- Born
- Died
- Birth nameKarol Józef Wojtyla
- Nickname
- The Pilgrim Pope
- Height5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
- Pope John Paul II was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his death in 2005. He was elected pope by the second papal conclave of 1978, which was called after John Paul I, who had been elected in August to succeed Pope Paul VI, died after 33 days. Cardinal Wojtyla was elected on the third day of the conclave and adopted the name of his predecessor in tribute to him. Born in Poland, John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI in the 16th century and the second-longest-serving pope after Pius IX in modern history.
- IMDb mini biography by: Bonitao
- ParentsKarol WojtylaEmilia Kaczorowska
- RelativesEdmund Antoni Wojtyla(Sibling)Olga Maria Wojtyla(Sibling)
- In 2001 he became the first Pope in history to enter a mosque.
- In 1986 he became the first Pope in almost two thousand years to enter a synagogue.
- Survived an assassination attempt by Mehmet Ali Agca in 1981.
- Given the frequency of his pastoral visits to foreign countries, a very popular joke about him was "God is everywhere, and Wojtyla has already been there".
- It is believed that about five million people came to Rome between April 2 and 8, 2005, to take part in his funeral -- that is considered the greatest mourning ceremony in the history of the world.
- One discovers the common values of every culture, capable of uniting and not dividing.
- Minutes after his election as Pope, speaking to the crowd about his not-so-good Italian: "Se mi sbaglio mi corrigerete" ("if I'm wrong you will 'corrected' me" - "corrigerete" is wrong in Italian). This got a huge applause.
- "Believe. Do not be afraid to believe." (His first words after being elected Pope).
- Stupidity is also a gift from God, but it should not be abused.
- A nation that kills its own children is a nation without hope.
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