I have some memories of the ‘Year of Three Popes’ It was 1978
and I was in third class primary school in C.B.S. James’s Street. The faith was
practiced more then, churches were fuller, the world was bigger in that there
was no internet, and mobile phone technology. Flying overseas was a something occasional for
most and done via a travel agent in offices in the city, not like today where we
take commuter planes and with the click of a mouse, we can book a holiday. There was no such thing as getting a 'selfie' with the Pope or Tweeting the Pope back then.
The death of Pope Paul VI made the news on our radios and
televisions. There weren’t embedded journalists and 24-hour news channels with
guests taking us through what would be happening in the rooms of the dying pope,
so we had to wait for the hourly bulletins and the main evening news. Pope Paul
died on 6th of August 1978 and at his side were his assistants and
on his bedside locker was a Polish alarm clock he kept since he was in the Vatican
Diplomatic service. The late British journalist and author Peter Hebblethwaite said
in his book on Paul VI when the pope was pronounced dead, “The Polish alarm
clock went off…”
However, before all that, the cardinals gathered in Rome to mourn
the passing of Paul, now Saint Paul VI, and then to elect a successor. The
conclave took place a little after the funeral of Pope Paul and on 26th
of August, the cardinals elected Cardinal Albino Luciani, from the Veneto
region of northern Italy, and Archbishop (or Patriarch) of Venice. He was
apparently horrified to be elected Pope. Publicly, he became known as the ‘Smiling
Pope.’ He had been known for his writings, especially a book known as ‘Illustrissimi’,
a collection of letters to famous people published in the early 1970’s. Some of
these ‘illustrious ones’ were people like Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Pinocchio,
G.K. Chesterton, King David, Jesus, etc.
There were some surprises associated with the election of Albino
Luciani. For the first time, a newly elected Pope took two names: John Paul.
This was in respect of his two immediate predecessors, Pope John XXIII (1958-1963)
and Pope Paul VI (1963-1978) He also dispensed with the formal papal coronation,
instead of being crowned pope, there was now just a simple Mass and ceremony of
installation. His pontificate was among the shortest in papal history for just
33 days later, the pope died on 28th of September 1978. Again, the
cardinals had to make their way to Rome for a papal funeral and the election of
a new pope.
I mentioned that I was eight years old when all this happened
and significantly for me, my mother learned that the new pope, Albino Luciani’s
birthday was the 17th of October, so I shared a birthday with the
new Pope. I remember her suggesting I write to him to tell him and while I was
curious and interested in doing this, I set about finding out how it could be
done. I don’t remember how far I got in writing to the Pope because as we all
know, John Paul I died so soon.
As Hebblethwaite reminded us about that Polish alarm clock,
after the funeral of John Paul I the cardinals met in conclave again and Cardinal
Karol Wojtyla, the Archbishop of Krakow was elected on the 16th of October
1978 and took the name John Paul II - and the rest is history.
Today, in Rome, Pope Francis declared Pope John Paul I ‘the Smiling
Pope’ Blessed.
Saints Paul VI and John Paul II, pray for us!
Blessed John Paul I, pray for us!