John XXIII (pope)
1881 – 1963 Italian Pope (1958-1963)
Beloved pope who called the Second Vatican Council to renew the Church.
- Religion
- Catholic; Bishop of Rome
- Affiliations
- The papacy
John XXIII was elected as an old man expected to be a caretaker, but he stunned the world by calling the Second Vatican Council in 1962 to open the windows of the Church and let in fresh air. The council reshaped Catholic worship, allowing Mass in local languages, and reset the Church's relations with other faiths and the modern world. His warmth earned him the name Good Pope John, and his 1963 encyclical Pacem in Terris appealed for peace at the height of the Cold War.
In the timeline
- 1962 – 1965 Second Vatican Council convened it