Albino Luciani

Albino Luciani was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, giving rise to the most recent year of three popes the first since 1605. John Paul I remains the most recent Italian-born pope, the last in a succession of such popes that started with Clement VII in 1523. He was the first pope to have been born in the 20th century, as well as the last pope to die in it.