The Smiling Pope Who Never Lived to Rule: The Shocking Death of John Paul I

Elected with hope, dead in 33 days. Was it natural, or was the Vatican hiding a darker truth?

By: Vatican Threads

A Pope of Hope, Gone Too Soon

On August 26, 1978, Cardinal Albino Luciani was elected as Pope John Paul I. Known as the “Smiling Pope,” he symbolized humility, compassion, and reform. Yet, on September 28, 197,  just 33 days later, he was found dead in his papal residence.

The Vatican declared it a “sudden heart attack.” But no autopsy was conducted, and contradictory statements from officials fueled global suspicion. For many, this was not just a death, but it was an assassination hidden beneath holy robes.

Vatican Lies and Cover-Ups

At first, the Vatican claimed that a nun discovered the Pope’s body. Hours later, they changed the story, saying it was his private secretary. Why the shifting details?

Historians argue that the Vatican was desperately trying to control the narrative before the press uncovered the truth.

Journalist David Yallop’s famous book In God’s Name (1984) accused Vatican insiders of murder, linking the Pope’s death to financial scandals at the Vatican Bank and Banco Ambrosiano.

The Money Trail: Vatican Bank & Mafia Ties

John Paul I reportedly planned a radical cleanup of Vatican finances. He was ready to:

• Remove Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, head of the Vatican Bank, for ties to shady dealings.
• Investigate Banco Ambrosiano’s mafia connections and billions in missing funds.
• Break the Vatican’s links with Italian masonic lodge Propaganda Due (P,   a shadowy group tied to bankers, mobsters, and politicians.

If John Paul I had acted, powerful men stood to lose billions. His sudden death conveniently froze his reform agenda.

Suspicious Circumstances

Several bizarre facts cast doubt on the Vatican’s version of events:

• The Pope’s glasses and documents were reportedly missing from his bedside table.
• He had compiled a list of cardinals and officials to be dismissed the next morning.
• Witnesses noted he was in good health the night before, joking with aides and full of energy.

Without an autopsy, the cause of death remains speculation, but the timing was damning.

A Murder in God’s House?

Critics argue that John Paul I’s death was not divine will but a human conspiracy.

• The Vatican Bank scandal later erupted, revealing billions laundered through mafia channels.
• In 1982, Banco Ambrosiano chairman Roberto Calvi, known as “God’s Banker,”  was found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge in London. Italian courts later ruled it a mafia-style murder.

The chain of suspicious deaths seemed to confirm what John Paul I never lived to expose.

The Silence of the Vatican

To this day, the Holy See denies foul play. Pope Francis and previous pontiffs have avoided reopening the case, insisting John Paul I died naturally. In 2022, the Vatican even beatified him, presenting him as a saintly figure rather than a victim of conspiracy.

But historians, journalists, and even some cardinals maintain that the Vatican buried the truth along with his body.

The Legacy of Fear

John Paul I’s papacy lasted only 33 days, the shortest in modern history. Yet his death left a chilling message: in the Vatican, even the Pope himself is not safe from corruption’s grip.

As The Times of London (1978) wrote after his death: “The Pope’s smile is gone, but the shadow of his death will haunt the Vatican for generations.”

The mystery remains unsolved. Was John Paul I simply a victim of bad health or the first martyr of Vatican financial corruption?