My mom shared with me an article about another humble pope who served earlier - from 1958 to 1963. He is Pope John XXIII - newly declared saint by Pope Francis in July 2013 (but yet to be canonized in April 2014 alongside with Blessed Pope John Paul II). Pope John XXIII was the Pope who called for the Second Vatican Council which triggered all the reforms in the Catholic Church to make it more suitable to modern times.
That rang a bell because I remember seeing an incorrupt body of a Pope during a visit to St. Peter's Cathedral and all I could remember was that he was the one responsible for the Second Vatican Council. Here are some photos I took of Pope John XXIII during our visit to the Vatican two years ago.
Pope John XXIII was born Angelo Giusseppe Roncalli, the 4th child among 14 siblings. He came from a poor Italian peasant family. He was elected Pope on Oct 28, 1958 at the age of 77.
Just before he called for the Second Vatican Council, he shared:
It often happens that I wake up at night and begin to think about a serious problem and decide I must tell the pope about it. Then I wake up completely and remember that I am the Pope.
Obviously, being Pope never got into his head because he even forgets he is the Pope! :)
He also wrote:
“Poverty has held me in its arms since my childhood and it has never let me down…We must not complain, because when we bear it with patience, poverty likens us to Jesus. We have never lacked what is necessary and never will. Riches, as you see around you, do not make men happy.”
He embraced poverty gracefully and seriously, and never used his power or access to resources to alleviate his family from poverty - even just a tiny bit. When he was suffering from cancer, the Vatican sent a telegram to his family so they could be with him and accompany him during his dying days. No one came until someone from the Church went to his hometown and found out that his surviving brothers were so poor that they did not have enough money to pay for a train ticket to Rome!
Pope John XXIII passed away on June 3, 1963 due to stomach cancer.
If ever you get to visit St. Peter's Cathedral, please don't forget to honor the humble Pope and Saint -Pope John XXIII. :)
