John Paul I was pope for only 33 days. His sudden death has been the subject of much speculation. There were various publications that said he was poisoned. John Paul I, who will be beatified in Rome on Sunday, died at the age of 65 of heart failure. Previously, he did not suffer from any serious illnesses, according to his relatives, he did not even have heart problems. At the same time, no autopsy was performed after his death, which further supported the rumors that John Paul I did not die of natural causes. “Every unexpected death of a famous person naturally becomes an opportunity for fantasizing. Information about his death was probably mishandled. It was necessary to act transparently. This is how the comments about the death of John Paul I came about, which were based on fabrications,” says Cardinal Beniamino Stella, the postulator of the cause of the beatification of John Paul I. When explaining, he also refers to the work of the Italian journalist and deputy postulator of the cause, Stefanie Falasco, who is the co-author of the only comprehensive biography of John Paul I. In her book Pope Luciani: Chronicle of Death, she analyzed minute by minute everything that happened on the day before the death of the Pope, on the day of his death and the day after it. Stefania Falasca writes that the evening before his death, the Pope had severe pain in his chest for about five minutes, which could be a sign of a heart problem. When the pain subsided, the Pope refused to call a doctor. Renato Buzzonetti, his physician, was informed of this event only after the Pope had died. The vice postulator for the cause of beatification Stefania Falasca sits in front of the archive containing documents, letters and writings belonging to the late Pope John Paul I. Photo: TASR/AP – Gregorio Borgia Stefania Falasca shows one of John Paul I’s personal documents. Photo: TASR/AP – Sabrina Sergi “Po no autopsy was performed on the death of the Pope. Today, it would be an effective method to avoid such speculative comment. The dramatic and unexpected death of the Pope caught everyone by surprise. They were unable to act as the given situation required,” adds Cardinal Stella. In connection with the beatification process, they tried to point out precisely the achievements of the pontificate of John Paul I, his life and personality, and not the speculations surrounding his death. The smiling Pope John Paul I, real name Albino Luciani, was born in 1912 in an Alpine village north of Venice in the province of Belluno. He came from a poor working-class family that had to face the economic hardships of two world wars and the interwar period. He liked the mountains and country life. He was deeply rooted in his culture, he knew where his family and social roots were, and he often used examples from everyday life in his speeches. “He was a true son of his region – a generous, hard-working person who devoted himself fully to his service, and at the same time a very human, smiling priest and bishop,” recalls John Paul I, Cardinal Stella, who comes from the same region and knew the Pope from the time when was its bishop. Social topics, meetings and debates with ordinary people were close to him. He was extremely sensitive to the dramatic events in people’s lives, had compassion and understanding for their plight. Because of his friendly nature and special sense of humor, he was often compared to his predecessor John XXIII. He was called the “Pope of Smiles”. “He surprised people very positively with his humility, simplicity and smile. That smile was not contrived, but humble, gently indicated on the face. That was the smile with which he won people over, that was the way he communicated with God’s people,” notes Cardinal Stella. Albino Luciani was a modern man. It also resulted from his formation, studies, but also from meetings in parishes, from conversations with people. Cardinal Stella says of him that he had a radar aimed at the world. “It would certainly bear good fruit. His pontificate would undoubtedly be dedicated to presence among men. It would be a dialogue with humanity,” thinks the cardinal. Smiling Pope John Paul I the day after his election. Photo: TASR/AP John Paul I waves to the faithful during his first general audience. Photo: TASR/AP Albino Luciani wanted to be a priest since he was a little boy. He told his teacher about it, but he was skeptical about it, since Luciani’s father was rumored to have a critical attitude towards the church. However, he did not prevent his son from entering the seminary. Luciani studied with excellent results, later became vice-rector of the priestly seminary and taught dogmatics, moral theology and canon law. Pope John XXIII. appointed him bishop in the diocese of Vittorio Veneto. In this capacity, he participated in the Second Vatican Council. Pope Paul VI. he later elevated him to the Patriarch of Venice. Albino Luciani chose the single word Humilitas, which means humility, as the episcopal motto. For the coat of arms, he chose mountains that were supposed to remind him of his hometown, and three stars as symbols of the three divine qualities – faith, hope and love. During the period when he was appointed as a cardinal, he contributed to the magazine Posol St. Anthony, which at the time was the largest Catholic magazine in the world. He wrote 40 fictional letters addressed to writers (Ch. Dickens, M. Twain, GK Chesterton), saints (King David, Francis de Sales), historical figures (Hippocrates, Maria Theresa), literary figures (Figaro, Pinocchio), even an animal (bear of St. Romedius). All the letters were published as a book under the title Veľavážení also in Slovak. Cardinal Stella says that it is in this book collection that the significant cultural and literary level of the future pope is evident. Albino Luciani was not among the so-called papabili, i.e. candidates with a chance to become pope. His election in the third counting of votes on the very first day of the conclave was a surprise. The first pope with two names, John Paul I, came to the papal throne after the death of Paul VI, with whom he had a bond of friendship. He considered it necessary to continue introducing the conclusions of the Second Vatican Council into the life of the church. As a sign that he wants to continue in the footsteps of Paul VI. and John XXIII, chose two names as the first pope in history. In this way, the progressive and traditionalist characteristics of his predecessors were combined in John Paul I. Pope Paul VI. (left) with the Patriarch of Venice Cardinal Albino Luciani. Photo: TASR/AP “I don’t have the ‘wisdom of the heart’ of Pope John, nor the preparation and culture of Pope Paul, but I am in their place,” the newly elected pope told those gathered for the Angelus prayer. “I must try to serve the church. I hope you will help me with your prayers,” he continued, earning thunderous applause. From the first moment, he won believers with his immediacy. “I remember a little boy whom the Pope called to him and started a dialogue with him. He talked to him about serious theological questions in a simple way and that is how he won the hearts of the people. He was able to express human sensitivity with his face,” says Cardinal Stella about the Pope. Despite the short duration of his pontificate, he managed to make several significant changes. He abolished the use of the majestic plural “we” in papal addresses and documents. At his inauguration, he renounced the tiara, the ceremonial papal headdress in the form of a triple crown. He also rejected the traditional coronation ceremony and replaced it with a solemn inauguration mass in the square in front of the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica. His pontificate was the tenth shortest in history. At the same time, he was the last pope to be born in Italy. After him, the Pole Karol Wojtyła became pope, who chose the name John Paul II in his memory. John Paul I meets with the Archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal Karol Wojtyła. Photo: TASR/AP During his short tenure, John Paul I managed to receive cardinals, diplomats and journalists accredited by the Press Office of the Holy See and also met with delegations of non-Catholic churches and communities. He addressed the faithful four times during the Wednesday catechesis. The first was dedicated to humility, the rest to faith, hope and love. The day before his death, during a general audience, he was explaining a prayer his mother had taught him. He pondered the words, how to love God more and more, how not to stop at a momentary point, but with God’s help to constantly advance in love. Miraculous healing in Buenos Aires John Paul I died on the night of September 28-29, 1978. In November 2003, the process of his beatification was officially opened in Belluno Cathedral. In October 2021, the miracle of the healing of a girl from Buenos Aires through his intercession was recognized. The archbishop of Buenos Aires at the time of the miracle was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future Pope Francis. After a proper investigation by church officials, it was Pope Francis who signed the decree on the beatification of John Paul I. The miraculous healing happened in 2011. An eleven-year-old girl suffered from severe acute inflammatory encephalopathy, a malignant refractory epileptic disease with septic shock. It suddenly recovered in a situation where the doctors had already concluded that it was dying. The patient’s mother asked for the help of priest José Dabusti, who suggested a joint prayer for the intercession of John Paul I. Although the woman did not know much about the late pope, she prayed exclusively to him. They both came to the hospital and there they prayed together by the little girl’s bed. The nursing staff at the ICU joined them with their prayers. Within a few days, the girl recovered. “Her recovery from such a serious illness filled us with wonder. He is 22 years old today. She is healthy and lives a normal life. It was necessary to examine her illness, her quick and permanent recovery through the intervention of God through the intercession of the Servant of God John Paul I. All the elements of what we call a miracle in theological terminology are fulfilled,” states the beatification postulator Cardinal Beniamino Stella. Museum of John Paul I. Cardinal Stella was also responsible for the purchase of Pope Luciani’s birthplace. He donated it to the Diocese of Vittorio Veneto, which then renovated it and turned it into a museum with the help of the Patriarchate of Venice, the Italian Bishops’ Conference and the city of Belluno. John Paul I’s birthplace in Canale d’Agordo, a small village in the northern Italian Alps that now houses a museum. Photo: it.wikipedia.org Interior of the John Paul I Museum Photo: it.wikipedia.org When entering the John Paul I Museum, visitors are greeted by a statue of the “smiling Pope” and an Argentine girl who was miraculously healed at his intercession. A large lecture hall lined with photographs from the visit of John Paul II, who visited Luciani’s birthplace a year after his sudden death, was created in the attic of the house. It was the first pastoral trip that Pope Wojtyła made in Italy. The sprawling four-story building from the 18th century is surrounded by a garden. The original residential core has been preserved, including the rooms that John Paul I occupied when he visited his brother as bishop and patriarch. In the museum, you can also see the room where the Pope was born and where the midwife hurriedly baptized him because his life was in immediate danger. “I believe that many pilgrims will visit this house. The beatification will certainly increase the interest of Christians in the native roots of this Pope,” concludes Cardinal Stella.