Skip to main content
Pope John XXIII

Pope John XXIII

2 6.9
A Catholic leader who was pope from 1958 to 1963 and called the Second Vatican Council
  • proper noun
: Papa Juan XXIII
  • Many consider Pope John XXIII a pivotal figure in promoting unity among different Christian denominations.

Examples

  • In 1962, Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council to address contemporary issues in the Church.

  • Did Pope John XXIII really change the Catholic Church?

  • Pope John XXIII is remembered for initiating the Second Vatican Council and modernizing the Catholic Church.

  • Historians often cite Pope John XXIII as a progressive leader during a pivotal era in church history.

  • Many Catholics admired Pope John XXIII for his humility and openness to reform.

  • Pope John XXIII was a pivotal figure in modern church history.

  • Pope John XXIII was known for his efforts to modernize the Catholic Church.

Synonyms

John XXIII
vsPope John XXIII
5 6.4

A pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1958 to 1963 who started the Second Vatican Council

refers to the same person using full personal biography rather than title
Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli
vsPope John XXIII
9.9

An Italian church leader who was Pope John XXIII and started the Second Vatican Council

refers to him by his official leadership title instead of personal name

Surface Forms

Morphology

Pope + John + XXIII

The phrase is directly compositional: 'Pope' (head of the Roman Catholic Church) + the personal name 'John' + 'XXIII' (Roman numeral for 23) yields 'Pope John the Twenty-Third.' This title-building pattern (name + ordinal) is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings can understand it denotes a specific pope, even if they do not know his biography.

Etymology

Pope John XXIII was an Italian pope who surprised many by calling a big meeting called the 'Second Vatican Council' to open the windows of the Church to the modern world and bring change. That's why his name is remembered for humility and reform.