POPE JOHN PAUL II: 7TH LONGEST PONTIFICATE IN HISTORY

VATICAN CITY, OCT 15, 2001 (VIS) - Tomorrow, October 16, marks the 23rd anniversary of the election of Pope John Paul to the papacy. The white smoke from the Sistine Chapel indicating the election of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, archbishop of Krakow, to the See of Peter was seen at 6:18 p.m. on October 16, 1978. At 6:45 p.m. Cardinal Pericle Felici announced that the new Pope had chosen the name of John Paul II and at 7:15 p.m. the first Polish Pope in Church history appeared at the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica.

Only six Popes, including St. Peter, have reigned longer than Pope John Paul. In ascending order, they are: Pius VII (23 years, 5 months, 6 days; Adrian I (23 years, 10 months, 24 days); Pius VI (24 years, 6 months, 7 days); Leo XIII (25 years, 5 months); Pius IX (31 years, 7 months, 21 days) and St. Peter (unknown dates).

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