Pope John Paul II was pope from October 16, 1978, until his death on April 2, 2005, serving for more than 26 years, specifically over 27 years according to some sources. This made him the longest-reigning pope in modern history and the third-longest-serving pope in history after Pius IX and St. Peter
. In contrast, Pope John Paul I, his immediate predecessor, had a very short papacy lasting only 33 days from August 26, 1978, until his death on September 28, 1978, which is one of the shortest reigns in modern times
