A year from the Foundations's birth

On April 28 2020, the Press Office of the Holy See announced the birth of the John Paul I Vatican Foundation, established by Pope Francis with Rescriptum ex audientia of 17^th February 2020, in order to deepen the thought and teachings of John Paul I.

The Foundation, which in its aims, has the task of protecting the documentary heritage, cultural and religious left by John Paul I and promoting internationally the research, studies, deepening and dissemination of his work and his thought by promoting conferences , setting up scholarships and taking care of the publishing activity. Since its establishment it has worked hard to consolidate its structure and set up activities that contribute to the recovery of Luciani's theological and cultural heritage.

The works began last 22^nd May with a first meeting of the Board of Directors at the Vatican Secretariat of State in which the tasks were defined, delineated the Scientific Committee and set out the activities and projects to be implemented and launched according to the established purposes.

Important steps have been taken during this first year. Despite the adverse contingencies linked to the pandemic, the Foundation's Board of Directors was able to meet three more times at the Hall of Treaties of the Vatican Apostolic Palace: on 3^rd July and 26th September 2020 and on 27^th  February 2021, while the Scientific Committee met for the first time on 25^nd  September 2020, laying the foundations to be able to pursue its aims.

• Among the first acts carried out, the Foundation signed a Framework Agreement with the Vatican Dicastery for Communication about publishing rights for the use of writings, sound recordings and photographic material relating to John Paul I.
  
  
• Considering also that the Vatican does not have the film material relating to Pope Luciani, given that the CTV was not stablished in 1978, the Foundation requested the acquisition for non-commercial purposes of the films stored at the RaiTeche (Italian national public broadcaster RAI). On 22^nd April 2021, a copy of said material was officially donated to the President Cardinal Pietro Parolin in the name of Rai by Massimo Milone, director of Rai Vaticano.
  
  
• In the Foundation's pre-eminent activities there is also the publication of studies on his work and on this occasion it has been agreed with the Vatican Publishing House (LEV) the creation of an ad hoc series dedicated to John Paul I. The collection of the books opened with the re-edition of two texts: the monumental Biography ex documentis edited by Stefania Falasca, Davide Fiocco and Mauro Velati and the re-edition of the book Papa Luciani. Chronicle of a death signed by Stefania Falasca. The forthcoming English and Spanish translations have also been made of this last volume.
  
  
• The work will continue with a  series of books, currently in progress, concerning the critical edition of the teachings of John Paul I, with the complete synopsis of written speeches and pronounced by the Pontiff and including the transcriptions of the autograph diary and personal block notes of Pope Luciani during the 34 days of his pontificate. This publication will be followed by the critical edition of Illustrissimi.
  
  
• During these months the Foundation has also worked to create its own website in Italian and English, which is now online. 
  
  
• Since 1^st December, the Foundation has also had its own headquarters in via della Conciliazione, which became operational at the beginning of this new year.
  
  
• At the headquarters was allocated the private Archive of Albino Luciani, constituted of the set of papers that includes handwritten, notebooks, diaries, correspondence, printed material that covers a wide period from 1929 to 1978.
  
  
• The corpus of the papers - which already last December was brought back to the Holy See from the Historical Archive of the Patriarchate of Venice, where it had been transferred in October 1978 immediately after the death of John Paul I - is consisting of 64 folders. Given its importance, priority attention was therefore focused on the private archive of Luciani, which constitutes the 'heritage' of the Foundation and it is crucial for the implement of the project opera omnia. 
  
  
• On 1^st March 2021, under the guidance of the Prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Archives, his Excellence Mons. Sergio Pagano, the work of inventorying began and, at the same time, with the collaboration of the Vatican Apostolic Library, also the work of digitization of the Fund, starting from the series of 66 autographed diaries (from 1960 to 1978), including the private diary and notebook during the pontificate period. A scanned copy, also, will be held in the diocesan historical archive of Venice. 
  
  
• The inventory of the Found requires a six month period and for this occasion a scholarship was approved by the Board of Directors  on 27^th February 2021. At the same moment was also established other scholarships including two for theses on John Paul I at the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences "Giovanni Paolo I" of  dioceses of Belluno-Feltre, Treviso and  Vittorio Veneto.
  
  
• The private Archive was originally joined by a well-stocked library and part of the projects, already approved by the Foundation, also is including the reconstitution of Albino Luciani's personal library to be established in Venice at the diocesan library of the seminary patriarchal.
  
  
• In the context of  projects, soon to be implemented, is scheduled  for spring 2022 a conference on the magisterium of John Paul I with the works of the Scientific Committee.