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Pope John Paul II
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On April 2, 2005, Pope John II passed away in his Vatican apartment and with his passing, the world lost not only a tremendous world spiritual leader but it seems that a brilliant beacon of goodness, peace, and light has been extinguished forever.
Pope John Paul II was born Karol Joseph Wojtyla on May 18, 1920 in Wadowice Poland. During the Nazi Occupation of Poland, he became involved with a Christian underground group which helped Jews escape from the Nazis. By the end of WW II, he had decided to become a priest.
In 1946 he was ordained and spent eight years at the Catholic University in Lublin as a Professor of Ethics.
In 1964, he became the Archbishop of Krakow and in 1967 Pope Paul V1 elevated him to Cardinal.
On October 16, 1978 he not only became the first non Italian Pope 456 years; he was also the youngest Pope in history and the first since Pius II in the 15 Century to be a "man of letters".
He was the most well traveled pope and had visited over 100 countries and had visited every continent except Antarctica. He also kept up with current events and met weekly with the top experts in various fields. Also, he had written several bestseller books.
He was a vocal critic of communist regimes.
In 1981, a Turkish gunman tried to assassinate him in St. Peter's Square in Rome. After spending time in the hospital, Pope John Paul II, visited his attacker in jail and forgave him for his crime.
Pope John Paul II could speak in EIGHT languages.
In 1994, he became Time Magazine's Man of the Year.
One of the most important events in his papacy was the anticipation and celebration of the Jubilee Year and the opening of the door to St. Peter's Basilica.
During the past few years (despite continuing frail health), the pope continued his pilgrimages throughout the world. A journey to the Middle East was extremely important to him and to those he celebrated with there.
Pope John Paul II touched our hearts and our souls. He was truly "Our Papa" and we shall miss him terribly.
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