About
Born Karol Józef Wojtyła in Wadowice, Poland, he was ordained a priest in 1946 after clandestine studies during the Nazi occupation. Becoming Archbishop of Kraków and then Cardinal, he participated in the Second Vatican Council. Elected pope in 1978, he was the first non-Italian in 455 years. His pontificate was marked by numerous travels, the fight against communism, interreligious dialogue, and the publication of many texts. He survived an assassination attempt in 1981. He was canonized in 2014.
* 1920-05-18 — † 2005-04-02
Major works
- Crossing the Threshold of Hope (1994)book
- Memory and Identity (2005)book
Key milestones
- 1978Elected 264th pope on October 16, first non-Italian in 455 years.
- 1981Survived an assassination attempt in St. Peter's Square on May 13.
- 2014Canonized by Pope Francis on April 27.
Themes
Human dignityInterreligious dialogueYouthDivine mercyRole of the Church in the modern wo
Sources: vatican.va · vaticanstate.va
