September 17, 2012 WESTERN CATHOLIC REPORTER Angelo Giuseppi
Roncalli, the pope who convoked the Second Vatican Council, was
a pope like no other in the 20th century. He rose to become Pope
John XXIII basically under the radar and was formed by a unique
set of experiences that helped him understand that the action of
the Holy Spirit is not confined to the Catholic Church. Roncalli
was not a radical or even an innovator. Judged by today's
standards, his public comments and private correspondence can
only be described as quite conservative. While his papacy had a
markedly different style than that of his reserved predecessor,
Pope John seems to have taken only one off-the-wall action in
his life – to convoke Vatican II. Although he was not the only
20th century pope raised in a poor family, his three immediate
predecessors had decidedly bluer blood. Pope Pius XII (1939-58)
was from an aristocratic family and spent his entire priestly
career in the Vatican system. PHOTO | RELIGIOUS NEWS SERVICE
Pope John XXIII i