And what a transition. It was supposed to be a transitional pontificate, but old John XXIII surprised everyone

28 October 1958. John XXIII, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, Patriarch of Venice, was elected; a choice that seemed to some to be the result of uncertainty, and the phrase ‘transitional papacy’ was often used in comments on the election of a cardinal who was almost seventy-seven years old. He was indeed a ‘transitional Pope’, but in an unexpected way. The few years of his pontificate were, in fact, rich in initiatives, suggestions and calls that pointed to new directions for the future of the Church. Even his physical appearance and his good-natured demeanour struck the public as signs of a different kind of Pope, who, on the day of his coronation, presented himself as the ‘good shepherd’. His encyclicals were innovative, particularly Mater et Magistra on the themes of social doctrine and Pacem in Terris, addressed not only to Catholics but to all “people of good will”, which laid the foundation for world peace in the recognition of human rights and duties.

The constant quest for peace, which the Church was to pursue with an attitude he described as ‘active neutrality’, could not be limited to urging governments to refrain from resorting to armed force, but had to ‘help to form men of peace, who have peaceful thoughts, hearts and hands’. It was he who convened the Second Vatican Council, arguably the most significant event in the life of the Church in the 20th century, which brought the bishops together not for the purpose of combating and condemning some erroneous opinion, but to demonstrate the validity of Christian doctrine and to present its message in a language comprehensible to modern people, in the manner required by the times, as the Pope stated in his opening address, in which he made it clear that the depositum fidei—the body of Christian truths—is one thing, whilst the manner in which these truths are presented is quite another. This approach was understood by the participants and was consistently upheld throughout the Council’s proceedings.

29 October 1591. Innocent IX, Giovan Antonio Facchinetti of Bologna, was elected; he served as Pope for a couple of months. He intended to reform the electoral system and, as soon as he was elected, set up a special commission, but the brevity of his pontificate meant that no decisions could be taken. Among the few initiatives he managed to see through to completion were the improvement of sanitary conditions in the Borgo district, involving the reinforcement of the Tiber’s embankments to prevent flooding; the reduction in the price of bread; and the creation of a substantial reserve fund (250,000 scudi) deposited safely in Castel Sant’Angelo. He was in poor health and, according to contemporary accounts, was very thin and ate only once a day. Shortly before Christmas Day, he decided to undertake the pilgrimage to the Seven Churches on foot despite the adverse weather conditions; the following day he fell ill and died a week later.