Pope John XXIII
Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was elected pope in 1958 as a supposedly transitional figure but proved transformative. He convened the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) and issued the encyclical Pacem in Terris (1963) calling for nuclear disarmament and a world order based on law. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, he communicated privately with both Kennedy and Khrushchev urging restraint. Unlike his predecessor, he believed engagement was more effective than confrontation in dealing with communist states — a shift that began the transformation of Vatican Cold War strategy.
- Lived: 1881 CE – 1963 CE
- Nationality: Italian
- Roles: pope, head_of_state
