St. John Paul II

Biography

St. John Paul II (1920–2005), born Karol Józef Wojtyła in Wadowice, Poland, became the 264th pope and one of the most transformative figures in modern Church history. He survived Nazi occupation (studying in an underground seminary), worked as a laborer, became a priest, bishop, and cardinal, and was elected pope on October 16, 1978 — the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. His pontificate lasted nearly 27 years. He survived an assassination attempt in St. Peter's Square in 1981 and later visited and forgave his would-be assassin. His role in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe was pivotal — he inspired the Solidarity movement in Poland, and world leaders credited his moral leadership as a decisive factor. He traveled more than any pope in history (129 countries), beatified and canonized more saints than all his predecessors combined, established World Youth Day, wrote 14 encyclicals (including landmark documents on the Gospel of Life and the theology of the body), and initiated groundbreaking interfaith dialogue. He suffered publicly from Parkinson's disease in his final years, offering his suffering as a witness to the dignity of human life at every stage. He died on April 2, 2005, the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday. He was canonized by Pope Francis in 2014.

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