1962 GOLD VATICAN SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL 15.3 GRAMS POPE JOANNES XXIII PENDANT

Description

IMPORTANT
VATICAN
CITY STATE MEDAL
REIGN OF POPE JOHN
XXIII
(1958-1963)
1962 GOLD MEDALLION COMMEMORATING THE SECOND
VATICAN
COUNCIL (
VATICAN
II),
OCTOBER
, 1962
OBVERSE:
PORTRAIT BUST OF POPE JOHN
XXIII
LEFT WEARING
ZUCHETTO
AND PAPAL
MANTUM
.
REVERSE:
ABOVE RADIANT HALF FIGURE OF
JESUS
CHRIST
WITH OPEN ARMS; BENEATH A CHURCH COUNCIL FACING WITH POPE ENTHRONED WITH
TRIREGNUM
AND
MITRED
BISHOPS AND CARDINALS WEARING
BIRETTI
, A CARDINAL FOREGROUND READING PARCHMENT AND A SMALL STOOL OR TABLE CENTER WITH THE GOSPELS UPON IT.
LATIN
LEGEND (FROM
MATTHEW
, CHAPTER 18) "
VBI
SVNT DVO VEL TRES CONGREGATI IN NOMINE MEO, IBI SVM IN MEDIO EORVM. (
WHERE THERE ARE TWO OR THREE GATHERED TOGETHER IN MY NAME, THERE AM I WITH THEM)".
32 MM IN DIAMETER
TOTAL WEIGHT CONTAINS 15.3 GRAMS
MEDAL .900 FINE GOLD, PENDANT 18K GOLD.
BORN INTO A FAMILY OF SHARECROPPERS, ANGELO GIUSEPPE RONCALLI (1881-1963) WAS ORDAINED A PRIEST IN 1904.
DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR, HE USED HIS OFFICES TO HELP THOUSANDS OF JEWS TO ESCAPE THE HOLOCAUST.
HE WAS ELECTED POPE IN 1958, TO HIS OWN GREAT SURPRISE AND HAD COME TO ROME WITH A RETURN TRAIN TICKET IN HIS POCKET.
POPE JOHN XXIII WAS THE LAST POPE TO USE FULL PAPAL CEREMONY, AND HIS CORONATION LASTED THE TRADITIONAL FIVE HOURS.
HIS PERSONAL WARMTH, KINDNESS AND PERSONABLE HUMOR WON HIM GREAT AFFECTION AND POPULARITY ALL OVER THE WORLD.
DURING HIS PONTIFICATE, HE CALLED THE SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL THAT LED TO SWEEPING CHANGES THROUGHOUT CATHOLICISM.
T
HE COUNCIL WAS OPENED BY POPE JOHN XXIII OCTOBER 1962, WAS CLOSED UPON HIS DEATH, AND REOPENED IMMEDIATELY UPON THE ACCESSION OF POPE PAUL VI. THE COUNCIL REMAINED UPON UNTIL DECEMBER 1965.
THOUGH HE DID NOT REIGN LONG, HE WAS KNOWN AS "GOOD POPE JOHN", AND "THE MOST BELOVED POPE IN HISTORY", AND WAS BEATIFIED BY POPE JOHN PAUL II IN THE YEAR 2000. POPE FRANCIS APPROVED HIS CANONIZATION WITHOUT THE PROOF OF A SECOND MIRACLE ASCRIBED TO HIM, AND BASED ON HIS MERITS. "GOOD POPE JOHN" WAS PROCLAIMED A SAINT ON DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY APRIL 27, 2014, ALONG WITH POPE SAINT JOHN PAUL II "THE GREAT".