Vatican Radio remembers Pope John Paul I

Cardinal Patriarch of Venice, Albino Luciani, elected pontiff 35 years ago

Pope John Paul I led the Church for only 33 days in 1978 when he suddenly died of a heart attack. Nicknamed the "Smiling Pope," he was the last Italian to sit on the papal throne. (Photo credit: culturalcatholic.com)  

Cardinal Albino Luciani was elected to the See of Peter, Aug. 26, 1978. Recently, Vatican Radio broadcast a program on the short pontificate.

1978 has gone down in the history of the Catholic Church as the year of the three popes. It began when Pope Paul VI died on Aug. 6, 1978 at the age of 81 after a 16-year pontificate.

American Cardinal William Wakefield Baum voted in the August conclave.

He recalls how the pontificate of John Paul I represented a significant moment for the Church: "a moment of grace."

Click on the link to listen to Cardinal Baum's comments.