Pope John Paul II

Pope Saint John Paul II
Bishop of Rome
John Paul II in 1993
Papacy began	16 October 1978
Papacy ended	2 April 2005
Predecessor	John Paul I
Successor	Benedict XVI
Orders
Ordination	1 November 1946 by Adam Stefan Sapieha
Consecration	28 September 1958 by Eugeniusz Baziak
Created Cardinal	26 June 1967 by Paul VI
Personal details
Birth name	Karol Józef Wojtyła
Born	(1920-05-18)18 May 1920 Wadowice, Republic of Poland
Died	2 April 2005(2005-04-02) (aged 84) Apostolic Palace, Vatican City
Nationality	Polish (with Vatican citizenship)
Denomination	Catholic (Latin Church)
Previous post	Auxiliary Bishop of Kraków, Poland (1958–64) Titular Bishop of Ombi (1958–64) Archbishop of Kraków, Poland (1964–78) Cardinal-Priest of San Cesareo in Palatio (1967–78)
Motto	Totus Tuus (Totally yours)
Signature
Coat of arms
Sainthood
Feast day	22 October
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Beatified	1 May 2011 St. Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope Benedict XVI
Canonized	27 April 2014 St. Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope Francis
Attributes	Papal ferula Papal vestments
Patronage	Archdiocese of Kraków World Youth Day (Co-Patron) World Meeting of Families 2015 (Co-Patron) Young Catholics Families Świdnica

Papal styles of Pope John Paul II
Reference style	His Holiness
Spoken style	Your Holiness
Religious style	Holy Father
Posthumous style	Saint

John Paul II
Born	18 May 1920 Wadowice, Poland
Died	2 April 2005 Apostolic Palace, Vatican City
Venerated in	Catholic Church
Beatified	1 May 2011, St. Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope Benedict XVI
Canonized	27 April 2014, St. Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope Francis
Feast	22 October
Attributes	Papal ferula, Papal vestments
Patronage	Kraków, Poland, World Youth Day, young Catholics, Świdnica, families, World Meeting of Families 2015

Pope Saint John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus II; Italian: Giovanni Paolo II; Polish: Jan Paweł II), born Karol Józef Wojtyła (Polish: [ˈkarɔl ˈjuzɛv vɔjˈtɨwa]; 18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005), was Pope from 1978 to 2005. He is widely known to Catholics as Saint John Paul the Great, especially in the names of institutions.

He was elected by the second Papal conclave of 1978, which was called after Pope John Paul I, who had been elected in August after the death of Pope Paul VI, died after thirty-three days. Cardinal Wojtyła was elected on the third day of the conclave and adopted his predecessor's name in tribute to him. John Paul II is recognised as helping to end Communist rule in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe. John Paul II significantly improved the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. He upheld the Church's teachings on such matters as artificial contraception and the ordination of women, but also supported the Church's Second Vatican Council and its reforms.

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, he beatified 1,340 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 a large number of the world's bishops, and ordained many priests. A key goal of his papacy was to transform and reposition the Catholic Church. His wish was "to place his Church at the heart of a new religious alliance that would bring together Jews, Muslims and Christians in a great religious armada".