Blister pack BU

Pope Paul VI was born Giovanni Battista Montini and came from Concesio near Brescia. After his ordination as a priest, he entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See and worked for many years in the Vatican Secretariat of State. Under Pius XII, he was one of the leading officials of the Curia. He later became Archbishop of Milan and subsequently a cardinal. In June 1963, he succeeded John XXIII (Johannes XXIII.) as pope.

His pontificate was closely linked to the Second Vatican Council (Zweites Vatikanisches Konzil). John XXIII had opened the council; after his death, Paul VI continued it and brought it to a close in 1965. The implementation of the council’s decisions then began. These included changes to the liturgy, greater involvement of the bishops in consultation processes, and reforms of the Roman Curia. Paul VI also established the Synod of Bishops as a regular advisory body.

Another characteristic of his pontificate was his foreign travel and his search for new forms of ecumenical and international dialogue. His meeting with the Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem made the rapprochement between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches visible. Before the United Nations (Vereinten Nationen) in New York, he spoke about peace and international cooperation. In the encyclical “Populorum progressio”, he addressed social inequality and the development of poorer countries. His encyclical “Humanae vitae”, in which he reaffirmed the Church’s rejection of artificial contraception, on the other hand provoked conflicts within the Church.

Paul VI died in 1978. Pope Francis (Papst Franziskus) beatified him in 2014 and canonized him in 2018. The Vatican therefore chose the round birthday not only to commemorate a former pope, but also a pontificate shaped by the council, the subsequent reforms of the Church, and the stronger international presence of the papal office.