ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the contribution to the law by Giovanni Battista Montini, Paul VI (1897–1978), a Catholic pastor and pope with broad sensibility for justice, ecumenism, and ethical issues. Montini’s main legal contributions come from his diplomatic and canonical activities at the service of the Catholic Church. In his role as a central figure on the Second Vatican Council, he (sometimes energetically) steered bills towards certain essential directions. In his capacity as pope, Paul VI promoted the Roman Curia’s reform, the development of the Synod of Bishops, the amendment of procedures for papal elections, the modernization of Vatican diplomacy, the recasting of the nuncio’s function, and so on. He also advocated for the protection and promotion of human rights and religious freedom, and he made his best efforts to find just solutions to controversial ethical issues.
