Pope John XXIII

Italian ecclesiastic, elected the 261st Roman Catholic pope on 28 October 1958 at age 76, he was then head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State until his death in 1963.

One of 13 chidren of a farmer of modest means, at the age of 13, he began his studies for the priesthood, being ordained at 18. He served in the Italian army in World War I. In 1925 he went into the Vatican diplomatic service. Cordial, practical and ingenious, he was noted for a simple purity. He tried to adapt the age-old policies of the church to modern means.

Pope John XXIII died of peritonitis caused by a perforated stomach at 19:49 local time on 3 June 1963 at the age of 81 in Vatican City, Rome.

In the past 900 years, the Catholic Church has found only three popes worthy of veneration as saints; however, in the year 2000, Pope John Paul II wanted to beatify three 20th century popes, the last step before canonization. The three candidates were Pius XII, Paul VI, and John XXIII, the smiling pope who charmed the world with his wit and convoked Vatican Council II, the first church council in 100 years. Only John XXIII was apt to be passed through the lengthy church process, to be completed in September 2000. Canonization requires proof of the candidate's extraordinary Christian virtues and miracles of intercession after his death. In John's case, a miraculous cure had been attributed to him; a young nun had recovered from a life-threatening ailment after a relic of John's was placed on her body. He has also been declared "heroically virtuous."

On 5 July 2013, Pope Francis – bypassing the traditionally required second miracle – declared John XXIII a saint, based on his virtuous, model lifestyle, and because of the good which had come from his having opened the Second Vatican Council. He was canonised alongside Pope John Paul II on 27 April 2014. John XXIII today is affectionately known as the "Good Pope" and in Italian, "il Papa buono".