17 October: Pope John Paul I

Pope John Paul I, who reigned for just 33 days in 1978, was born on this date in 1912. Here are 10 things you might not know about him:

1. He was the son of a bricklayer and was born in Northern Italy. He was baptized on the day he was born by a midwife, who didn’t think he was going to survive. He was baptized Albino Luciani
2. He decided at the age of 10 that he wanted to be a priest after hearing a Capuchin friar preach in his village.
3. He never wanted to be Pope, though. In fact, he wasn’t even considered to be a candidate until a few cardinals decided they wanted a warmer, more pastoral figure as the new Pope and summoned him to Rome for the conclave. He told close friends that if he was elected, he would turn the post down. When he was elected, however, he felt obliged to accept.
4. Upon his election, he commented to the somewhat inappropriately named Cardinal Sin, "May God forgive you for what you have done. You were a prophet, but my reign will be a short one".
5. He was the first Pope to be born in the 20^th century.
6. He was the first to choose a double regnal name, John Paul, in honour of his two immediate predecessors, John XXIII and Paul VI. He was also the first to add the regnal number of I, designating himself the first.
7. He wrote a book called Catechesis in Crumbs, a guide to teaching the truths of the Catholic faith in a simple way.
8. He was a champion of the poor. When he was a cardinal, he sold a Gold cross and chain that Pope John XXIII had given to him, which had once belonged to Pope Pius XII, to raise money for disabled children. He urged other priests and churches to sell their valuables too, and live more simply and humbly.
9. He died on 28 September 1978, when he had been Pope for just 33 days. He’d been complaining of chest pains some hours before, but had refused to let a doctor be called. Next day, he was found dead in bed with his reading lamp still lit and his book, Thomas à Kempis' The Imitation of Christ, by his side. Nuns had gone in to check on him when they noticed the morning coffee left out for him had not been touched. He probably died of a heart attack, but conspiracy theories abounded, suggesting he’d committed suicide or been killed, possibly by Freemasons because Catholics were forbidden from becoming Masons.
10. His successor, Pope John Paul II officially began the process of making him a saint in 1990. So far, however, only one miracle has been successfully attributed to him, and two miracles are needed for sainthood.

Killing Me Softly

Sebastian Garrett is an assassin. It wasn’t his first choice of vocation, but nonetheless, he’s good at it, and can be relied upon to get the job done. He’s on top of his game.

Until he is contracted to kill Princess Helena of Galorvia. She is not just any princess. Sebastian doesn’t bargain on his intended victim being a super-heroine who gives as good as she gets. Only his own genetic variant power saves him from becoming the victim, instead of Helena. 

Fate has another surprise in store. Sebastian was not expecting to fall in love with her.

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