Juan Pablo II

John Paul II

Karol Józef Wojtyła, known as John Paul II since his election to the papacy in October 1978, was born in Wadowice, a small city 50 kilometers. Krakow, on May 18, 1920 It was the second of two children of Karol Wojtyła, an official of the administration of the Polish Army and Kaczorowska Emilia, a schoolteacher. His mother died in 1929 and his brother Edmund (doctor) died in 1932.

Young practiced athletics, football and swimming. It was also an excellent student, and chaired various student groups. He also developed a passion for theater, and for some time aspired to study literature and become a professional actor.

The death of his father in 1941 caused him deep pain. The reading from Saint John of the Cross, which sought consolation, and the heroic behavior of Catholic priests who died in Nazi concentration camps were instrumental to decide to follow the path of faith. While recovering from an accident, the future pontiff decided to follow her religious vocation, and in 1942 began his priestly studies. Ordained a priest on 1 November 1946, continued his studies in Rome and obtained a doctorate in theology at the Pontifical Athenaeum Angelicum. Back in Poland, he developed a dual task, for pastoral side, held in various labor parishes in Krakow, and other intellectual side, teaching ethics at the Catholic University of Lublin and the Faculty of Theology in Krakow.

Having been auxiliary bishop (since 1958) and archbishop of Krakow (1962), became, at 58 years old, the first Polish pope in history, and the first non-Italian pope since 1523 His pontificate almost 27 years he was the third longest in the history of the Catholic Church, after San Pedro, (believed to be between 34 and 37 years), and Pius IX (31 years).

John Paul II has been acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century, especially remembered for being one of the main symbols of anticommunism, and his fight against the spread of Marxism in places like Latin America, where vigorously fought the movement known as the liberation theology, with the help of his right hand and dessert successor, Joseph Ratzinger.

He also was instrumental in ending communism in his native Poland and eventually all over Europe, as well as significant improvement in relations between the Catholic Church with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church paper, and Communion Anglican.

Among the most notorious events of his pontificate highlighted the assassination attempt he suffered May 13, 1981, as he greeted the faithful in St. Peter's Square, at the hands of Mehmet Ali Agca, who shot a short distance from the crowd . Later, the terrorist was pardoned by the pope publicly in person. In this another attack in Fatima at night from 12 to 13 May 1982 at the hands of the ultraconservative priest Juan María Fernández Krohn, a fact that

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