Vatican CITY – John Paul I. was proclaimed Blessed this morning by Pope francesco in St. Peter’s Square. “We, accepting the desire of our brother Renato Marangoni, bishop of Belluno-Feltre, of many other brothers in the episcopate and of many faithful, after having received the opinion of the dicastery for the Causes of Saints, with our Apostolic Authority grant that the venerable servant of God John Paul I, pope, from now on be called Blessed and to be celebrated every year in the places and according to the rules established by law, on August 26 “, Pope Bergoglio said in Latin in front of the 25 thousand faithful of a square not full due to the rain.
The tapestry and the bells in celebration
An appaluse rose from St. Peter’s Square while the tapestry with the portrait of Luciani by the Chinese artist was unveiled on the facade of the basilica Yan Zhang. The feast of the new Blessed, on August 26, is the day of his election, in 1978. And bells for a long time rang in Canale d’Agordo, the Belluno town from which Pope Luciani (1912-1978) was originally from. In this small corner of the Dolomites the sun shines and the whole town has gathered in the square, dedicated to Luciani, to follow the ceremony in St. Peter’s through the big screen.
Bergoglio’s words: “The Blessed of humility and smile”
“The new Blessed lived like this: in the joy of the Gospel, without compromise, loving to the end”, Francis said in the Mass. “He embodied the disciple’s poverty, which is not only detaching oneself from material goods, but above all overcoming the temptation to put one’s self at the center and seek one’s own glory”, he stressed. On the contrary, “following the example of Jesus, he was a meek and humble shepherd. He considered himself as the dust on which God deigned to write”. Therefore he said, the pontiff recalled, citing the general audience of 6 September 1978: “The Lord has recommended so much: be humble. Even if you have done great things, say: we are useless servants”. “And – Francis added – with a smile Pope Luciani managed to convey the goodness of the Lord”.
The presence of Mattarella
The head of state is present at the mass Sergio Mattarella. Almost 400 cardinals, bishops and priests celebrated the liturgy with the Pope. In particular, the concelebrants of the postulation are the cardinal Beniamino Stellapostulator of the cause of canonization, the cardinal Pietro ParolinSecretary of State and President of the John Paul I Vatican Foundation, Monsignor Francesco Moragliapatriarch of Venice, and Renato Marangonibishop of Belluno-Feltre, with that of Vittorio Veneto, Corrado Pizziolo.
The donation and the cause of canonization
Pope Francis was given a relic of the new Blessed: an autographed writing by Albino Luciani from 1956: it is a scheme for a spiritual reflection on the three theological virtues – faith, hope and charity – which recalls the Magisterium of the general audiences of 13 , 20 and 27 September 1978.
The cause for the canonization of John Paul I opened in 2003, twenty-five years after his death, in his native diocese of Belluno-Feltre, and ended on 9 October 2017 with the decree on virtues sanctioned by Pope Francis.