Pope Paul VI
Stored: Paul VI
| His Holiness Paul VI | |
| Bishop of | |
| Home diocese: | |
| Other diocese 1: | |
| Other diocese 2: | |
| Other diocese 3: | |
| Ordination: | 29 May 1920 by Giacinto Gaggia |
| Consecration: | 12 December 1954 by Eugène Cardinal Tisserant |
| Rank: | Pope |
| Created cardinal: | 15 December 1958 by Pope John XXIII |
| Personal details | |
| Born: | Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini September 26, 1897 Concesio, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died: | August 6, 1978 (aged 80) Castel Gandolfo, Italy |
| Nationality: | Italian |
| Education: | Pontifical Gregorian University (Doctorate in Canon Law); Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles; University of Milan (literature studies) |
| Motto: | In nomine Domini |
| Role: | Curial |
| Theology: | Moderate |
| Region: | Western Europe |
| Rite: | Roman Rite |
| Conclave Eligibility: | |
Pope Saint Paul VI (September 26, 1897 – August 6, 1978 (aged 80); born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death in 1978.[1] Succeeding Pope John XXIII, he brought the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) to completion and implemented its numerous reforms, earning the title “the pilgrim pope” for his extensive international travels, including the first papal visits to the five continents.[2] Canonised by Pope Francis on 14 October 2018, he is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.[3]
A seasoned diplomat and curial official under Pius XI and Pius XII, Montini served as Archbishop of Milan from 1954 to 1963 before his election as the 262nd pope.[4] His pontificate is noted for the promulgation of the Vatican II constitutions Lumen gentium and Gaudium et spes, the reform of the Roman Curia, the 1970 Missale Romanum, and the encyclicals Populorum progressio (1967) on integral human development and Humanae vitae (1968) reaffirming the Church’s teaching on the regulation of birth.[2] According to established Catholic tradition, his leadership bridged the Council’s vision with its practical application, though interpretations of certain decisions remain subject to ongoing theological discussion and consultation of primary Vatican sources.
Biography
Birth and early life
Giovanni Battista Montini was born on 26 September 1897 in Concesio, in the province of Brescia, Lombardy, Kingdom of Italy, the second of three sons of Giorgio Montini, a lawyer and journalist, and Giuditta Alghisi.[2] Baptised four days later, he grew up in a devout middle-class family active in Catholic Action and the Italian People’s Party.[5] The Montini home fostered intellectual and social engagement; his father edited the Catholic daily Il Cittadino di Brescia.
During the First World War he served in the medical corps and later studied at the diocesan seminary while living at home due to frail health.[4]
Education
Montini pursued ecclesiastical studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, obtaining a doctorate in canon law in 1922, and simultaneously attended the University of Milan for literature.[2] He also trained at the Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles (diplomatic school) and studied briefly at the Sapienza University.[6] Ordained priest on 29 May 1920 in Brescia by Bishop Giacinto Gaggia, he celebrated his first Mass the following day in the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie.[4]
Priesthood
Immediately after ordination, Montini entered the Secretariat of State in 1922, beginning a forty-year curial career.[2] He served as national ecclesiastical assistant to the Italian Catholic University Federation (FUCI) from 1925 to 1933, forming a generation of Catholic lay leaders including Aldo Moro and Giulio Andreotti.[7] Under Substitute Secretary of State from 1937, he worked closely with Cardinals Pacelli (later Pius XII) and Tardini until 1954.[2]
In November 1954, without having been consecrated bishop earlier, Pius XII appointed him Archbishop of Milan, the largest diocese in Europe.[4] Consecrated on 12 December 1954 by Cardinal Eugène Tisserant in St Peter’s Basilica, he took possession of the see on 5 January 1955 and spent nine years as a notably pastoral archbishop, launching the “Mission of Milan” to re-evangelise the industrial working class.[2]
Bishop
| Diocese / Jurisdiction | Role | Start Date | End Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archdiocese of Milan | Archbishop | 1 November 1954 | 21 June 1963 | Pastoral “Mission of Milan”; built over 100 new churches |
| Universal Church | Pope | 21 June 1963 | 6 August 1978 | Concluded Vatican II; reformed liturgy and curia; first papal visits to all five continents |
Paul VI’s episcopal ministry as Archbishop of Milan (1954–1963) focused on the pastoral care of a highly industrialised and dechristianised region.[2] He personally visited factories and parishes, established new parishes, and emphasised the Church’s presence among workers. Created cardinal-priest of Ss. Silvestro e Martino ai Monti by John XXIII on 15 December 1958, he was considered papabile in the 1958 conclave.[4]
As pope, he exercised universal jurisdiction. He promulgated all remaining Vatican II documents, reformed the Roman Curia (Regimini Ecclesiae universae, 1967), revised the Code of Canon Law (initiated), and promulgated the new Roman Missal in 1970.[2] His international pilgrimages (1964 Jerusalem, 1965 New York UN, 1967 Fatima, 1968 Bogotá, 1970 Manila and Australia, etc.) were unprecedented.[2]
Significant events
- Ordained priest on 29 May 1920 in Brescia.[4]
- Entered Secretariat of State in 1922; worked under Pius XI and Pius XII.[2]
- Appointed Archbishop of Milan on 1 November 1954; consecrated 12 December 1954.[4]
- Created cardinal by John XXIII on 15 December 1958.[4]
- Elected pope on 21 June 1963; crowned on 30 June 1963 (last papal coronation).[2]
- Opened the second session of Vatican II on 29 September 1963 and closed the Council on 8 December 1965.[2]
- First pope to visit the five continents; addressed the United Nations on 4 October 1965.[2]
- Promulgated Humanae vitae on 25 July 1968.[2]
- Canonised on 14 October 2018 by Pope Francis.[2]
Books
Written about the pope
- Paul VI: The First Modern Pope by Peter Hebblethwaite (1993)
- The Life of Pope Paul VI by John G. Clancy (1964, updated editions)
- Saint Paul VI: The Courage of the Truth by Fr. Vincenzo Criscuolo (2019)
Written by the pope
- Complete Encyclicals of Paul VI (Vatican website)
- Populorum progressio (1967)
- Humanae vitae (1968)
- Evangelii nuntiandi (1975)
External links
- Pope Saint Paul VI at Catholic-Hierarchy.org
- Paul VI at the Holy See (encyclicals and documents)
- Canonisation of Paul VI at Vatican News
- Paul VI at Encyclopædia Britannica
References
- ↑ "Paul VI (1963–1978)". Holy See. https://www.vatican.va/content/paolovi/en.html.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 "Paul VI". Holy See. https://www.vatican.va/content/paolovi/en.html.
- ↑ "Saint Paul VI". Vatican News. 2018-10-14. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-10/pope-francis-canonizes-paul-vi-and-romero.html.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 "Pope Saint Paul VI". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bmontini.html.
- ↑ Peter Hebblethwaite (1993). Paul VI: The First Modern Pope.
- ↑ "Pope Paul VI". Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-VI.
- ↑ John Cornwell (1989). A Thief in the Night: The Death of Pope John Paul I.