Pope John XXII, recently canonised as a saint, was a major reformer of the 20th century, and his efforts in leading the Church in to the modern era with radical ideas and contributions still have continuing influence today. Pope John XXII focused on uniting all, in which he sought not only to build ecumenical ties with Christian denominations, but also reached out to other religions through interfaith dialogue. For example, he invited Christian denominations such as Eastern Orthodox and Protestant to observe in council sessions, a completely new idea at the time. He revised the liturgy to encourage greater involvement of the laity, for instance, facing the people and removing Latin during mass to reconnect to the language of the people. In his lifetime, he wrote 8 encyclicals, the 2 most notable considered two of the most important documents in church history; Mother and Teacher (1961) Peace on Earth (1963). Through these, Pope John XXII attempted to reconnect the people to Jesus’ teachings on peace and commandment of love, and redefined social teachings. Having seen the horrors of war first hand among many other experiences in his life, he was a great advocate for world peace, social justice and love for humanity. With the humility to know that he alone could not solve the new problems of the 1960s, he called on the wisdom of the Vatican Council II. This was his greatest contribution to Christianity, and although he passed away following the first session, the council eventually achieved much of his visions for ecumenism and social reform, and successfully renewed and brought the Catholic Church into the modern era despite much opposition. For example, the Catholic Church accepted baptism of other denominations. As Pope John XXII had stated in his opening speech for Vatican II, in bringing the church “up to date where required”, the church “will become greater in