Some Notes on St. Pope John XXIII

1. Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, the 3rd of 13 children, was born on 25 November 1881 at Sotto il Monte, Bergamo of a family of sharecroppers. At the age of 12, he entered the seminary at Bergamo. A scholarship enabled him to enter the Apollinaris in Rome, but military service interrupted his studies. Returning to the seminary, he was ordained in 1904 and earned doctorates in theology and Canon Law.

2. In 1905, he became secretary to the Bishop of Bergamo. He served the Bishop for 9 years and also taught Apologetics, Church History, and Patrology.

During World War I, he was recalled to military service and served as a chaplain. Honorably discharged in 1918, he became a seminary spiritual director.

3. He filled the following positions before he became Pope: Titular Archbishop of Areopolis, Jordan (1925-1934); Apostolic Visitator to Bulgaria (1925-1931); Apostolic Delegate to Bulgaria (1931-1934); Titular Archbishop of Mesembria, Bulgaria (1934-1953); Apostolic Delegate to Turkey and Greece (1934-1944); Apostolic Nuncio to France (1944-1953); First Permanent Observer of the Holy See at UNESCO (1951-1952; Cardinal-Patriarch of Venice (1953-1958).

In 1925, he was consecrated bishop. And in 1953, Pope Pius XII created him Cardinal.

4. He had a deep concern for the Jews. When he was the Apostolic Delegate to Turkey and Greece, he helped the Jewish underground in saving thousands of refugees in Europe. During the Nazi occupation of Greece, he intervened to convince Bulgaria’s King Boris III to cancel deportations of Greek Jews. He did the same for Romanian, Hungarian, and Italian Jews. He likewise saved many Jews from being deported to death camps. After 1944, he played an active role for the Church to support the establishment of the State of Israel.

5. His election as Pope at the age of 76 was a surprise and many regarded him as a transitional Pope. They little realized that his pontificate would mark a turning point in history and initiate a new age for the Church. He took the name of John in honor of his father, the name of the parish church where he was baptized, and the name of a long line of Popes with brief pontificates. But for 500 yrs, previous Popes had avoided the name since the time of the Anti-Pope John XXIII during the Western Schism.

6. Though expected to be a caretaker Pope, he astounded everyone by calling the historic Second Vatican Council (Vatican II, 1962-1965), thus making a major impact on the Church. His 1st public address expressed his concern for reunion with separated Christians and for world peace. In 1961, he issued his social encyclical “Mater et Magistra” to commemorate the anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s “Rerum Novarum.” In 1963, he issued “Pacem in Terris” on world peace.

7. He created the Secretariat for Christian Unity and appointed the 1st representative to the Assembly of the World Council of Churches. He also set up the Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law in 1963. He engaged in dialogue with the communist countries of Eastern Europe, and especially reached out to the Eastern Orthodox churches. He desired to modernize the Church by emphasizing its pastoral work and its engagement with social affairs. He visited the sick, the poor, and prisoners. In 1962, he was awarded the International Foundation Balzan Peace Prize.

8. The relationship between Pope John XXIII and Padre Pio was controversial. At first, he was skeptical and critical about Padre Pio, but at the end he confessed that he had been wrongly informed and recognized the holiness of Padre Pio and even asked Padre Pio to pray for him.

9. He did not live to see Vatican II to completion. In 1962, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer and died 8 months later on 03 June 1963 at the age of 81, 4 yrs and 7 months as a Pope.

Since his death, much has been written and spoken about the warmth and holiness of the beloved Pope John. He was a man of great mercy and kindness. His sense of humor sometimes targeted himself. Of the three cassocks prepared for the new Pope, none could fit his obese frame. The largest had to be let out in certain places with safety pins. Seeing himself in a mirror, he remarked, “This man will be a disaster on television!” In his 1st weeks as Pope, he was walking when he heard a woman gasped, “My God, he’s so fat.” The Pope casually remarked, “ Madame, the holy conclave isn’t exactly a beauty contest.”

10. The remains of Pope John XXIII are enshrined in the altar of St. Jerome at St. Peter’s Basilica. He was beatified in 2000 by Pope John Paul II. With Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI attending, Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II were canonized by Pope Francis on 27 April 2014, Divine Mercy Sunday. He was the 1st Pope to be honored as the Time Magazine Man of the year. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom by Pres. Lyndon Johnson in December 1963.

11. Prayer — Almighty ever-living God, you gave us Pope St. John XXIII as a living example of Christ, the Good Shepherd, to shine throughout the whole world. Grant us, we pray, that, through his intercession, we may joyfully pour out an abundance of Christian charity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ , who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.