This is a complete and fully approved biography of Pope John XXIII, tracing the main events in his life: his childhood in Bergamo, a town in the forelands of the Italian Alps; his work in Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece and France; his patriarchate in Venice; and finally his election as Pope in October 1958. The author, who as a result of his work in the Vatican for the past thirty years has a deep personal knowledge of the Holy Father, has succeeded in vividly recreating for the reader his warm personality and outstanding capabilities; as chaplain during the first world war, as professor in a seminary; as a man of letter as a leader of Catholic Action and a pioneer of the Christian Social Movement; as Apostolic Delegate, Nuncio and finally as Patriarch. Generously illustrated and well annotated it will prove a valuable source of information all who are interested in the New Pope.