St. Paul VI, original name Giovanni Battista Montini, (born September 26, 1897, Concesio, near Brescia, Italy—died August 6, 1978, Castel Gandolfo; beatified October 19, 2014; canonized October 14, 2018; feast day September 26), Italian pope (reigned 1963–78) during a period including most of the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) and the immediate postconciliar era, in which he issued directives and guidance to a changing Roman Catholic Church. His pontificate was confronted with the problems and uncertainties of a church facing a new role in the contemporary world.