events
October 28, 1958
John XXIII is elected Pope.
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take the pontifical name "John".
1958 conclave
A conclave was held from 25 to 28 October 1958 to elect a pope to succeed Pius XII, who had died on 9 October 1958. Of the 53 eligible cardinal electors, all but two attended. On the eleventh ballot, the conclave elected Cardinal Angelo Roncalli, the patriarch of Venice. After accepting his election, he took the name John XXIII. He was the second patriarch of Venice to be elected pope in the 20th century, after Pius X in the 1903 conclave. John XXIII's coronation took place on 4 November 1958.