Karol Józef Wojtyla, known as known as John Paul II since his October 1978 election to the papacy, was born on May 18, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland. He was raised in Poland during a rare period of national freedom which ended, initially, under Nazi occupation, and then Communist rule. Instilled with a firm religious belief, Wojtyla attended Jagiellonian University, where he balanced studies with an interest in acting and religiously inspired poetry. A firsthand witness to the cruelty of Nazi occupation, Wojtyla joined a cultural resistance movement, where be began studying for the priesthood. Wojtyla was ordained in 1946.

The result was a professorship in Lublin, elevation to auxiliary bishop soon followed, and while contributing to the 'Second Vatican Council' in 1963 he was made archbishop of Krakow. Four years later, in 1967, he was made a cardinal. Karol Wojtyla was elected as Pope in 1978. His main tool was travel, and his personal presence drew massive crowds, although it also exposed him to danger: in 1981 John Paul was shot and severely wounded in an attempted assassination by Mehmet Ali Agca.

Towards the end of his life John Paul was affected by several health problems, including cancer and an ongoing battle against Parkinson's disease, but such problems barely dented his schedule. In early 2005 his health declined once again and, after a long struggle, he died in the Vatican on April 2nd 2005, aged 84.

See www.vatican.va