40 years ago: The death of Pope John Paul I

On the morning of September 29, 1978, Pope John Paul I was found in bed early in the morning of April 29, dead of an apparent heart attack. A Vatican doctor determined that the pontiff had died late on the night of September 28, 33 days into his papacy, and two weeks before his 66th birthday.

John Paul I, born Alberto Luciani, was ordained a priest in 1935, becoming a bishop in 1958 and a cardinal in 1973. He was known for his writings, which expressed Roman Catholic teaching in a way that could be understood by common people. Cardinal Luciani was elected on the fourth ballot of the conclave to determine a successor to Pope Paul VI, and took the name John Paul I, in honour of his predecessors John XXIII and Paul VI. He declined a coronation in favour of a papal inauguration, wearing a mitre instead of a tiara.

If Pope John Paul I died of purely natural causes, as the official story states, he died at an amazingly convenient time for some people--which this blogger finds very suspicious. Hours before his death, Pope John Paul had reportedly issued orders to dismiss certain shady individuals associated with the Vatican, and those orders were never carried out by his successor, John Paul II. Conspiracy theories abound; this blogger recommends the book In God's Name (1984) by David Yallop.

American evangelist Billy Graham commented in 1978 that there was significance in the deaths, in such a short period of time, of Popes Paul VI and John Paul I, and Russian Orthodox Church leader--and Soviet KGB agent--Metropolitan Nikodim (who collapsed with a fatal heart attack on September 5 while visiting Pope John Paul I). However, if I recall correctly, he neglected to say what that significance was.