European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 04, 1963, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday june 4, 1963 the stars and stripes peasant s son Diplomat Strong Pope a William 8trvnr.ri.awn  sme a bar St Oderland Vatican City up Pope John Xxiii the italian peasant Sion who became Leader of half a billion catholics around the world a a Man of Many Turp Liei. He Wai a rotund old Man whole craggy features twisted mlle and outgoing warmth inspired Confidence and Forth. Above All he Wai human a Man close to the Earth who knew people both their Good Anu their bad. Pope John Learned the harder Side of life Ai he Crew up on the land his father worked for another Man As a sharecropper. As a Vati can Diplomat he became experienced in a different kind of life International Oll tics and All it ramifications � Friend a open personality stood out sharply against that of his Porcu tumor the austere. Intellectual plus Xii. No interim pop according to Many John Wai to Hove been an interim Pope a pontiff who bridged the Gap be tween the in year reign of plus and the election of a younger Man. But an interim Pope he definitely was not. The name of Pope John Xxiii will not go Down in history As just another in a list of 263 Pope that began with St. Peter. From almost the moment of his election on the afternoon of oct. 28, 1958, the new pontiff showed his Force Ful personality and i grasp of his  his pontificate Pope John called the second Vatican ecumenical Council the first such gather ing in 92 years and the 21st i Catholic Church history. He issued the encyclical mater it  important document on social and labor  on april 10, 1963, he issued an encyclical hailed As one of the most important papal documents of modern times. It was Pace in Terrols peace on Earthan Appeal to All men of Goodwill to work through strengthened International organizations for peace based on Justice and Liberty for  encyclical was the capstone of the Pope s constant work for  issuance of the encyclical coincided wit an initiative by the Pope to bring about the release of prelates imprisoned Behlou the Iron curtain and to obtain greater Freedom generally for the Church in communist  part of his peace Effort the Pope received soviet Premier no Alta s. Khrushchev s son in Law and daughter Alexel i. And Shubel and his wife Rada. In an unprecedented audience on March 7, 1963. Broke tradition on the pages of history such things will Mark the pontiff. But for those who lived during his time he probably will be More noted for his tradition breaking ways if he Felt tradition needed to be broken for the Good of the Church or if it had become out dated in the splice age. In Tome tales he reinstated tradition that had fallen into do sure Over the  of the changes he brought abut were Small personal things. He began his first Days a pontiff following the tradition that the Pope should eat  did not suit i tempera ment and he soon began inviting friends. They want me to evil by myself he said shortly after his election. "1 tried it for one week and i Waint comfortable. Then searched through the sacred scrip Ture for something saying i had to eat alone. I found nothing 10 x gave it up and it s much better  he ruled that the people work ing close with him need not at work desk this is a recent photo of Pope John xxi at Bis working desk in us Vatican Etalo. In the background is the dome of Stpeter s bullies associated press photo Kneel and Kin his ring every time they came in his presence but Only during their first and Las visits of the Day. It saved time he said. As the years of his reign continued so did Pope John s sur Prises. He quickly broke the ancient tradition set by Pope Slac Tui on dec. 3, 1186, that there be Only 70 cardinals following the example of the 70 elders of Moses. Pope John raised the sacred col leg to 75 members and then to 85. Its High was 85 members plus three cardinals the pontiff named in Ectore in his breast. He never revealed the names of these cardinals As was his right and the secret of who they were died wit him. Prisoners of v Alt Tan during the 59 years Between the unification of Italy in 1870 and the Lateran pact in 1929 the pontiffs spent As self exiled prisoners of the  following Popes Sel Dom left the 108-acre state. But Pope John left the Vatican nearly 150 times some for Short visits in Rome and others farther away including the 400-mile round trip he took to the shrine Floreto and assist to Pray for the Success of his Council less than month before it opened on oct 11, 1962. He even visited the regl Nachell jail in the heart of Rome the Day after Christmas 1958. As the White Clad figure gave his Lessing to the prisoners in their cells both the guards and the men serving their sentences wept. Pope John enjoyed life but redid not fear death. After his election he spoke Sev eral times about the inevitable end for All men. I am always ready to mum Over to the other Shore he  time the pontiff serenely told a group during an audience that i have great con Denre in the future but i am ready to seven tonight. I place All my Confidence in the hands of the lord and i feel Well in doing  from peasant s son to the spirit Ual Leader of the largest religion in the world was a Long step. Angelo Giuseppe Roncallo was born on nov. 25, 1881, at his Parent s Home in Sotto ii Monte under the Mountain Little vol Dren three died at birth and eld est son of Giovanni Battista Ron Calll a sharecropper whose family had tolled the soil for years and his wife Marianna Mazzola Ron Call. He grew up in a House of Square Cut stones covered with grape vines at the top of a narrow cobblestones Street. From the boy s bedroom window he could see the Green Valley below and the Hillside sloping Down to the add River. As he grew older he did his Hare of the work like his Brothers and Sisters he helped gather Wood and helped his fathering the Fields. To till the soil was his apparent destiny in life. At the age of u Little Angel announced that he wanted to be come a priest. His parents both religious people in a religious Are of Italy gave their blessings. So he entered the Seminary at Ber Gamo where he studied for eight years from 1892 to 1900. He was a Good but not exceptional student. From there he went to Rome to study at the pontifical  received a laureate in theology and was ordained a priest in the Church of Santa Maria in Monte Santo on aug. 10, 19m. That same year he officiated at his first mass in St. Peter s Basilica. Father Roncali s first Job Wasas personal Secretary to msgr. Glacomo count radon a Tedescho the Bishop of Bergamo. He spent nine years with  prof Ltd in Wei when world War i came. Ron Calll was drafted into the italian army. He served a year As a med ical corps sergeant and then Asan army chaplain with the rank of lieutenant. At the end of the War he founded Italy s first students Homo for assistance to Middle class students in Public schools. Father Roncalli also played an Active role in the Catholic action movement which brought him to the attention of Pope Benedict  became a monsignor and was called to Rome by the Ponti Flo play a leading role in the re organization of the society for the propagation of the Faith a Lay organization supporting Mission lags near Bergamo in Northern Ary activities. He became Presl Italy. It was the third of 13 Chll-1 Dent of the italian Branch. During the period from 1921 to 1925 his visits to european Catho Lic centers for missionary work helped prepare him for his Long diplomatic service. In 1925, under Pope plus i he began his 27 years in the Vatican secretariat of state. He was named titular archbishop of acropolis and was appointed As apostolic visitor to Bulgaria. Msgr. Roncallo then 43, was to spend 10 years in Bulgaria country which fell to communism at the end of world War ii. Dur ing the Long period he spent there he Learned the language and mixed Well. Double Astlin mint in 1935, he was promoted to the twin posts of apostolic vicar and Delegate to Turkey and Apos Tolic Delegate to Greece with Headquarters in Istanbul. He served there for nine Yesny Dur ing the Dlf cult years of the War. In december 1944. Pope plus Xii picked him for one of the mos difficult assignments in St can history apostolic Nuncio to part. Relations Between the Vatican and the French government of Bencharles de Gaulle had become strained because the holy see had sent a Nuncio to the nazi dominated Vichy government during the German occupation of France. But Roncallo conquered the French from the Start. He had wit humor and he knew How to use a Well served meal As a political gambit. As papal Nuncio he automatically was the Dean of the diplomatic corps in Paris. As such he was seen regularly at official an social events. In 1952 he also was made per manent observer from the holy see to Enesco. Jan. 12. 1953, Pope plus Xii named Roncallo a Cardinal. Accord ing to the traditional procedure for Nuncio to Catholic countries the symbolic red hat waa placed on his head by the president. Vincent Auriol. Auriol claimed the right Todo it despite the fact he is a social 1st. Three Days later the Pope named Roncallo patriarch of Venice replacing msgr. Carlo Agos Una who had died. Here i have a new Chance Tobo entirely a pastor said the new patriarch of the City of canals."1 am convinced that the ministry of us pastor is the most fascinating the finest that a Man can be offered in his  Cardinal Roncallo was at Home in Venice. He devoted himself to Pas toral work visiting prisoners in jail patients in hospitals and the aged in their Homes. Then after a lingering illness Pope plus Xii died on oct. 9, 1958. Roncallo was one of 51 cardinals who gathered in Rome for the funeral and the conclave following. The doors to the so Stone Chapel closed behind the cardinals on oct. 25. Three Days and 12 votes later Roncallo appeared on the Balcony overlooking St. Peter s Square forthe first time As Pope. He an. Bounced he had taken the name John that itself a Surprise because the name had not been used sine 1334, although an anti Pope carried the name of John Xxiii in 1415. One of the main reasons for Tak ing the name of John was became that was his father s name he said later. Nearly 77 at that time Pope John was  his 77th birthday one of the facts that led him to be regarded As a Compromise or interim Pope. He was crowned pontiff to the cheers of 300.000 in St be. Probably John s first action u pontiff had come during the secret conclave itself when his election was announced. He took off Hla Cardinal s Cap and placed it on the head of msgr. Alberta do Jolo Secretary of the conclave. It meant that do Jolo would be named Cardinal. In fact do Joho and 22 other became cardinals six weeks after Pope John was elected. During his pontificate John held five cons stories for the names of 52 cardinals plus the three  the cardinals came from 21 countries including the tint princes of the Church from Mexico Uruguay Africa Japan an the Philippines. Twenty two of the cardinals renamed were italian five were from the United states and three each were from France and  were two each from Britain and Germany. And the others came from Mexico Uruguay Anst la Africa Japan the Philippines rot land Venezuela Colombia. Chile Ireland Portugal Peru. Belgium and Syria. In some ways the Pope s person Allty almost overshadowed the work of his pontificate. Despite his Yean and the rotund200 pounds on the pontiffs 5-foot, 4-Inch Frame Pope John Lane Spry. He had rarely been 111. Sex. Cent for an occasional cold. No re a up when the ecumenical Council began his already crowded work Day became even Fuller. But he never slackened Hla Pace whether it was for meetings of faithful Pri vate audiences or making a Quick trip outside the Vatican to visit Achurch or a sick mend. As death came Many remembered the words the pontiff had spoken years before it is my personal experience that As a person grows older with tilth in his heart be feels  familiar with those who pre ceded him. Looking to the other Shore where there Are so Many of his friends. What Little of one Slite is Lett is made Savory by the thought that the lord is awaiting us with the promised Reward Tor Good  he was survived by three  and a sister. They mrs Saverlo 79, Alfredo 73 and Giuseppe 68, allow whom still live at Sotto u Monte and Assunta 65, who lives it Sesto Sah Giovanni near Milan also surviving Wen is nephews and nieces