Pope John XXIII

Pope John XXIII (Latin: Ioannes PP. XXIII; Italian: Giovanni XXIII), born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (25 November 1881 – 3 June 1963), headed the Catholic Church and ruled the Vatican City from 1958 until his death.

Angelo Roncalli was the fourth child of thirteen born in an Italian village to sharecroppers. He was ordained a priest in 1904 and served in various posts including appointment as Papal Nuncio in several countries, including France (1944). He did much to help Jews during the Holocaust. Pope Pius XII made Roncalli a Cardinal in 1953. Pope John was elected on 28 October 1958 at the age of 77. He surprised those who expected him to be a caretaker Pope by calling the historic Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). He did not live to see it to completion, dying in 1963, four-and-a-half years after his election, and two months after the completion of his final encyclical, Pacem in Terris. Pope John was beloved for his evident warmth and kindness. He was beatified on 3 September 2000.