Saint Pope John Paul II: Difference between revisions

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'''Saint John Paul II''', born '''Karol Józef Wojtyła''', was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, during which time he was known as '''Pope John Paul II'''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/biografia/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20190722_biografia.html |title=Biographical Profile of His Holiness Pope John Paul II |publisher=Holy See |access-date=2025-11-16}}</ref> Born on 18 May 1920 in Wadowice, Poland, to a devout Catholic family, Wojtyła survived the Nazi occupation and Soviet communism, studying clandestinely for the priesthood in Kraków and being ordained in 1946.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_breve_en.html |title=His Holiness John Paul II - Short Biography |publisher=Holy See |access-date=2025-11-16}}</ref> As auxiliary bishop of Kraków from 1958 and archbishop from 1964, he contributed to the Second Vatican Council, emphasizing human dignity and the role of the laity, before his election as the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, ushering in a 26-year pontificate marked by 104 foreign trips, over 17 million pilgrims at audiences, and authorship of 14 encyclicals like ''Redemptor Hominis''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/10/22/st--john-paul--ii--pope.html |title=St. John Paul II, Pope |publisher=Vatican News |access-date=2025-11-16}}</ref> His efforts in promoting the New Evangelization, interfaith dialogue, and opposition to communism—famously aiding Solidarity in Poland—earned him the moniker "the Pope of the Family" and a pivotal role in the fall of the Iron Curtain.