Pope John Paul I Luciani made, he said: Pope John Paul I Pope John Paul I (; ; born Albino Luciani; ; 17 October 191228 September 1978) served as Pope of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City from 26 August 1978 to his death 33 days later. He was the first pope to have been born in the 20th century. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, resulting in the most recent year of three popes, the first to occur since 1605. John Paul I remains the most recent Italian-born pope, the last in a succession of such popes
Legends surrounding the papacy Legends surrounding the papacy The papacy has been surrounded by numerous legends. Among the most famous are the claims that the papal tiara bears the "Number of the Beast" inscriptions, that a woman was once elected pope, or that the current pope will be the last Pope. The latter claim has been shown to be false for every known pope barring the incumbent; but it remains theoretically possible. One misconception surrounding the papal tiara suggests that the words (Latin for "Vicar of the Son of God") exist on the side of one of the tiaras. The story centres on the