Giovanni Battista Montini was born in 1897 near Brescia, Italy, and spent decades in Vatican diplomatic service before being made Archbishop of Milan and later a cardinal. Elected pope in 1963 as Paul VI, he inherited the Second Vatican Council midway through its sessions, following the death of Pope John XXIII who had convened it, and guided its remaining three sessions to completion in 1965.
His papacy oversaw the implementation of the Council's sweeping reforms to liturgy, Church governance, and relations with other Christian communities and world religions, during a period of significant social and cultural upheaval. He also wrote "Humanae Vitae," a controversial 1968 encyclical reaffirming Church teaching against artificial contraception, and traveled internationally more than any prior pope, seeking to engage the Church directly with the modern world. He died in 1978 and was canonized in 2018.
Saint Paul VI
Pope Who Closed the Second Vatican Council
The pope who guided the Second Vatican Council to its conclusion and led the Church through the major reforms and upheavals that followed.
- Born
- 1897
- Died
- 1978
- Birthplace
- Concesio, Italy
- Died in
- Castel Gandolfo, Italy
- Country
- Italy
- Canonised
- 2018-10-14
- Century
- 20th century
Categories
Why People Pray to Saint Paul VI
Saint Paul VI is invoked by Church leaders and those navigating institutional reform and change, and by anyone seeking to hold firm teaching together with genuine pastoral engagement with the world.
