Born in Italy · Nationality Italian — Religion / Papacy

Jean XXIII

Also known as: Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, John XXIII, Giovanni XXIII

Religion, sects and spiritual movements Politics and government

Italian pope (1881–1963) who convened Vatican II and issued Pacem in terris.

John XXIII was pope from 1958 to 1963 and convened Vatican II. The council sparked internal disputes about doctrinal and liturgical change. In 1962 he approved a canon-law instruction requiring confidentiality in ecclesiastical proceedings concerning certain sexual misconduct by clergy; the meaning and implications of that secrecy remain historically contested.

Are you concerned? Right of reply

Profile No. 6104 · Updated on 8 November 2026

1Documented controversy

1Source

0Formal charge · all time

0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

16 March 1962

1962: approves confidential Church procedures concerning clergy misconduct

No legal proceedings

John XXIII expressly approved the Holy Office instruction Crimen sollicitationis. It required secrecy in canon-law proceedings involving sexual solicitation linked to confession and also covered certain grave sexual acts by clergy, including acts against minors. The text later became controversial for its internal secrecy rules; by itself it does not establish a papal order to withhold reports from civil authorities.

State of the evidence: Original instruction expressly records papal approval on 16 March 1962.
Legal status — source text: No known personal court proceedings; historical or doctrinal debate.
Attribution: Approval of strict confidentiality rules for internal Church proceedings.

Sources · 1

[1]
Saint-Siège / Saint-OfficeInstruction on the Manner of Proceeding in Causes involving the Crime of Solicitation16 March 1962Official documentHigh reliability

Last verified: 8 November 2026

Add to this entry Any news?

II. Constellation of documented links

Linked profile (portrait or initials) — click to open it
Line width: number of documented references
Hover over or tap a line: controversies and sources

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

List of documented links (1)

Jan Hus1 documented reference
- Public opposition to indulgences funding John XXIII's crusade Source ↗

III. Has something changed?

A new court decision, a missing source, a mistake? Tell us what should be updated: every request is read by the editorial team.

Support the archive

Controversia checks and updates its profiles independently. Support is optional and has no effect on the content of profiles.

Donate

Controversia profile, updated 8 November 2026. Latest version: https://controversia.info/en/fiche/jean-xxiii