Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (18 May 1920 - 2 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and the sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his death in 2005. He is remembered as one of the most important historical figures in Poland.
He was elected Pope by the second papal conclave of 1978, which was called after John Paul I, who had been elected to succeed Pope Paul VI in August, died after only 33 days. Cardinal Wojtya was elected on the third day of the conclave and took his predecessor's name in tribute. John Paul II, born in Poland, 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.
John Paul II attempted to improve relations between the Catholic Church and Judaism, Islam, and the Eastern Orthodox Church. He maintained the church's previous positions on abortion, artificial contraception, women's ordination, and a celibate clergy, and while he supported the Second Vatican Council reforms, he was seen as generally conservative in their interpretation. He was one of the most traveled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, he beatified 1,340 and canonised 483 people, more than his predecessors combined over the previous five centuries. By the time he died, he had named the majority of the College of Cardinals, consecrated or co-consecrated many of the world's bishops, and ordained many priests. He is also credited with helping to end Communist rule in his native Poland and throughout Europe.
The canonization process for John Paul II began one month after his death, with the traditional five-year waiting period waived. On December 19, 2009, his successor, Benedict XVI, declared John Paul II venerable, and he was beatified on May 1, 2011 (Divine Mercy Sunday) after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints attributed one miracle to his intercession, the healing of a French nun named Marie Simon Pierre from Parkinson's disease. On July 2, 2013, a second miracle was approved and confirmed by Pope Francis two days later. On 27 April 2014 (again, Divine Mercy Sunday), Pope Francis added these two optional memorials to the worldwide General Roman Calendar of saints. It is customary to celebrate saints' feast days on the anniversary of their deaths, but the feast day of John Paul II (22 October) is celebrated on the anniversary of his papal inauguration.
