The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church. Angelo Roncali was already old when he was chosen by the college of cardinals as successor to Pope Pius XII, who died in 1958. As a priest and later as pope he was much loved by his people. As Pope John XXIII, Angelo Roncali would be pope from 1958 to 1963.
Angelo Roncalli
Angelo Roncalli was born on November 25, 1881 in Bergamo, Italy . Young Angelo’s intelligence was noticeable, and the village priest also had him learn Latin in his spare time. Thanks to the financial support of an uncle, Angelo was able to attend the minor seminary in Bergamo. In 1901, as a priest student, he received a scholarship to continue his studies at the Pontifical Lateran University . Angelo specialized in church history. In 1903 he was ordained as a deacon and a year later, in 1904, he received his doctorate in theology.
Priest and secretary
In the same year 1904, Roncalli was also ordained a priest. He then became secretary to the new Bishop of Bergamo, Giacomo Radini. He also started teaching church history at the Bergamo seminary. When Bishop Radini made a trip abroad, Secretary Roncalli accompanied him. Radini and Roncalli are committed to, among other things, improving the poor position of textile workers. When Bishop Radini died, Roncalli lost his position as secretary.
First World War
During the First World War, Roncalli initially became a hospital soldier, where he could help wounded soldiers. He later became a chaplain, a military cleric.
Propaganda Fide
In 1921, Roncalli was appointed director of the Italian branch of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide by Pope Benedict XV . This congregation of the Roman Curia is concerned with everything related to missionary cooperation and the spread of the Gospel. As a member of the Central Council for the Pontifical Missionary Works, Roncalli also came to the Netherlands. Today the congregation is called: Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (Congregatio pro Gentium Evangelisatione). The name was changed by Pope John Paul II.
Bishop
In 1925, Roncalli was consecrated bishop and became titular archbishop of Areópoli. A titular archbishop is actually a bishop without his own diocese. He is assigned the name of a diocese that once existed but no longer does. A titular bishop or titular archbishop does have the same rights and duties as an ordinary bishop or archbishop.
Diplomacy
Roncalli turned out to be diplomatically talented. He was sent on all kinds of diplomatic missions for years by Achille Ratti, the later Pope Pius XI . He stayed in Sofia, Istanbul and Athens, among others. During his stay in Athens during the Second World War, he tried to assist as many Jews as possible. After the Second World War he was appointed nuncio in Paris. A nuncio is an envoy who represents the Holy See to the relevant government. In fact, Roncalli fulfilled the role of ambassador of Vatican City.
Cardinal
After the death of the Patriarch of Venice, Roncalli was appointed his successor on January 9, 1953. Three days later he was created cardinal priest. Cardinals are not appointed, but created. Cardinal priest is a rank. You have three ranks of cardinals, from lower rank to higher rank: cardinal-deacon, cardinal-priest and cardinal-bishop .
Pope John XXIII / Source: Unknown, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Pope
Pope Pius XII died in 1958. The available cardinals went to Rome to meet in conclave and elect a new pope. Because the College of Cardinals was not large at that time, 53 cardinals were present. After a four-day conclave, Roncalli, then 77 years old, was elected the new pope on October 28, 1958. He chose the name John, making him the 23rd with that name: Pope John XXIII. On November 4, 1958, he was crowned pope wearing the tiara.
Second Vatican Council
Soon after his election as Pope, January 1959, John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council , using the word aggiornamento : to bring up to date. The council would be held from 1962 to 1965 and would change much in the Church. Pope John XXIII did not live to see the end of the council.
Cardinal College
Only 53 cardinals had been involved in the election of John XXIII. Of these, about half were the same age as John, who was then 77 years old, or even older. That is a questionable basis in an innovative Church, which is why John XXIII increased the college of cardinals to 87 cardinals. One of them was also Giovanni Battista Montini , who as Paul VI would become John’s successor.
Innovations
John XXIII has instigated much-needed innovations in the Church. An example of this is the Second Vatican Council, but he also appointed a committee to examine the extent to which the Church Code needed to be brought up to date. Committees that have to sort out difficult legal matters take a lot of time. After all, all rules and laws must be harmonized. The result did not produce a new codex of canon law until 1983, during the time of Pope John Paul II .
In Germany, a postage stamp was issued in 1969 to honor the encyclical Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth). / Source: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons (PD)
Encyclicals
Like every pope, John also wrote a number of encyclicals. An encyclical is an important papal document of a doctrinal nature. The word comes from Greek and literally means circular. An encyclical is almost always written in Latin. Some of the encyclicals written by Pope John XXIII:
- May 15, 1961: Mater et Magistra – Dealing with the modern development of social life and Christian principles
- November 11, 1961: Aeterna Dei Sapientia – Dealing with the Holy Pope and Doctor of the Church Leo I the Great on the occasion of his 1500th death anniversary
- July 1, 1962: Paenitentiam Agere – Dealing with the merits of penitence
- April 11, 1963: Pacem in Terris – Peace on Earth
Beloved
John XXII was a humorous and spontaneous person. Properties that, thanks to modern media such as television, came across well among believers. In addition, with his call for modernization and innovation, he had struck exactly the right chord with many people who were longing for new ways to give meaning to their lives. All this earned John the nickname the good Pope .
Short pontificate
If someone aged 77 is chosen to become pope, it is not expected to be a long pontificate. Pontificate refers to the period during which a pope is in office. Unfortunately, that turned out to be true. In 1962 he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. The last months must have been difficult and exhausting for Johannes, with a lot of pain. Except for the fact that he sometimes had to cancel appointments due to his illness, the religious people experienced little of this period of illness. No statements were made about it in the media until a few days before his death, when it became apparent that the pope was dying. He died on June 3, 1963, aged 81.
read more
- The Second Vatican Council
- The country of the Pope, from Papal State to Vatican City
- The Popes of the Catholic Church
- The Conclave: The election of a new Pope
- Pope Paul VI (1963-1978)