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The Smiling Pope: The Life And Teaching Of John Paul I
Book by Seabeck, Raymond, Seabeck, Lauretta
- GenresBiography
253 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2004
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August 3, 2024
THE POPE WITH THE SHORTEST PONTIFICATE OF THE 20TH CENTURY
This 2004 book contains biographical material from "a Carmelite nun who wishes to remain anonymous"; editors Raymond and Lauretta Seabeck founded the Missionary Servants of Pope John Paul I, which works closely with the Missionaries of Charity established in Haiti by Mother Teresa. They wrote in the Introduction, "we feel that it is important to publish more of his collected works in English... Our little smiling Pope, Albino Luciani, is affectionately called 'Papa' by his fellow Italians. We hope to publish this series of books by or about Pope John Paul I, to convey Papa's spirit, and his message, to a world hungry for holiness. Papa states over and over in his writings we are all called to be saints. With his compelling stories, his simple style, and his humble example, we can all... try 'to be what God wants us to be and do what God wants us to do.'" (Pg. 7-8)
The book begins with an 80-page Biographical Sketch. They note, "Luciani loved the rosary and was frequently seen with it in his hands. In 1972, he wrote, 'The rosary becomes a look at Mary, which grows in intensity little by little as one proceeds. It ends by being a refrain which springs from the heart and, which repeated, sweetens the soul like a song.'" (Pg. 36-37)
They record, "People called Luciani a progressive because he loved the little ones, the sick, the castoffs, and defended the rights of the workers. To the latter he said, 'If you should meet up with the big problems, knock at my door. I am the son of workers and I can understand you.' He tried to be the mediator between the feuds of the employers and the workers, but did not always succeed." (Pg. 40)
Upon his election, they state, "Still smiling, the Pope turned and went inside to the waiting cardinals. It was at this moment, and not at the election, that the Pope joked to the cardinals, 'May God forgive you for what you have done.'" (Pg. 56) They observe, "His Sunday Angelus messages were short, but, like his audiences, they were models of catechesis, the fruit of years of experience." (Pg. 62)
They say in the Epilogue, "It is now over twenty-five years since the death of John Paul I. His pontificate was so brief that it would seem by this time his memory should have faded away. But such is not the case. Soon after his death, people of all ages and from all over the world began to pray to 'the Smiling Pope,' and letters began to come into the chancery..." (Pg. 74) The remainder of the book consists of excerpts from the Pope's writings.
There isn't a lot of material available on John Paul I (his pontificate lasted only 33 days), and there is some very questionable material in circulation (e.g., "conspiracy" theories such as in 'In God's Name: An Investigation Into the Murder of Pope John Paul I' and the film 'The Godfather Part III'), so this book is very helpful for those wanting to know more about the man.
This 2004 book contains biographical material from "a Carmelite nun who wishes to remain anonymous"; editors Raymond and Lauretta Seabeck founded the Missionary Servants of Pope John Paul I, which works closely with the Missionaries of Charity established in Haiti by Mother Teresa. They wrote in the Introduction, "we feel that it is important to publish more of his collected works in English... Our little smiling Pope, Albino Luciani, is affectionately called 'Papa' by his fellow Italians. We hope to publish this series of books by or about Pope John Paul I, to convey Papa's spirit, and his message, to a world hungry for holiness. Papa states over and over in his writings we are all called to be saints. With his compelling stories, his simple style, and his humble example, we can all... try 'to be what God wants us to be and do what God wants us to do.'" (Pg. 7-8)
The book begins with an 80-page Biographical Sketch. They note, "Luciani loved the rosary and was frequently seen with it in his hands. In 1972, he wrote, 'The rosary becomes a look at Mary, which grows in intensity little by little as one proceeds. It ends by being a refrain which springs from the heart and, which repeated, sweetens the soul like a song.'" (Pg. 36-37)
They record, "People called Luciani a progressive because he loved the little ones, the sick, the castoffs, and defended the rights of the workers. To the latter he said, 'If you should meet up with the big problems, knock at my door. I am the son of workers and I can understand you.' He tried to be the mediator between the feuds of the employers and the workers, but did not always succeed." (Pg. 40)
Upon his election, they state, "Still smiling, the Pope turned and went inside to the waiting cardinals. It was at this moment, and not at the election, that the Pope joked to the cardinals, 'May God forgive you for what you have done.'" (Pg. 56) They observe, "His Sunday Angelus messages were short, but, like his audiences, they were models of catechesis, the fruit of years of experience." (Pg. 62)
They say in the Epilogue, "It is now over twenty-five years since the death of John Paul I. His pontificate was so brief that it would seem by this time his memory should have faded away. But such is not the case. Soon after his death, people of all ages and from all over the world began to pray to 'the Smiling Pope,' and letters began to come into the chancery..." (Pg. 74) The remainder of the book consists of excerpts from the Pope's writings.
There isn't a lot of material available on John Paul I (his pontificate lasted only 33 days), and there is some very questionable material in circulation (e.g., "conspiracy" theories such as in 'In God's Name: An Investigation Into the Murder of Pope John Paul I' and the film 'The Godfather Part III'), so this book is very helpful for those wanting to know more about the man.
Want to read
June 8, 2011Can't wait to read this! I know next to nothing about him. Found this at our Pastoral Library today also.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews