Pope from 1958 to 1963 who convened the Second Vatican Council; known as Good Pope John.
Life
Saint John XXIII was born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli in 1881 to a farming family in Sotto il Monte, near Bergamo, Italy. He was ordained a priest in 1904 and during the First World War served as a medical orderly and military chaplain.
For many years he served as a Vatican diplomat in Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece, and France, and during the Second World War he helped persecuted Jews. After serving as patriarch of Venice he was elected pope in 1958, and on October 11, 1962, he opened the Second Vatican Council. In the encyclical Pacem in Terris he appealed for peace and human rights.
Known as Good Pope John, he died in 1963 and was canonized in 2014. The Church remembers him on October 11, the opening day of the Council.
Spirituality
John XXIII's spirituality is simplicity, trust and openness. He kept the humility of a farmer's son all his life, trusted in God's providence and opened the Church's windows to the world. He urged people to look for what unites rather than what divides.
Reflection
Pope John opened many hearts with his warm smile and humor. Today, would you try first to find common ground with someone who thinks differently from you?