Pope John Paul II (18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his death in 2005. He is recognised as helping to end Communist rule in his native Poland and the rest of Europe. He significantly improved the Church’s relations with Judaism, Islam, and the Eastern Orthodox Church. 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. His cause for canonisation commenced one month after his death with the traditional five-year waiting period waived.
About Pope John Paul II in brief
Pope John Paul II (18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) 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 Pope John Paul I, who had been elected in August to succeed Pope Paul VI, died after 33 days. Cardinal Wojtyła was elected on the third day of the conclave and adopted the name of his predecessor in tribute to him. John Paul II is recognised as helping to end Communist rule in his native Poland and the rest of Europe. He significantly improved the Church’s relations with Judaism, Islam, and the Eastern Orthodox Church. 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. His cause for canonisation commenced one month after his death with the traditional five-year waiting period waived. On 19 December 2009, John PaulII was proclaimed venerable by his successor, Benedict XVI, and was beatified on 1 May 2011. On 11 September 2014, Pope Francis added these two optional memorials to the worldwide General Roman Calendar of saints. It is traditional to celebrate saints’ feast days on the anniversary of their deaths, but that of John Paul II is celebrated on the anniversary of his papal inauguration. Posthumously, he has been referred to by some Catholics as \”St.
John Paul the Great\”, although the title has no official recognition. He is one of the most travelled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. He beatified 1,340 and canonised 483 people, more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the preceding five centuries. He became the first non-Italian pope since the 16th-century Pope Adrian VI. He had his first serious relationship with a girl called Ginka Beer, described as “a Jewish girl with stous eyes, black hair, slender, jetous eyes and black jetous hair, with superbly slender, superbly beautiful eyes’. He refused to participate in compulsory military training in the Legion, but refused to be a firewright. He worked as a volunteer librarian and performed with various theatrical groups, including a playwright and a theatrical group called Kraków Krakow. He died of a heart attack and kidney failure in 1929 when he was eight years old. His elder sister Olga had died before his birth, but he was close to his brother Edmund, nicknamed Mundek, who was 13 years his senior, who died from scarlet fever. He made his First Communion at age 9 and was confirmed at age 18. As a boy, he was athletic, often playing football as goalkeeper, and often played on the Jewish side of the team in school football games. His father left Wadowice and moved to Jagiellonian University, where he studied philology and theatre.
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