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Yes, it of course happens, but when it does it is usually a signal that the new pope intends to continue with the vision of his predecessor.

(John Paul II is also something of an anomaly, because John Paul I died barely a month into his papacy and so didn't have time to put in place any real agenda. John Paul II was more commemorating John Paul I the man.)

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> Yes, it of course happens,

It happens far more often than otherwise; you've reversed rule and exception.

Yes, but the past half century has been a rather unusual time for the Church since it's coming out of one of the more consequential ecumenical councils. It typically takes the Church a few generations to come to an agreement about the meaning of an important council. But in the immediate wake of it there's usually a wider diversity of visions.

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