Pope John Paul I (1912 - 1978) greets the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square after his first blessing on August 27, 1978. He died a month later and his reign lasted only 33 days.
(Keystone Photo / Hulton Archive / Getty Images)
(Reuters) -
Pope John Paul I, who reigned only 33 days in 1978, will be beatified, putting him on the path of eventual holiness in the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican said Wednesday.
A statement said that Pope Francis has approved a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of the late Italian pope, whose birth name was Albino Luciani.
John Paul I was elected on August 26, 1978 to succeed Paul VI and died unexpectedly on September 28.
John Paul II succeeded him, with which 1978 passed into the history of the Church as the year of the three popes.
His sudden death led to several books alleging conspiracy theories involving murder and poisoning, but these were generally disproved and it is believed that he died of a heart attack in his sleep.
He was 65 years old.
The miracle in the case of John Paul I is believed to be the inexplicable healing of an 11-year-old girl in Buenos Aires, according to Vatican media.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that only God performs miracles, but that saints who are believed to be with God in heaven intercede on behalf of the people who pray to them.
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