Pope John XXIII

Pope John XXIII was the head of the Catholic Church from 1958 to 1963. He convened the Second Vatican Council, initiating a major effort to renew the Church.

Second Vatican Council: An ecumenical council of the Catholic Church held from 1962 to 1965 to address renewal and relations with the modern world. John XXIII convened it in 1962, though it continued after his death.
Mater et magistra: John XXIII's 1961 encyclical on Christianity and social progress. It set out his approach to social change through Catholic teaching.
Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli: The birth name of Pope John XXIII, born in 1881 in Sotto il Monte, Italy. His life before the papacy helps explain the experience he brought to Rome.
Pope Pius XII: Pope from 1939 to 1958, whose pontificate preceded John XXIII's. John XXIII inherited the Church and Vatican administration shaped under Pius XII.
Sacrosanctum Concilium: The Second Vatican Council's constitution on the liturgy, adopted in 1963. It was the first council constitution promulgated during John XXIII's pontificate.
Pacem in terris: John XXIII's 1963 encyclical on peace, human rights, and relations among nations. Addressed to all people, it expressed his public vision of peace and human dignity.
Bishop of Bergamo: The Catholic bishop who leads the Diocese of Bergamo in northern Italy. Roncalli served as bishop of Bergamo from 1953 until his election as pope.
Pope Paul VI: Pope from 1963 to 1978 who succeeded John XXIII and continued Vatican II. Paul VI guided the council to completion after John XXIII died.
Nostra aetate: The Second Vatican Council's declaration on the Catholic Church's relations with non-Christian religions, promulgated in 1965. Its later teaching developed the council's agenda beyond John XXIII's lifetime.
College of Cardinals: The body of senior Catholic clergy that elects the pope and advises him. John XXIII appointed new cardinals and worked through this body in governing the Church.

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