Who is Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II, formerly known as Karol Wojtyla, became Pope on October 16, 1978.  He was the first Pope who was not an Italian in 455 years. 

Karol Wojtyla was born in Poland and was raised during a period of national freedom.  This freedom ended, first to the Nazi occupation and followed by Communist rule.  Wojtyla's family had fled Poland during World War II, but the Russian invasion inspired him to return home.  He studied in secret to avoid deportation as he worked as a laborer.

Karol Wojtyla was ordained in 1946.  Over the next few years he wrote Christian texts, continued his studies and taught Catholicism as he worked towards religious freedom.  His hard work led to him becoming a professor in Lublin.  Soon after he became auxili9ary bishop and then in 1963, he was made archbishop of Krakow.  Just four years later he was made a cardinal.  During his time as a cardinal, he worked endlessly to gain concessions from the communist leadership.

Many were surprised when he was selected to be the next Pope.  John Paul II is highly praised for his attempt at building a bridge between Christians and Jews, and Muslims.  He traveled often as this was his main tool.  He would speak to massive crowds which made it possible for Mehmet Ali Agca to attempt an assassination on Pope John Paul II.  While he was seriously injured, this did not stop the Pope and even led to non-Catholics admiring his strength and his willingness to speak out against governments while he spoke from their country.

In John Paul's later years, he was affected by several health problems ranging from cancer to his ongoing battle against Parkinson's disease.  However, these health problems could hardly slow him down.  In March of 2000, the Pope made one of his most famous trips.  He went to Jerusalem to meet with both Jewish and Muslim leaders in an attempt to bring peace and understanding to the region. 

Sadly, in early 2005, the Popes health started to decline once again.  After a long fight, John Paul passed in the Vatican on April 2nd, 2005 at the age of 84.