You’ve probably heard of John Paul II. He was a global icon who held the papacy for nearly 27 years, traveling the world and helping topple communism. But if you blink, you might miss the man who sat in the Chair of Peter right before him. Most people actually forget his name. He was the "Smile of God."
So, who was pope before John Paul II? It was John Paul I.
It’s a bit of a trick answer, honestly. We remember the "Second" so well that the "First" becomes a historical footnote. His name was Albino Luciani, and his reign lasted exactly 33 days. That is it. One month and a few change. He went from being a relatively quiet Cardinal from Venice to the leader of a billion Catholics, and then he was gone. It’s one of the shortest papacies in history, and the suddenness of his death in 1978 sparked enough conspiracy theories to fill a dozen thriller novels.
The Election Nobody Expected
In August 1978, the Catholic Church was at a crossroads. Pope Paul VI had just passed away. The world was changing fast—the Cold War was freezing over, and the Church was still trying to figure out how to implement the massive reforms of Vatican II. The Cardinals went into the conclave looking for a "pastoral" pope. They didn't want a diplomat or a hard-nosed politician.
They wanted a guy who actually liked people.
Albino Luciani was basically the underdog. He wasn't even on the radar for most international news outlets. When he was elected on the fourth ballot, he was reportedly terrified. He told the Cardinals, "May God forgive you for what you have done." He wasn't being humble for the cameras; he genuinely didn't want the job.
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He was the first pope to choose a double name. He took "John" to honor Pope John XXIII and "Paul" to honor Paul VI. It was a signal. He wanted to bridge the gap between the old tradition and the new reforms. He also ditched the "royal we." Before him, popes referred to themselves as "We" in official speeches, like they were kings. Luciani just said "I." People loved it.
The 33-Day Whirlwind
If you look at the archives from September 1978, the vibe in Rome was electric. Luciani refused to be carried around on the sedia gestatoria—that ornate portable throne popes used to sit on. He hated the idea of being hoisted above the people. He eventually gave in because the crowds couldn't see him otherwise, but he complained about it the whole time.
He was a communicator. He didn't give dry, theological lectures. He told stories about Pinocchio and quoted poets. He spoke about God as a mother as well as a father, which, back in 1978, was pretty radical talk for the Vatican.
But behind the scenes, the pressure was mounting. The Vatican is a massive bureaucracy, and Luciani was an outsider. He was dealing with a messy financial situation involving the Vatican Bank (the IOR) and its ties to Banco Ambrosiano. This is where the history gets murky and the rumors start to fly.
That Fateful September Night
On the morning of September 29, 1978, the world woke up to a shock. The "Smiling Pope" was dead.
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The official report said he died of a heart attack (myocardial infarction) while reading in bed. He was 65 years old. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not incredibly old for a pope, but he had a history of circulatory issues. Still, the Vatican handled the announcement poorly. Very poorly.
First, they claimed a priest found the body. Later, it came out that it was actually Sister Vincenza, a nun who brought him his morning coffee. The Vatican felt it was "indecent" for a woman to be in the Pope's bedroom, so they changed the story. Mistakes like that are fuel for the fire.
The Conspiracy Rabbit Hole
You can't talk about who was pope before John Paul II without addressing the elephant in the room: David Yallop’s book In God's Name. Yallop argued that Luciani was murdered because he was about to clean house at the Vatican Bank and fire some high-ranking officials with ties to the Mafia and a secret masonic lodge called P2.
It’s a wild story. It involves poisoned tea and missing medical reports.
However, most serious historians, like John Cornwell (who wrote A Thief in the Night), argue that there’s no evidence of foul death. Instead, the evidence suggests a man who was overwhelmed by a job he wasn't physically prepared for. He had been feeling ill the day before. He had swelling in his legs. He refused to call a doctor because he didn't want to make a fuss.
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The Vatican's PR department basically created the conspiracy by trying to make the death look more "dignified" than it was.
Why He Matters Today
Even though he was only in office for a month, John Paul I changed the papacy forever. He humanized the office. When Karol Wojtyła was elected to succeed him, he took the name John Paul II specifically to honor Luciani's memory and continue his style of being a "people's pope."
In 2022, the Catholic Church officially beatified him, moving him one step closer to sainthood. They don't do that for just anyone who held the seat for a few weeks. They did it because his personal life—his "heroic virtue"—was seen as a model of humility.
What You Should Take Away
Understanding who was pope before John Paul II gives you a clearer picture of why the 20th-century Church looks the way it does. It wasn't just a smooth transition from one long reign to another. There was this brief, bright flash of a man who tried to simplify everything.
- Check the Timeline: Always remember 1978 is known as the "Year of Three Popes." Paul VI died, John Paul I was elected and died, then John Paul II was elected.
- Look Past the Mystery: While the murder theories are fun for movies (looking at you, Godfather Part III), the real legacy of Albino Luciani is his move toward a more humble, less "monarchical" papacy.
- The Name Legacy: John Paul II’s entire persona was built on the foundation Luciani laid down in just 33 days.
If you want to dig deeper, look into the writings of Stefania Falasca. She’s the vice-postulator for his canonization cause and has spent years debunking the myths with actual primary sources from the Vatican archives. She found the medical records and the testimonies that show a man whose heart simply gave out under the weight of the fisherman's ring.
The story of John Paul I is a reminder that sometimes, the shortest chapters in history are the ones that set the stage for the biggest changes. He didn't have time to write an encyclical or change a single law. He just smiled, spoke simply, and died, leaving the door wide open for the Polish pope who would change the world.
To truly understand this era, look for documentaries or books focusing on the "Year of the Three Popes." It remains one of the most chaotic and transformative periods in modern religious history. Stay curious about the "Smiling Pope"—he was much more than just a trivia answer.