Pope John Paul I conspiracy theories Pope John Paul I conspiracy theories Pope John Paul I died suddenly in September 1978, 33 days after his election. Following contradictory reports about the circumstances of his death and apparent anomalies about the issuing of the death certificate and other procedures, several conspiracy theories have gained currency. Many of these concern the serious corruption in the Vatican Bank (Istituto per le Opere Religiose), possibly linked to Freemasonry, which is forbidden by church law. None of the claims have been substantiated. Discrepancies in the Vatican's account of the events surrounding John Paul I's death – its inaccurate statements about who
Pope John XIX IX was found as a successor, although he was still young; according to some sources, he was only 12, but he was more likely to have been about 18 or 20. The next Pope named John was Pope John XXI (1276–77); there is no Pope John XX (see article on John XX for an explanation). Pope John XIX Pope John XIX (; died October 1032) was Pope from May 1024 to his death in 1032. Born Romanus in Rome was the third son of Gregory I, Count of Tusculum and his wife Mary. While his brother Theophylactus held the papacy