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and birth control, or those on priestly celibacy and a strictly male
priesthood -- issues which have caused wide dissent in the church in
recent years. (Pope John Paul, as a prelate, sat on a commission
called by Paul to consider if any artificial methods of contra
ception could be acceptable to the Roman Catholic church and sided
with the majority that said the pill could be permitted. After Paul
ignored the advice of his own commission and banned the pill and
every other means of artificial contraception in the encyclical
"humanae vitae,
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the present pope remained silent on the subject from
that time onward.)
Cardinal Luciani is a native of the scenic Dolomite Mountains village
of Forno di Canale in the Veneta region of northeast Italy. His
father, a glass blower and bricklayer, was an Italian socialist,
which probably accounts for Luciani's progressive social views.
Ordained as a priest in 1935 at age 22, Luciani rose through the
ranks, eventually being named Patriarch (Bishop) of Venice by Pope
Paul VI in 1969. In 1973 Pope Paul ordained him a cardinal. Not
much is known yet of the state of his health, though one U.S.
television network described him as being somewhat
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frail," having
had health problems as a youth.
Customarily described as a quiet and simple man, yet very intelligent,
John Paul has been involved mostly in pastoral work in the parishes
and dioceses rather than in the Vatican bureaucracy (he was not a
member of the Curia).
Though generally considered to be a
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pastoral" rather than a
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political"
pope (he also eschews the labels "conservative" and "liberal"), John
Paul I is recognized as being an ardent anti-Communist. He has
published articles in times past in the Vatican daily L'Osservatore
Romano, opposing any accommodation whatsoever by the Church with
Marxism. In 1975 he recommended disciplinary punishment for priests
who spoke out in favor of the Communist Party or other leftist groups.
Cardinal Luciani once admitted to a reporter that he found it difficult
to accept the Vatican Council's teaching that all religions are
entitled to full and equal liberty. This he felt was in conflict
with the traditional teaching that Roman Catholicism is the "only
true religion," which confers upon it rights that others do not have.
It was his former mentor, Cardinal Ottaviani, who had developed the
thesis that "only truth has rights." Cardinal Luciani, however,
subsequently claimed to have become convinced of "his error" on
this point. The fact that he has backed away from his previous hard
line stand regarding other churches and beliefs has led some observers
to speculate that John Paul will perpetuate the Vatican Council's
relative openness toward the non-Catholic and non-Christian world.
All in all, it would seem at this point in time that no dramatic
changes or innovations lay in store for the Roman Catholic Church
during Pope John Paul's papacy. But as has been frequently observed
in history, the papal office often "creates the man," or brings out
unexpected qualities in him. Thus, until Pope John Paul actually
begins to function in his office, we can only speculate. However,
judging on the basis of his career and personality, it will probably
be necessary to look for another to step into the "False Prophet"
role depicted in prophecy.