Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII’s self-titled spoken-word album reached No. 132 on the Billboard 200 chart dated August 17, 1963 — two months after he died.

Perhaps by recalling the dual identity that John XXIII—the same pope the woman at St. Peter’s Square was so fond of in 1963—used to describe the Church: mater et magistra, mother and teacher.

It was Francis who finally declared John XXIII a saint in 2013, canonizing him the following year, on the same day he canonized Pope John Paul II, a more conservative figure in the modern church.

The most common papal name is John, followed by Gregory and Benedict. Although there has been a Pope John XXIII, there have only been 21 legitimate popes named John.

According to the French press, he is known in some domestic Catholic circles as John XXIV, in a nod to his resemblance to Pope John XXIII, the round-faced reforming pope of the early 1960s.

Pope Francis’s devoted faithful will likely soon be hollering for the late, humble, huddled-masses-loving pontiff to be fast-tracked to sainthood, experts said Tuesday. But his fans should ...

The most common papal name is John, followed by Gregory and Benedict. Although there has been a Pope John XXIII, there have only been 21 legitimate popes named John.

Pope Francis’s devoted faithful will likely soon be hollering for the late, humble, huddled-masses-loving pontiff to be fast-tracked to sainthood, experts said Tuesday.