Pope John Paul I: The 'smiling pope'

It was on August 26, 1978, Cardinal Albino Luciani, Patriarch of Venice, was elected Pope and took the name of John Paul I. Known as the ‘smiling Pope’,  he was in office as a Pope for only 33 days due to his sudden death on September 28. So became one of the shortest-lived popes in history.

He was declared a Servant of God by his successor, John Paul II, on 23 November 2003, the first step on the road to sainthood. Pope Francis confirmed his heroic virtue on 8 November 2017 and named him Venerable.