Pope John XXIII

Known as "Good Pope John" and "the most loved Pope in history" to many people, Pope John XXIII was born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli in November 25, 1881, and was elected as the 261st Pope of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City on October 28, 1958. He was preceded by Pope Pius XII and was, in turn, succeeded by Pope Paul VI. Considered a reformer of the church, Pope John XXIII called the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) but did not live to see it to completion, dying on June 3, 1963. He was beatified on September 3, 2000, by His Holiness Pope John Paul II, whereupon his very well-preserved body was moved from its original burial place in the grottoes below St Peter's Basilica to the altar of St. Jerome for veneration. It was then reburied in a new vault beneath the basilica; where John Paul II would also be interred five years later.