John Paul II

original name Karol Wojtyla. 1920--2005, pope from 1978 to 2005, born in Poland: the first non-Italian to be elected since 1522

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

John Paul II

(Karol Wojtyła). Born May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, near Kraków. Pope (elected 1978); the first non-Italian pope since 1523.

John Paul II studied at the University of Kraków and the Angelicum in Rome. He was ordained in 1946 and became a bishop in 1958. In 1964 he was appointed archbishop of Kraków, and in 1967 he was made a cardinal. Elected pope in October 1978, he declared his intention to continue the course of John XXIII and Paul VI in the renewal of the Catholic Church and to further the cause of peace and lessening of international tensions.

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References in periodicals archive

John Paul II who said: 'The limit imposed upon evil, in which man is both perpetuator and victim, is ultimately the divine mercy.'"

St. John Paul II honored and remembered in PACOM

Many Filipinos grew fond of John Paul II since he was able to visit the country twice.

2nd public veneration of Saint John Paul II's relic at Manila Cathedral

LOOK: Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle places the blood relic of Saint John Paul II beside the late Pontiff's image @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/hp0SRayu1A

Tagle to Filipinos: Be living witnesses of Jesus where ever you go

The Blessed John Paul II smiled, "I too, was worried for my holiness," he answered.

A Papa with Saintly Traits

In 2011, John Paul II's former private secretary gave the community a portion of the late Pope's blood as a token of the love he felt for the area.

WHO STOLE THE POPE'S BLOOD? Vial is lifted from church

Pope John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope in four centuries, led the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005 - during the fall of communism, including in his native country of Poland.

Vatican to Canonize Popes John Paul II, John XXIII Next Year

I asked our people that they would claim this altar as our family table, the family of Blessed John Paul II and that they would kiss the altar as a gesture that whenever they would come to Mass, they would remember this," Rev.

Three become one; Blessed John Paul II Parish holds first Mass

Cones claims that Pope John Paul II was slow to react to the sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church.

A pope and a saint

"The Holy Father John Paul II possessed an uncommon charisma, exceptional erudition and and extraordinary oppennes in communication with believers," stated the Speaker of the Bulgarian National Assembly in Rome.

Parliament Chair: Bulgarians Cherish Special Love for Pope John Paul II

During his long pontificate, John Paul II delivered thousands of public addresses, often many in one day during his pastoral visits around the world.

Blaney, Joseph R. and Joseph P. Zompetti (Eds.). The Rhetoric of Pope John Paul II