After graduating from secondary school as valedictorian, Wojtyła moved with his father to Kraków, where he attended the Jagiellonian University. © 2021 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC. The official sainthood ceremony, held on April 27, 2014, brought together four popes. Wojtyła was an outgoing youth, though always with a serious side. Philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. was the only son of John D. Rockefeller and heir to his fortune. On July 5, 2013, waving the usual five-year waiting period, the Vatican announced that the Roman Catholic Church would declare Pope John Paul II a saint and that the canonization ceremony would likely take place within the next 16 months. A common reading of this encyclical portrays Pope John Paul as a run-of-the-mill free market liberal, even a moderate libertarian of the socially conservative stripe. He then began two years of study in Rome, where he completed his first doctorate, an examination of the theology of St. John of the Cross. His mother, Emilia Kaczorowska, died when he was eight years old; his brother, Edmund, who had become a physician, died less than four years later. The flowers are just gorgeous, and the fragrance is incredible. Wojtyła’s childhood coincided with the only period of freedom that Poland would know between 1772 and 1989: the two decades between Marshal Józef Piłsudski’s defeat of the Soviet Red Army in 1920 and the German invasion in 1939. St. John Paul II, Latin Johannes Paulus, original name Karol Józef Wojtyła, (born May 18, 1920, Wadowice, Poland—died April 2, 2005, Vatican City; beatified May 1, 2011; canonized April 27, 2014; feast day October 22), bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church (1978–2005), the first non-Italian pope in 455 years and the first from a Slavic country. The Soviet SCAM had collapsed along with the Iron Curtain. We strive for accuracy and fairness. JPII Experience Events are opportunities where you can come see what life is like at our school. But by the mid-1990s, rumors about his behavior were starting to fly, and John Paul passed McCarrick over as archbishop of Chicago in 1997 and New York in 1999. The school was closed the next year by Nazi troops during the German occupation of Poland. In 1964, Father Karol was appointed archbishop of Krakow; just three years later he was made a … With Christopher Lee, Ben Gazzara, Daniele Pecci, Vittoria Belvedere. He held strong positions on many topics, including his opposition to capital punishment. His first major statement on homosexuality was not made until 1986, but it marked a significant departure from the hopeful changes which had begun to mark the previous years. Pope John Paul II had an intimate 32-year relationship with a Polish philosopher who is believed to have once declared her love to him while he was still a … S. Ioannes Paulus PP. Kaiser Wilhelm served as emperor of Germany from 1888 until the end of World War I. Mobster John "Junior" Gotti allegedly served as a capo in the Gambino family and was the acting boss when his father, John Gotti was in prison. Pope Saint John Paul II was born Karol Wojtyla in the small Polish town of Wadowice. Please select which sections you would like to print: Corrections? John Paul II was the first globally oriented pope, and he increased the global prestige of the papacy. Learn more about his life and papacy. Born in Poland, John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope since the Dutch Pope Adrian VI, who served from 1522 to 1523. Born Karol Józef Wojtyla on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland, Pope John Paul II's early life was marked by great loss. John Paul became the bishop of Ombi in 1958 and then the archbishop of Krakow six years later. The longest reigning pope in modern history, John Paul II, took his message on the road, visiting 129 countries --several repeatedly -- on 104 trips and logging more than 700,000 miles in a papacy that lasted more than 27 years. During his time of leadership, he united Greece, reestablished the Corinthian League and conquered the Persian Empire. After the council’s conclusion in 1965, Wojtyła was appointed to Pope Paul VI’s Commission for the Study of Problems of the Family, Population, and Birth Rate. Church leaders were impressed by Wojtyła’s ability to operate a dynamic pastorate despite communist restrictions. Wanting to become a priest, John Paul began studying at a secret seminary run by the archbishop of Krakow. A few years later, Lech Walesa was elected President of Poland. During these years Wojtyła began to write nationalistic plays, and he joined the Rhapsodic Theatre, an underground resistance group that aimed to sustain Polish culture and morale through covert readings of poetry and drama. The message of Poland had rippled across all of eastern Europe. Catherine II, or Catherine the Great, served as empress of Russia for more than three decades in the late 18th century after overthrowing her husband, Peter III. Karol J. Wojtyla, known as John Paul II since his October 1978 election to the papacy, was born in Wadowice, a small city 50 kilometres from Cracow, on May 18, 1920. Allow the light and the healing presence of Christ to shine brightly through your lives. He went to Krakow's Jagiellonian University in 1938 where he showed an interest in theater and poetry. Pope John Paul II was ordained in 1946, became the bishop of Ombi in 1958, and became the archbishop of Krakow in 1964. As a member of the council, John Paul helped the church to examine its position in the world. He spent two and a half months hospitalized, but he fully recovered from his wounds; two days after Christmas in 1983, he went to the prison and met with his would-be assassin. Pope John Paul II born On May 18, 1920, Karol Jozef Wojtyla is born in the Polish town of Wadowice, 35 miles southwest of Krakow. His studies ended abruptly when Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. His pontificate of more than 26 years was the third longest in history. Experiences with these friends contributed to the ideas in his first book of nonfiction, Love and Responsibility (1960), an exploration of the several graces available in conjugal sexual relationships. More than 3 million people waited in line to say good-bye to their beloved religious leader at St. Peter's Basilica before his funeral on April 8. He died in Italy in 2005. Pope John Paul II Faith Courage Fear Marriage is an act of will that signifies and involves a mutual gift, which unites the spouses and binds them to their eventual souls, with whom they make up a sole family - a domestic church. In February 1941 Wojtyła returned from work one day to discover that his father had died alone; he prayed by the body all night. Jon Voight's powerful, Emmy-nominated performance as John Paul II was widely praised, as was Cary Elwes as the young Karol. He regularly assisted Father Kazimierz Figlewicz, his confessor and first teacher in Catholicism, in Wadowice’s main church, which was next door to the Wojtyła family’s tiny apartment. His emphasis on religious and national freedom was unprecedented. John Paul II. More generally, John Paul used his influence among Catholics and throughout the world to advance the recognition of human dignity and to deter the use of violence. His mother died in 1929. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1946. John Paul II’s Modernist Philosophy & Theology / His Theology of The Body In 1945 the Soviets replaced the Germans as occupiers of Poland. Angelus / Regina Caeli. In 1981, an assassin shot John Paul twice in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. Assigned to Kraków’s St. Florian’s parish in 1949, he studied, wrote, and lectured on philosophy and social and sexual ethics. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Pope John Paul II is remembered for his successful efforts to end communism, as well as for building bridges with peoples of other faiths, and issuing the Catholic Churchs first apology for its actions during World War II. Although Wadowice, a town of about 8,000 Catholics and 2,000 Jews, lay only 15 miles (24 km) from the future site of Auschwitz, a Nazi death camp, there was apparently little anti-Semitism in the town before the war. Through Jan Tyranowski, a tailor who conducted a youth ministry for the local church, Wojtyła was introduced to the teachings of St. John of the Cross, a Carmelite mystic who held that redemption could be gained through suffering and a “spirituality of abandonment.” Tyranowski’s example helped to convince Wojtyła that the church, even more than a renewed Polish theatre, might improve the world. The Vatican also stated that Pope John XXIII, who headed the Catholic Church from 1958 until his death in 1963 and convened the Vatican II council, would also be declared a saint. On 3 May 1981, an attempt was made on Pope John Paul II's life in Saint Peter's Square. Timeline: Pope John Paul II The following is a list of key dates in the life of Pope John Paul II, born Karol Jozef Wojtyla, 264th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Omissions? Following the premature death of his mother, Karol Wojtyla is brought up by his father in the Polish city of Krakow during the first half of the 20th century. He was made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1967, and in 1978 became the first non-Italian pope in more than 400 years. In the months that followed, Jews as well as non-Jewish cultural and political leaders, including professors and priests, were killed or deported to concentration camps by the Nazis, who considered the Slavs an inferior race. Wojtyła’s father, Karol senior, was a lieutenant in the Polish army. If you would like to be automatically notified of site additions, changes, and when an entry for a Papal or Church document is added, become a … At the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) Wojtyła so distinguished himself that halfway through the council, in December 1963, Pope Paul VI named him archbishop of Kraków. Pope John Paul II gestures to the crowd at New York's Shea Stadium, Oct. 3, 1979. Pope Francis led the event to elevate Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII to sainthood, which was also attended by Francis's predecessor Emeritus Pope Benedict. For the next four years, in order to avoid arrest and deportation, he worked in a factory owned by Solvay, a chemical firm that the Nazis considered essential to their war effort. Pope John Paul II was giving the world a master class on how to defeat SCAM. John Paul II’s private conversations with Polish and Soviet leaders contributed to the peaceful end of the Soviet regime in eastern Europe, and his worldwide outreach brought greater visibility to the church. But he was close to home when he faced the greatest threat to his life. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. During this pandemic period, we are hosting our final live-event online: Wednesday, January 20, 2021, at 5:30 pm. At public appearances, he moved slowly and seemed unsteady on his feet. But there was never any official announcement about his illness from the Vatican. The Second Vatican Council introduced Wojtyła to issues including the role of the laity, the church’s relations with other religions, and its relations with the secular world. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He engaged in acts of interfaith reconciliation with Judaism and Islam, promulgated a new catechism (1992), and canonized nearly 500 saints. As part of his effort to promote greater understanding between nations and between religions, he undertook numerous trips abroad, traveling far greater distances than had all other popes combined, and he extended his influence beyond the church by campaigning against political oppression and criticizing the materialism of the West. https://www.biography.com/religious-figure/john-paul-ii. His J. Paul Getty Trust funds the J. Paul Getty Museum and other artistic endeavors. Back in Kraków, Wojtyła continued his studies in clandestine classes. During World War II, when the Nazis invaded Poland, Karol secretly studied for the priesthood in an underground seminary established by the archbishop of Krakow. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Under Pope John Paul II, however, matters began to change. The council began reviewing church doctrine in 1962, holding several sessions over the course of the next few years. Benedict XVI began the process to beatify John Paul II in May 2005. As the leader of the Catholic Church, he traveled the world, visiting more than 100 countries to spread his message of faith and peace. Pope John Paul II. One of Wojtyła’s close boyhood friends was a son of the leader of Wadowice’s Jewish community. Pope John Paul II visited Poland for the third time in 1987. One of his doctors also disclosed that John Paul had Parkinson's disease, a brain disorder often characterized by shaking, in 2001. He failed to reverse an overall decline in the numbers of priests and nuns, and his traditional interpretations of church teachings on personal and sexual morality alienated some segments of the laity. Pope John Paul II died on April 2, 2005, at the age of 84, at his Vatican City residence. Pope John Paul II High School announces “Virtual Open House” event for Jan 20th. His mother died when he was nine years old, and his older brother Edmund died when he was 12. John Paul II was the most traveled pope in history with 104 international trips. Pope John Paul II Regional Catholic Elementary School is a co-educational parochial school for students in Preschool (3 years of age) through eighth grade located in West Brandywine Township, Chester County, Pa. Our childcare program, Little Saints Academy, serves infants and toddlers 3-36 months in age. Pope John Paul II on Evolution It was reported on 24 October, 1996, that Pope John Paul II "broke new ground" in a statement to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in which he said that evolution was "more than a hypothesis". Some have stated that he could be harsh with those who disagreed with him and that he would not compromise his hard-line stance on certain issues, such as contraception. Voight finally accepted the role for Pope John Paul II (2005), for which he received an Emmy nomination. Charles II was the monarch of England, Scotland and Ireland during much of the latter half of the 17th century, marking the Restoration era. Saint John Paul II, the bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church (1978–2005), the first non-Italian pope in 455 years and the first from a Slavic country. Editor’s note: The month marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Pope John Paul II, born Karol Józef Wojtyła on May 18, 1920, in the Polish town of … Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In November 1946 Wojtyła was ordained by Sapieha into the Catholic priesthood. He was succeeded by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI. (AP) He arrived at 9:01 a.m. on Tuesday the 2nd of October 1979, 14 … In 1958 Pope Pius XII appointed him an auxiliary bishop of Kraków. He also centralized control over Catholic educational institutions and maintained traditional church positions on gender and sexual issues. He survived an assassination attempt in 1981. Blessed John Paul died at the age of 84 at the Vatican April 2, 2005, the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday. During the next decade he completed a second doctorate, taught theology and ethics at the Jagiellonian University, and eventually was appointed to a full professorship at the Catholic University of Lublin. John Paul spent two years in Rome where he finished his doctorate in theology. He travelled abroad extensively in an effort to promote greater understanding between countries and religions, and he campaigned against political oppression, violence, and materialism. Address of Pope John Paul II to the Tribunal of the Roman Rota: February 5, 1987 [ English-Italian-] Want to be automatically notified of new documents? The second miracle involved a 50-year-old woman, who claimed that she was cured of a brain aneurysm after a photograph of Pope John Paul II spoke to her. He was the second of two sons born to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Kaczorowska. Some bishops also disagreed with it, saying privately that, on this issue, Wojtyła may have made basic theological mistakes. On September 30, 2013, Pope Francis announced that the canonizations of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII would occur on April 27, 2014. In his later years, John Paul's health appeared to be failing. He returned to his native Poland in 1948 and served in several parishes in and around Krakow. The crowd soon broke out … It was announced in July 2013 that he would be declared a saint in April of the following year. As pope, Wojtyła recalled that witnessing Nazi horrors, including the murder of many priests, showed him the real meaning of the priesthood. His centralized style of church governance, however, dismayed some members of the clergy, who found it autocratic and stifling. In 1978, John Paul made history by becoming the first non-Italian pope in more than four hundred years. A charismatic figure, John Paul used his influence to bring about political change and is credited with the fall of communism in his native Poland. He also became the spiritual leader and mentor of a circle of young adult friends whom he joined on kayaking and camping trips. His pontificate of more than 26 years was the third longest in history. His work appears to have influenced Humanae vitae (1968; “Of Human Life”), Paul VI’s encyclical rejecting artificial contraception, which became one of the church’s most ignored teachings. In that way, all … By the autumn of 1942 he had decided to enter the priesthood. Considered one of the Catholic Church's leading thinkers, he participated in the Second Vatican Council—sometimes called Vatican II. II Karol Wojtyla 16.X.1978 - 2.IV.2005. DVD includes Spanish subtitles and special sixteen-page collectible booklet. “A person's rightful due is to be treated as an object of love, not as an object for use.” ― Pope John … When St. John Paul II died in 2005 after nearly 27 years on the papal throne, his funeral drew millions to St. Peter's Square. Well regarded for his contributions to the church, John Paul was made a cardinal in 1967 by Pope Paul VI. He was also the first and only Slavic pope. Wojtyła was thus the only pope, at least in modern times, to have been a labourer. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. The young priest wrote poetry, published anonymously, on a variety of religious, social, and personal themes. John Paul II became Pope on 16 October 1978. 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