Illustrissimi

Illustrissimi, or "To the Illustrious Ones", is a collection of letters written by Pope John Paul I when he was Patriarch of Venice. The letters were originally published in the Italian Christian paper Messaggero di S. Antonio between 1972 and 1975, and published in book form in 1976. The book was first published in English in 1978, when Cardinal Luciani (as he was then known) was elected Pope. Since the English translation was only released posthumously (following his brief 33-day papacy), it remains one of the few publicly available English-language writings that offer insights into John Paul I's character and potential papal legacy had he lived longer.