John Paul I doesn't die early

From what I read, this pope died after only 33 days in office at the age of 65 (probably a heart attack). Suppose he lives as long as John Paul II did, to 84. How would society be different?

At the very minimum, John Paul II (if elected) will have less time to do the things he did in our timeline. He would also likely be too old to be elected at that point.
 
If he lives to 84, that would mean he would die sometime around 1997.

I don't know if Karol Józef Wojtyła (John Paul II birth name) would be elected Pope in that time, though it's still possible. His health was in decline by the 1990's, since he was developing Parkinson's Disease at that time, and that probably would still happen. Given that, he might not get elected.
 
I've heard that John Paul (I) was more liberal than number 2 was. If so, you might see a rather different set of policies on the part of the Catholic Church, and when he does die it's possible a rather more non-traditional candidate (say, a non-European) is elected.

But I don't know enough about the Church to say more.
 
There was a somewhat brief thread about this a little while ago: https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=167217

What I wrote then was:

Good topic! This is one I’ve mulled over every once and while too. A couple of ideas come to mind:

John Paul I was a very quiet and retiring figure who by all accounts was rather intimidated by his new power and responsibilities. Thus I imagine he would likely be a rather hands-off pope. Though he did have some interesting ideas that he felt rather strongly about, so perhaps if he gets himself a more forceful lieutenant who knows the ins and outs of the curia, he could make some waves.*

I imagine that South America would be an area where some interesting differences would occur. Before he became pope, John Paul I had traveled there (one of the few times he ever left Italy) and was good friends with the Brazilian cardinal Lorscheider. And of course his pontificate would see the rise of liberation theology, which would likely not be suppressed quite as forcefully as OTL, so that could have some political repercussions on the wider world.

John Paul I almost certainly wouldn’t travel as much as JP2 did, nor would he probably come up with World Youth Day, etc. He would likely be viewed as a kind and gentle old man, but wouldn’t have anything close to the mass appeal and star power of JP2. I wonder if without such a powerful central figure, the church might grow more decentralized and regionally-focused. No official changes in structure or hierarchy, but in terms of people’s mindset.

Also: Eastern Europe. No Polish pope to add moral support to Solidarity, etc. But on the flip side, I would be very interested in seeing what kind of a role Cardinal Wojtyla plays back in his native land.

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*IIRC, he once suggested that first-world dioceses should take an active role in supporting their third-world counterparts who were hard-pressed for the resources they needed to run effectively, but who knows if such a policy would ever get enacted.
 
I don't know if Karol Józef Wojtyła (John Paul II birth name) would be elected Pope in that time, though it's still possible. His health was in decline by the 1990's, since he was developing Parkinson's Disease at that time, and that probably would still happen. Given that, he might not get elected.

If Karol Wojtyła was not shot in 1981, the health issues might not have been as severe.
 
If Karol Wojtyła was not shot in 1981, the health issues might not have been as severe.

Good point. But IIRC, one of the reasons Wojtyla was elected was because his youth and active lifestyle provided a sharp contrast to the ill health of his predecessors. Unless JP1's last years are marked by the same kind of debilitating decline that JP2 endured, youth/health is not likely to be as much of a factor.

Also there will be a lot of new cardinals who John Paul I has added to the Sacred College, who might make good candidates too.
 
Also there will be a lot of new cardinals who John Paul I has added to the Sacred College, who might make good candidates too.

Indeed. That makes it hard to say who the next Pope might be, though I suspect Ratzinger still has a chance.
 
The notion that JP I would be a liberal pope rests largely on some off the cuff remarks that he made in private that he was leaning towards permitting artificial contraception but only in instances where there was extreme hardship (note that in his Allocution to Midwives Pius XII allowed the rhythm method only when there were strong reasons for avoiding procreation)

Yet when Lefebvre met with this allegedly liberal pope he was charmed and probably would have reached some sort of reconciliation. (when in OTL he later met with JP II he was essentially read the riot act)
 
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