Editing Pope Paul VI (section)

==Archbishop of Milan==
[[File:Cardenal Montini.jpg|thumb|195px|Montini as the Archbishop of Milan c. 1956]]
After the death of [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] [[Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster]] in 1954, Montini was appointed to succeed him as [[Archbishop of Milan]], which made him the secretary of the [[Italian Episcopal Conference|Italian Bishops Conference]].<ref name="Franzen 420">{{Harvnb|Franzen|1988|p=420}}.</ref> Pius XII presented the new archbishop "as his personal gift to Milan". He was consecrated bishop in [[Saint Peter's Basilica]] by Cardinal [[Eugène Tisserant]], the Dean of the [[College of Cardinals]], since Pius XII was severely ill.

On 12 December 1954, Pius XII delivered a radio address from his sick bed about Montini's appointment to the crowd in St. Peter's Basilica.{{Sfn|Lazzarini|1964|p=169}} Both Montini and the Pope had tears in their eyes when Montini departed for his diocese with its 1,000 churches, 2,500 priests and 3,500,000 souls.{{Sfn|Hebblethwaite|1993|pp=260–62}} On 5 January 1955, Montini formally took possession of his [[Milan Cathedral|Cathedral of Milan]]. Montini settled well into his new tasks among all groups of the faithful in the city, meeting cordially with intellectuals, artists, and writers.{{Sfn|Franzen|1988|p=420}}

===Montini's philosophy===
[[File:Cardinal Montini portrait – 1959.png|thumb|Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini in 1959; photo by [[Tullio Farabola]]]]
In his first months, Montini showed his interest in working conditions and labour issues by speaking to many unions and associations. He initiated the building of over 100 new churches, believing them the only non-utilitarian buildings in modern society, places for spiritual rest.{{Sfn|Hebblethwaite|1993|p=266}}

His public speeches were noticed in [[Milan]], Rome, and elsewhere. Some{{Who|date=May 2025}} considered him a liberal when he asked lay people to love not only Catholics but also schismatics, {{definition needed|date=October 2024}} Protestants, Anglicans, the indifferent, Muslims, pagans, and atheists.{{Sfn|Hebblethwaite|1993|p=273}} He gave a friendly welcome to a group of Anglican clergy visiting Milan in 1957 and subsequently exchanged letters with the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], [[Geoffrey Fisher]].{{Sfn|Hebblethwaite|1993|pp=714–15}}

Pope Pius XII revealed at the 1952 secret consistory that both Montini and Tardini had declined appointments to the cardinalate,<ref>{{Citation|first=Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni|last =Pacelli|author-link=Pope Pius XII|contribution=La Allocuzione nel consistorio Segreto del 12 Gennaio 1953|title=Discorsi e Radiomessagi di Sua Santita|language=it|trans-title=Speeches and radio messages from his Holiness|place=[[Vatican City]]|year=1953|page=455}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|contribution=Biography|publisher=Vatican|place=Rome, IT|contribution-url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/biography/documents/hf_p-vi_bio_16071997_biography_en.html|title=Pope Paul VI: 1963–1978|access-date=2 March 2006|archive-date=9 February 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209065234/http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/biography/documents/hf_p-vi_bio_16071997_biography_en.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
and, in fact, Montini was never to be made a cardinal by Pius XII, who held no consistory and created no cardinals between the time he appointed Montini to Milan and his own death four years later. After Montini's friend Angelo Roncalli became [[Pope John XXIII]], he made Montini a cardinal in December 1958.

When the new pope announced [[Second Vatican Council|an ecumenical council]], Cardinal Montini reacted with disbelief and said to [[Giulio Bevilacqua]]: "This old boy does not know what a hornets nest he is stirring up."{{Sfn|Hebblethwaite|1993|p=284}} Montini was appointed to the Central Preparatory Commission in 1961. During the council, Pope John XXIII asked him to live in the Vatican, where he was a Commission for Extraordinary Affairs member, though he did not engage much in the floor debates. His main advisor was [[Giovanni Colombo]], whom he later appointed as his successor in Milan{{Sfn|Hebblethwaite|1993|p=296}} The commission was significantly overshadowed by the insistence of John XXIII that the Council complete all its work before Christmas 1962, to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the [[Council of Trent]], an insistence which may have also been influenced by the Pope's having recently been told that he had cancer.{{Sfn|Hebblethwaite|1993|p=301}}

John had a vision but "did not have a clear agenda. His rhetoric seems to have had a note of over-optimism, a confidence in progress, which was characteristic of the 1960s."{{Sfn|Duffy|1997|p=272}}

===Pastoral progressivism===
During his period in Milan, Montini was widely seen as a progressive member of the Catholic hierarchy. He adopted new approaches to reach the faithful with pastoral care and carried through the liturgical reforms of Pius XII at the local level. For example, huge posters announced throughout the city that 1,000 voices would speak to them from 10 to 24 November 1957: more than 500 priests and many bishops, cardinals, and lay people delivered 7,000 sermons, not only in churches but in factories, meeting halls, houses, courtyards, schools, offices, military barracks, hospitals, hotels and wherever people congregated.{{Sfn|Hebblethwaite|1993|p=275}} His goal was re-introducing faith to a city without much religion. "If only we can say [[Lord's Prayer|Our Father]] and know what this means, then we would understand the Christian faith."{{Sfn|Hebblethwaite|1993|p=276}}

[[Pius XII]] asked Archbishop Montini to Rome in October 1957, where he gave the main presentation to the Second World Congress of [[Lay apostolate|Lay Apostolate]]. As Pro-Secretary of State, he had worked hard to form this worldwide organisation of lay people in 58 nations, representing 42 national organisations. He presented them to Pius XII in Rome in 1951. The second meeting in 1957 gave Montini an opportunity to express the lay apostolate in modern terms: "Apostolate means love. We will love all, but especially those, who need help... We will love our time, our technology, our art, our sports, our world."{{Sfn|Lazzarini|1964|p=63}}

===Cardinal===
[[File:Paolo Monti - Servizio fotografico (Milano, 1962) - BEIC 6356260 (retouched).tif|thumb|left|Cardinal Montini at the opening of the new building of the [[Riunione Adriatica di Sicurtà|RAS]], Milan, 1962; photo by [[Paolo Monti]]]]
On 20 June 1958, [[Saul Alinsky]] recalled meeting with Montini: "I had three wonderful meetings with Montini and I am sure that you have heard from him since." Alinsky also wrote to [[George Nauman Shuster]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ricognizioni.it/saul-alinsky-e-san-paolo-vi-genesi-della-resa-conciliare-al-mondo-seconda-parte-di-christopher-a-ferrara-traduzione-di-marco-manfredini/|title=Saul Alinsky e "San" Paolo VI: genesi della resa conciliare al mondo (seconda parte) – di Christopher A. Ferrara (traduzione di Marco Manfredini) – Ricognizioni|last=di 18:50|first=bbruno 25 Novembre 2018|date=22 November 2018 |language=it-IT|access-date=21 November 2019|archive-date=28 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728082113/https://www.ricognizioni.it/saul-alinsky-e-san-paolo-vi-genesi-della-resa-conciliare-al-mondo-seconda-parte-di-christopher-a-ferrara-traduzione-di-marco-manfredini/|url-status=live}}</ref> two days before the papal conclave that elected John XXIII: "No, I don't know who the next Pope will be, but if it's to be Montini, the drinks will be on me for years to come."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.si.edu/object/siris_sil_202868|title=The radical vision of Saul Alinsky|last=FINKS|first=P. David|website=Smithsonian Institution|pages=112–115|language=en|access-date=21 November 2019|archive-date=22 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522214357/https://www.si.edu/object/siris_sil_202868|url-status=live}}</ref>

Although some cardinals seem to have viewed Montini as a likely [[papabile]] candidate, possibly receiving some votes in the [[Papal conclave, 1958|1958 conclave]],<ref>{{cite book |first=Giancalro|last=Zizola|title=Borla|place=Rome|year=1977|page=157}}</ref> he had the handicap of not yet being a cardinal.{{Efn|In theory any male Catholic is eligible for election to the papacy. In fact, his photograph was published in ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine with the other potential candidates for the papacy in 1958. However, the cardinals in modern times almost always elect a fellow cardinal to the office.}} Angelo Roncalli was elected pope on 28 October 1958 and took the name John XXIII. On 17 November 1958, ''[[L'Osservatore Romano]]'' announced a consistory for the creation of new cardinals, with Montini at the top of the list.<ref>{{cite book|title=L'Osservatore Romano|date=17 November 1958|page=1}}</ref> When the Pope raised Montini to the cardinalate on 15 December 1958, he became [[Cardinal-Priest]] of [[San Martino ai Monti|Ss. Silvestro e Martino ai Monti]]. The Pope appointed him simultaneously to several Vatican congregations, drawing him frequently to Rome in the coming years.{{Sfn|Lazzarini|1964|p=92}}

Cardinal Montini journeyed to Africa in 1962, visiting [[Ghana]], [[Sudan]], [[Kenya]], [[Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)|Congo]], [[Rhodesia]], South Africa, and Nigeria. After this journey, John XXIII called Montini to a private audience to report on his trip, speaking for several hours. In fifteen other trips, he visited [[Brazil]] (1960) and the USA (1960), including New York City, Washington DC, Chicago, the [[University of Notre Dame]] in Indiana, Boston, [[Philadelphia]], and [[Baltimore]]. He usually vacationed in [[Engelberg Abbey]], a secluded Benedictine monastery in Switzerland.{{Sfn|Lazzarini|1964|pp=90–92}}