Karol Wojtyła was elected Pope

Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, the Archbishop of Krakow, was elected Pope on October 16, 1978. His election ended a 455-year tradition of Italian popes.

The election followed the unexpected death of Pope John Paul I on September 28. During the voting process, cardinals were divided between conservative candidate Giuseppe Siri, the Archbishop of Genoa, and liberal candidate Giovanni Benelli, the Archbishop of Florence. Cardinal Franz König, the Archbishop of Vienna, proposed Wojtyła as a compromise candidate to unite the different factions. Wojtyła received 99 votes from the 111 electing cardinals and chose the name John Paul II.