The Short Reign and Mysterious Death of Pope John Paul I
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This episode includes discussions of death and suicide. Consider this when deciding how and when you'll listen. To get help on mental health and suicide, visit Spotify.com resources. On Easter Sunday, 2025, an estimated 50,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, hoping to get a glance of Pope Francis. He hadn't appeared in front of a crowd that large since being hospitalized for bronchitis and pneumonia earlier in the year. But this was the final day of Holy Week. He cast aside any worry for his own health and delivered an Easter blessing before taking to the square in his popemobile. Then on Monday, news broke that he had passed away that morning at the age of 88. Just hours later, the Vatican reported on Pope Francis's cause of death, a stroke followed by a coma and heart failure. In fact, they released a good deal of information on his final hours. Perhaps that's because Pope Francis was widely considered an honest and direct leader. Or maybe they've learned that secrecy surrounding the death of a pope can feed into conspiracy theories.
Because in 1978, John Paul I died under mysterious circumstances just 33 days after becoming the Pope. And to this day, rumors persist that his death wasn't what it seemed. Welcome to Conspiracy Theories, a Spotify podcast. I'm Carter Roy. You can find us here every Wednesday. Be sure to check us out on Instagram at The Conspiracy Pod. And we would love to hear from you. So if you're listening on the Spotify app, swipe up and give us your thoughts. Stay with us.
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In late August 1978, the world awaited news from the Sistine Chapel. There, 111 cardinals were ready to vote for the next pope. This meeting was shrouded in complete secrecy, but here was one main rumor that circulated about the process. As the story goes, Cardinal Jaime Sinn believed 65-year-old Italian Cardinal Albino Luciani was the top choice. At one point, Sinn even assured Luciani saying, quote, you will be the new pope. And Sinn apparently wasn't the only one. Many of his colleagues seemed to agree. After four voting rounds, Luciani amassed an overwhelming majority, about 90 out of 111 votes. The cardinals had made their choice. Albino Luciani was the new pope. But as they celebrated, Luchani didn't appear happy.
Instead, he seemed overwhelmed. When asked if he formally accepted the position, he hesitated before agreeing. Then, Luchani reluctantly named himself Pope John Paul I. According to the rumor, soon after the election, Jaime Sin visited the new pontiff. The Holy Father supposedly admitted to him, You were a prophet, but my reign will be a short one. If there's any truth to the story, Pope John Paul I was right. And when he died just 33 days into his papacy, many believed foul play was involved. To get to the heart of this theory, we have to go back to 1922, when a 10-year-old Luciani decided he wanted to be a man of God. That year, during the observance of Lent, his Italian mountain village had a visitor, a friar from a devout Catholic group called the Capuchin Franciscans. They lived a lot like monks and traveled to poor areas to help feed and care for those living below the poverty line. From a very young age, Luciani wanted to help the less fortunate.
Now, he watched in amazement as the friar preached the Lenten sermons to the community. It was at that moment he realized he wanted to become a priest. His mother, a devout Roman Catholic, suggested he attend a minor seminary. Before long, Luciani was deeply immersed in his studies and on his way to joining the priesthood. He earned a reputation for being a well-liked, modest man.
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