John Paul II (pope)
1920 – 2005 Polish Pope (1978-2005)
Polish pope who helped bring down communism and reshaped the modern papacy.
- Religion
- Catholic; Bishop of Rome
- Affiliations
- The papacy
John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope in over four centuries and one of the most influential figures of his age. His visits to his native Poland gave heart to the Solidarity movement and helped bring down communism across Eastern Europe. He survived an assassination attempt in 1981 and later forgave his attacker. He traveled to more than a hundred countries, drew huge crowds of young people, apologized for past sins of the Church, and held firm on traditional teaching. His opening words, Be not afraid, became a theme of his long reign.
In the timeline
- 1633 The Galileo affair mentioned
- 1978 John Paul II elected pope central figure
- 1979 John Paul II's first visit to Poland central figure
- 1981 Assassination attempt on John Paul II central figure
- 1986 John Paul II visits the Synagogue of Rome central figure
- 1989 The Vatican and the fall of communism mentioned
- 2000 John Paul II's apology at the Western Wall central figure