giovanni battista montini

[Michiko]

Italian pope from 1963 to 1978 who eased restrictions on fasting and on interfaith marriages (1897-1978)

[RobertaInvag]

Giovanni Battista Montini was an Italian priest of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Pope from 1963 to 1978 under the name Pope Paul VI. He is largely recognized for his efforts in closing the Second Vatican Council, from where he implemented its several religious and institutional reforms. Under his papacy, the mass started to be conducted in local languages instead of Latin, and relationships among different religions improved. He was canonized as a Saint by Pope Francis in 2018.