The death of Two Popes

Quiz and Football enthusiasts may have noticed a rather difficult question we added to this weekend's AudlemOnline Quiz. 'Which team went through the entire reign of a Pope without scoring.'

The answer was Birmingham City who did not score a single goal in the reign of Pope John Paul I and, as a result, were relegated that season from the 1st Division.

John Paul I reigned for just 33 calendar days from August 26 – September 28th in 1978. Unfortunately, it was a short reign that cost me, or at least my employer, dearly.

At the time, I was working at the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo. I had a wonderful job, promoting the circulation of two daily newspapers and their advertising plus running all the the two newspapers' competitions, readers' offers and much else, despite being only in my Twenties.

One of my favourite times of the week was Friday afternoon when we judged the extremely popular Place the Ball competition to see if we had a jackpot winner. This involved readers trying to spot where a football was that had been removed from an action photo of a match and paying for the privilege as there was a large cash prize at stake.

I also commissioned weekly TV advertisements promoting editorial features and competitions in the Echo and had earlier appointed a very young new advertising agency which I thought had potential. They were called Saatchi & Saatchi! Whatever happened to them?

In 1977 I had been promoted to a Group role which meant I had to look after some promotional work for other parts of the company, including The Universe, a popular Roman Catholic newspaper that operated out of Fleet Street.

As I went to my first meeting with The Universe's management, I wondered how my late father and grandmother, both staunch Protestants, almost of the 'Merseyside' Orange variety, would feel. I suspected both would be turning in their graves.

I soon realised I might not be temperamentally suited to this particular newspaper when The Universe team asked if I could introduce a circulation and money making idea like the Liverpool Echo's Place the Ball. Quick as a flash I suggested 'Place the Holy Ghost.' Fortunately at least one of them had a sense of humour and smiled at me through gritted teeth!

Despite that early setback, I did complete some work for The Universe successfully. Then, in 1978, they called me to say they had the UK and Ireland rights to a publication called the Pope's Family Prayer Book and planned to print 100,000 copies. Could I develop a promotional campaign, which I did.

Shortly before printing began, a call came in from a worried Universe manager. Pope Paul VI, who had reigned for fifteen years, was seriously ill. He might even die, I was told. Immediately I reassured him that a 'Tribute to the late Pope' might sell even better. Relieved, he agreed to proceed and printing went ahead.

Pope Paul VI did die and was succeeded by Pope John Paul I who survived just 33 days. Which raises the big question: have you ever tried to sell 100,000 copies of a 'Tribute to the Pope Before Last'?

I suspect those 100,000 Pope's Family Prayer Books are still sitting in a warehouse somewhere in Liverpool to this day.

The death of Pope John Paul I has since produced a number of conspiracy theories, many associated with the Vatican Bank. Discrepancies in the Vatican's account of the events surrounding John Paul I's death – its inaccurate statements about who found the body, what he had been reading (I am sure it was not the Pope's Family Prayer Book we had published), when, where and whether an autopsy could be carried out – led to a number of books with a variety of questionable theories.

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