Pope John XXIII

About Pope John XXIII

From the bestselling author of How the Irish Saved Civilization.
 
Elected to the papacy at the age of 76, Pope John XXIII was to have a brief but important reign. Although he had a doctorate in theology, his gifts were pastoral—reaching out to the people of the Church. After his doctorate, he spent nine years working for the socially-minded bishop of Bergamo, acquiring a broad understanding of the problems of the working class. This sympathy for ordinary people was brought out in his papacy. Vatican II, which he convened, brought forth the idea of a church as a community, in which all God’s people are a sign of redemption for the human race. Thomas Cahill, in his short biography, gives us the sense of enduring importance of John XXIII’s idea.