Papa Juan Pablo II

pope, cardinal, bishop, priest, author

Photo by: Gov.pl · CC BY 3.0 pl · Wikimedia Commons

Born:May 18, 1920

Died:April 2, 2005

Age at death:84

Manner of death:Natural Causes

Cause of death:Parkinson's Disease

Zodiac Sign:Taurus

Born in:Holy Father John Paul II Family Home in Wadowice, Poland

Buried in:Vatican City

Languages:English, Portuguese, Russian, Latin, German, Spanish, esperanto, Belarusian, Italian, French, Polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian

Latin Catholic Priest Human Rights Defender Poet Latin Catholic Deacon Professor Politician Catholic Bishop Philosopher Author Transitional Deacon Archbishop Catholic Priest Pope Autobiographer

Signature

Links

Wikipedia Official Website IMDb

Famous For

Movies & TV

The Crime of Father AmaroThe Vatican TapesLulu by NightConspirators of PleasureVyprávěj

Books

Centesimus AnnusLaborem exercensUniversi Dominici GregisEvangelium VitaePastor Bonus

Songs & Albums

Abbà PaterPope John Paul II's visit to IrelandPope John Paul II's visits to Nicaragua

Awards

Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, 1st class (2024)honorary citizen of Nieszawa (2014)Sternberg Interfaith Gold Medallion (2005)Śląski Wawrzyn Literacki (2005)Presidential Medal of Freedom (2004)

Papa Juan Pablo II

pope, cardinal, bishop, priest, author

Biography

Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death in 2005. He was the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI in the 16th century, as well as the third longest-serving pope in history, after St. Peter and Pius IX. In addition to this, he was an important philosopher and theologian of the 20th century. In his youth, Wojtyła worked occasionally as a stage actor. He graduated from an all-boys high school in Wadowice, Poland in 1938, shortly before World War II broke out. During the war, to avoid being kidnapped and sent to a German forced labour camp, he signed up for work in harsh conditions in a quarry. Wojtyła eventually took up acting and developed a love for the profession and participated at a local theatre. The linguistically skilled Wojtyła wanted to study Polish in university. During his studies, he was encouraged by a conversation with Adam Stefan Sapieha to study theology and become a priest. Eventually, Wojtyła rose to the position of Archbishop of Kraków and then to cardinal, both positions held by his mentor. Wojtyła was elected pope on the third day of the October 1978 conclave, becoming one of the youngest popes in more than a century. The conclave was called after the death of John Paul I, who served only 33 days as pope. Wojtyła adopted the name of his predecessor in tribute to him. Pope John Paul II attempted to improve the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the spirit of ecumenism, holding atheism as the greatest threat. He maintained the Church's previous positions on such matters as abortion, artificial contraception, the ordination of women, and a celibate clergy, and although he supported the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, he was seen as generally conventional in their interpretation. He put emphasis on family and identity, while questioning consumerism, hedonism and the pursuit of wealth. He was one of the most-travelled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, Pope John Paul II beatified 1,344 people, and canonised 483 saints, more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the preceding five centuries. By the time of his death, he had named most of the College of Cardinals, consecrated or co-consecrated many of the world's bishops, and ordained many priests. Pope John Paul II died on 2 April 2005, and was succeeded by Pope Benedict XVI. Pope John Paul II has been credited with fighting against dictatorships and with helping to end communist rule in his native Poland and the rest of Europe. Under John Paul II, the Catholic Church greatly expanded its influence in Africa and Latin America and retained its influence in Europe and the rest of the world. He was proclaimed venerable by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 December 2009, and on 1 May 2011 (Divine Mercy Sunday) he was beatified. On 27 April 2014, Pope John Paul II was canonised by Pope Francis, alongside Pope John XXIII. He has been criticised for allegedly not acting against or having been insufficiently harsh against the sexual abuse of children by priests, both as archbishop in the Polish People's Republic and during his papacy. After his canonisation, he has been referred to by some Catholics as "Pope Saint John Paul the Great", though that title is not official. Under Pope John Paul II, two of the most important documents of the contemporary Catholic Church were drafted and promulgated: the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which revised and updated the 1917 Code of Canon Law, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the first universal catechism to be issued since the Roman Catechism.

This biography uses content from the Wikipedia article “Papa Juan Pablo II”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Quotes

“A person's rightful due is to be treated as an object of love, not as an object for use.”

— Ch. 1

“Strictly speaking the commandment says: "Love persons", and the personalistic norm says: "A person is an entity of a sort to which the only proper and adequate way to relate is love.”

— Ch. 1 (cf. John 13:34)

“God allows man to learn His supernatural ends, but the decision to strive towards an end, the choice of course, is left to man's free will. God does not redeem man against his will.”

— Ch. 1

Quotes sourced from the Wikiquote article "Papa Juan Pablo II", available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Photos

Papa Juan Pablo II

Sister Lúcia with Pope John Paul II in Fátima before the beatification of Lúcia's cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto in 2000

President George H. W. Bush (left) visits Pope John Paul II (right) at the Vatican in 1991. Photo by White House

Niegowić Church Towers. Niegowić was the place of the first appointment of Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, as the 'Church of the Assumption of Our Lady' parish priest. He served there from July 1948 to August 1949, before the then-Cardinal and Archbishop, Prince Adam Sapieha (who had ordained Wojtyła a priest in 1946 on an accelerated schedule, sending him to work on a doctorate in theology in Rome before beginning parish work), assigned him to work at St Florian's Church in Kraków (where he began his work with university students as a chaplain to students of the Jagiellonian University and the Kraków Polytechnic Institute). The Scotch Mist Gallery contains many photographs of historic buildings, monuments and memorials of Poland.

Niegowić Church Entrance. Niegowić was the place of the first appointment of Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, as the 'Church of the Assumption of Our Lady' parish priest. He served there from July 1948 to August 1949, before the then-Cardinal and Archbishop, Prince Adam Sapieha (who had ordained Wojtyła a priest in 1946 on an accelerated schedule, sending him to work on a doctorate in theology in Rome before beginning parish work), assigned him to work at St Florian's Church in Kraków (where he began his work with university students as a chaplain to students of the Jagiellonian University and the Kraków Polytechnic Institute). The Scotch Mist Gallery contains many photographs of historic buildings, monuments and memorials of Poland.

Niegowić Church Interior. Niegowić was the place of the first appointment of Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, as the 'Church of the Assumption of Our Lady' parish priest. He served there from July 1948 to August 1949, before the then-Cardinal and Archbishop, Prince Adam Sapieha (who had ordained Wojtyła a priest in 1946 on an accelerated schedule, sending him to work on a doctorate in theology in Rome before beginning parish work), assigned him to work at St Florian's Church in Kraków (where he began his work with university students as a chaplain to students of the Jagiellonian University and the Kraków Polytechnic Institute). The Scotch Mist Gallery contains many photographs of historic buildings, monuments and memorials of Poland.

Niegowić Church Altar Icons and Stained Glass Windows. Niegowić was the place of the first appointment of Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, as the 'Church of the Assumption of Our Lady' parish priest. He served there from July 1948 to August 1949, before the then-Cardinal and Archbishop, Prince Adam Sapieha (who had ordained Wojtyła a priest in 1946 on an accelerated schedule, sending him to work on a doctorate in theology in Rome before beginning parish work), assigned him to work at St Florian's Church in Kraków (where he began his work with university students as a chaplain to students of the Jagiellonian University and the Kraków Polytechnic Institute). The Scotch Mist Gallery contains many photographs of historic buildings, monuments and memorials of Poland.

Niegowić Church and Cemetery. Niegowić was the place of the first appointment of Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, as the 'Church of the Assumption of Our Lady' parish priest. He served there from July 1948 to August 1949, before the then-Cardinal and Archbishop, Prince Adam Sapieha (who had ordained Wojtyła a priest in 1946 on an accelerated schedule, sending him to work on a doctorate in theology in Rome before beginning parish work), assigned him to work at St Florian's Church in Kraków (where he began his work with university students as a chaplain to students of the Jagiellonian University and the Kraków Polytechnic Institute). The Scotch Mist Gallery contains many photographs of historic buildings, monuments and memorials of Poland.

Niegowić Church Karol Wojtyła Shrine. Niegowić was the place of the first appointment of Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, as the 'Church of the Assumption of Our Lady' parish priest. He served there from July 1948 to August 1949, before the then-Cardinal and Archbishop, Prince Adam Sapieha (who had ordained Wojtyła a priest in 1946 on an accelerated schedule, sending him to work on a doctorate in theology in Rome before beginning parish work), assigned him to work at St Florian's Church in Kraków (where he began his work with university students as a chaplain to students of the Jagiellonian University and the Kraków Polytechnic Institute). The Scotch Mist Gallery contains many photographs of historic buildings, monuments and memorials of Poland.