(1897-1978) Pope from 1963. His encyclical Humanae Vitae/Of Human Life 1968 reaffirmed the church’s traditional teaching on birth control, thus following the minority report of the commission originally appointed by Pope John rather than the majority view.
He was born near Brescia, Italy. He spent more than 25 years in the Secretariat of State under Pius XI and Pius XII before becoming archbishop of Milan in 1954. In 1958 he was created a cardinal by Pope John, and in 1963 he succeeded him as pope, taking the name of Paul as a symbol of ecumenical unity.
Giovanni Battista Montini · Paul VI