Pope John Xxiii

Italian ecclesiastic, elected the 261st Roman Catholic pope on 10/28/1958. One of 13 kids 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 WW 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. Died 6/03/1963, 5:49 PM MET, Vatican City, Rome. In the past 900 years, the Church has found only three popes worthy of veneration as saints; however, in the year 2,000, Pope John Paul II would like to beatify three 20th century popes, the last step before canonization. The three candidates are 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 is apt to be passed through the lengthy church process, completed in September 2,000. 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." Link to Wikipedia biography