 1878, which resulted from the death of Pope Pius IX on 7 February 1878, met from 18 to 20 February. The conclave the longest reign of any other pope since Saint Peter. It was the first election of a pope who would not rule the Papal States. It was the first to meet in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican because the venue used earlier in the 19th century, the Quirinal Palace, was now the palace of the King of Italy, Umberto I. When the cardinals assembled, they faced a dilemma. Should they"
"him as he continued to receive more votes. Jaime Sin told Luciani ""You will be the new pope"". Luciani was elected on the fourth ballot and when Jean-Marie Villot asked Luciani whether he accepted his election he said, ""May God forgive you for what you have done"" and accepted his election. In honor of his two immediate predecessors, he took ""John Paul"" as his regnal name. After the election when Cardinal Sin paid him homage, the new pope said: ""You were a prophet, but my reign will be a short one"". On 26 August 1978 at 6:24 p.m. local time"
"Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (; ; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was Pope of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 to his death in 1963; he was canonized on 27 April 2014. Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was the fourth of fourteen children born to a family of sharecroppers who lived in a village in Lombardy. He was ordained to the priesthood on 10 August 1904 and served in a number of posts, as nuncio in France and a delegate to Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. In a"
"cease wearing a papal tiara within weeks of his coronation, and laid his own on the altar of St. Peter's Basilica in a gesture of humility, his 1975 Apostolic Constitution, ""Romano Pontifici Eligendo"", still prescribed that ""the new pontiff is to be crowned by the senior cardinal deacon."" Nevertheless, his successor, John Paul I, opted not to be crowned and to have a less formal ""solemn Mass to mark the start of his ministry as Supreme Pastor"" in September 1978. After John Paul I's sudden death following a thirty-three-day reign, the new pope, John Paul II, opted to copy his"
"Pope Mark Pope Mark (; died 7 October 336) was Pope of the Catholic Church from 18 January to 7 October 336. Little is known of his early life. According to the ""Liber Pontificalis"", he was a Roman, and his father's name was Priscus. Mark succeeded St. Sylvester as pope on 18 January 336. He held office only eight months and twenty days, dying on 7 October following. Some evidence suggests that the early lists of bishops and martyrs known as the ""Depositio episcoporum"" and ""Depositio martyrum"" were begun during his pontificate. Per the ""Liber Pontificalis"", Pope Mark issued a"
"Pope Gregory III Pope Gregory III (; died 28 November 741) was Pope from 11 February 731 to his death in 741. His pontificate, like that of his predecessor, was disturbed by the iconoclastic controversy in the Byzantine Empire, and by the ongoing advance of the Lombards, in which he invoked the intervention of Charles Martel, although ultimately in vain. He was the 5th Syrian pope and the 10th and last pope born outside of Europe for 1,272 years, until the election of Pope Francis in 2013. Gregory was the son of a Syrian named John. He was elected pope"
"third longest reign of any pope until that time. When he died on 20 July 1903 at the age of 93 he had lived to be older than any of his known predecessors. 1878 Papal conclave The papal conclave of 1878, which resulted from the death of Pope Pius IX on 7 February 1878, met from 18 to 20 February. The conclave the longest reign of any other pope since Saint Peter. It was the first election of a pope who would not rule the Papal States. It was the first to meet in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican"
"of the Avignon claimants. 1378 Papal conclave The papal conclave of 1378 which was held from April 7 to 9, 1378 was the papal conclave which was the immediate cause of the Western Schism in the Catholic Church. The conclave was one of the shortest in the history of the Catholic Church. The conclave was also the first held in the Vatican and in Old St. Peter's Basilica (the elections and conclaves in Rome prior to the Avignon Papacy having been held mostly in the Basilica of St. John Lateran) since 1159. Pope Gregory XI died on March 26, 1378"
"Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death. He was the oldest pope (reigning until the age of 93), and had the third-longest confirmed pontificate, behind that of Pius IX (his immediate predecessor) and John Paul II. He is well known for his intellectualism and his attempts to define the position of the Catholic Church with regard to modern thinking. In his famous 1891 encyclical ""Rerum novarum"", Pope Leo outlined the rights of workers to"
"Pope Paul VI Pope Saint Paul VI (; ; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini (); 26 September 1897 – 6 August 1978) served as pope from 21 June 1963 to his death in 1978. Succeeding John XXIII, he continued the Second Vatican Council which he closed in 1965, implementing its numerous reforms, and fostered improved ecumenical relations with Eastern Orthodox and Protestants, which resulted in many historic meetings and agreements. Montini served in the Holy See's Secretariat of State from 1922 to 1954. While in the Secretariat of State, Montini and Domenico Tardini were considered as the closest"
"Pope Boniface VIII Pope Boniface VIII (; born Benedetto Caetani, c. 1230 – 11 October 1303) was Pope from 24 December 1294 to his death in 1303. He organized the first Catholic ""jubilee"" year to take place in Rome and declared that both spiritual and temporal power were under the pope's jurisdiction, and that kings were subordinate to the power of the Roman pontiff. Today, he is probably best remembered for his feuds with King Philip IV of France, who caused the Pope's death, and Dante Alighieri, who placed the pope in the Eighth Circle of Hell in his ""Divine"
"on November 30, 1830 at the age of 69 in the Quirinal Palace in Rome. Certain theories have emerged suggesting that Pius VIII was poisoned, but no proof has been found to verify this claim. Cardinal Camillo di Pietro gave the funeral oration for the late pope, before the cardinals entered the conclave to choose a successor. Pius VIII was succeeded by Pope Gregory XVI. Pope Pius VIII Pope Pius VIII (20 November 1761 – 30 November 1830), born Francesco Saverio Castiglioni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 31 March 1829 to his"
"28 April of that same year. He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the conclaves of August and October 1978, which selected Popes John Paul I and John Paul II respectively. After ten years' standing as a Cardinal-Deacon, Nasalli Rocca opted to become a Cardinal Priest, with the same titular church, on 30 June 1979. He then lost the right to participate any future conclaves upon reaching age 80 on 12 August 1983. Cardinal Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano died in a Roman clinic, where he had been admitted a week earlier, at age 85. He is buried"
"Cardinal electors for the August and October 1978 papal conclaves The papal conclaves of August 1978 and of October 1978 were convened to elect a new pope, the head of the Catholic Church, following the respective deaths of Pope Paul VI on and of Pope John Paul I on . According to the apostolic constitution ""Romano Pontifici eligendo"", which governed the vacancy of the Holy See, only cardinals who had not passed their 80th birthday on the day on which the conclave began (i.e. cardinals who were born on or after for the first conclave and on or after for"
"who had yet to reach the age of 80 on the first day of the conclave. The August 1978 conclave was the first in which this rule applied. The 15 cardinals ineligible to participate in both 1978 conclaves were: August 1978 papal conclave The papal conclave of August 1978, the first of the two conclaves held that year, was convoked after the death of Pope Paul VI on 6 August 1978 at Castel Gandolfo. After the cardinal electors assembled in Rome, they elected Cardinal Albino Luciani, Patriarch of Venice, as the new pope on the fourth ballot. He accepted the"
"Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878), born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was head of the Catholic Church from 16 June 1846 to his death on 7 February 1878. He was the longest-reigning elected pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving for over 31 years. During his pontificate, Pius IX convened the First Vatican Council (1869–70), which decreed papal infallibility, but the council was cut short owing to the loss of the Papal States. Europe, including the Italian peninsula, was in the midst of considerable political ferment when the bishop of Imola,"
"future course of the Vatican's ""Ost-Politik"" could have possibly decided the endeavour's ultimate fate. Following the death of Pope Paul VI on 6 August 1978, and the unexpected passing of the pontiff's immediate successor on 29 September of that year, John Paul II became pope on 16 October 1978. Photo: Pope John Paul II John Paul II's ascension to the Holy See ushered in the Vatican's policy of support for the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. The Soviet authorities' concerns regarding the new pope's intentions were confirmed by the publication of a letter (dated 19 March 1979) addressed to Cardinal Josyf Slipyj"
"September 1276 Papal election The papal election of September 1276 is the only papal election to be the third election of the same year. The election was also the first non-conclave, since the establishment of the papal conclave after the papal election, 1268–1271. Pope Adrian V died on August 18, 1276, at Viterbo after pontificate of only 38 days without being consecrated. The only act of his pontificate was the suspension of the constitution Ubi periculum about the conclave. The number of the cardinals present at Viterbo at the death of Adrian V is unclear, but, except Simon de Brion,"
"in the world; a most exemplary ecclesiastic; of the purest morals; devout, steady, learned, diligent..."" Pope Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII (; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in 1769. He was installed on 16 July 1758. His pontificate was overshadowed by the constant pressure to suppress the Society of Jesus but despite this, he championed their order and also proved to be their greatest defender at that time. He was also one of"
"Rome where he led out the procession of bishops. In his own words, Magee recounted the surrounding events and death of Pope John Paul I, explaining that he found the pope dead in his bed on the morning on 28 September 1978 (Lighthouse Catholic Media, NRP, 2008, entitled ""Untold Stories of the Last Three Popes""). While Magee was the first to summon assistance, he explains that the nun who served him coffee each morning was, in fact, the first to discover the pope dead, when she realised he had not opened the door to accept his morning beverage (Lighthouse Catholic"
"among the saints, and assign his feast to 1 February. The citizens of Syracuse at one point attempted to convince the Holy See to officially endorse the sainthood of the pope, but this was not successful. Pope Stephen III Pope Stephen III (; d. 1 February 772) was the Pope from 7 August 768 to his death in 772. Stephen was a Benedictine monk who worked in the Lateran Palace during the tenure of Pope Zachary. In the midst of a tumultuous contest by rival factions to name a successor to Pope Paul I, Stephen was elected with the support"
"the first Pope St. Peter and Pope Pius IX. He died after 26 years and 162 days of papacy. He was buried in presence of millions on 8 April 2005. Health of Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II entered the papacy in 1978 as an avid sportsman, enjoying hiking and swimming. The 58-year-old was extremely healthy and active for his age, jogging in the Vatican gardens to the horror of Vatican staff, who informed him that his jogging could be seen by tourists climbing to the summit of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. The pope's response, according"
"the sale of gold in churches to provide money to help handicapped children. He was also against worker priests—those who went to work in the factories and fields to labor with the laity—and he also criticised unions over strikes and workers' demonstrations. Pope Paul VI died on 6 August 1978, ending a reign of fifteen years. Luciani had gone to the late pope's funeral and mingled with the crowds who wanted to view the body of the late pope. In a certain moment, he thought he would not reach the body. But finally he was recognised once he had arrived"
"she had ever developed any romantic relationship with John Paul II, ""however one-sided it might have been."" She responded, ""No, I never fell in love with the cardinal. How could I fall in love with a middle-aged clergyman? Besides, I'm a married woman."" Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (; ; ; born Karol Józef Wojtyła; ; 18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) served as Pope and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 to 2005. He was elected by the second Papal conclave of 1978, which was called after Pope John Paul I, who had"
"of popes, the first non-Italian in 455 years. At only 58 years of age, he was the youngest pope since Pope Pius IX in 1846, who was 54. Like his predecessor, John Paul II dispensed with the traditional Papal coronation and instead received ecclesiastical investiture with a simplified Papal inauguration on 22 October 1978. During his inauguration, when the cardinals were to kneel before him to take their vows and kiss his ring, he stood up as the Polish prelate Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński knelt down, stopped him from kissing the ring, and simply hugged him. During his pontificate, Pope John"
"Pope Stephen III Pope Stephen III (; d. 1 February 772) was the Pope from 7 August 768 to his death in 772. Stephen was a Benedictine monk who worked in the Lateran Palace during the tenure of Pope Zachary. In the midst of a tumultuous contest by rival factions to name a successor to Pope Paul I, Stephen was elected with the support of the Roman officials. He summoned the Lateran Council of 769 which sought to limit the influence of the nobles in papal elections. The Council also opposed iconoclasm. A Greek born in Sicily, Stephen III was"
"Pope Lando Lando (also known as Landus) was Pope from September 913 to his death March 914. His short pontificate fell during an obscure period in papal and Roman history, the so-called ""Saeculum obscurum"" (904–64). He was the last pope to use a papal name (in his case, his birth name) that had not been used previously until the election of Pope Francis in 2013. According to the ""Liber pontificalis"", Lando was born in the Sabina, and his father was a wealthy Lombard count named Taino from Fornovo. The ""Liber"" also claims that his pontificate lasted only four months and"