John Paul II Karol Jzef Wojtya was born in 1920 .

He was Pope of the Catholic Church from October of 1978 until his death in 2005. He was the second-longest serving Pope in history and the first non-Italian since 1523. His life was marked by tragic events that transformed him into a sad person, but always full of faith and hope. He had very clear convictions that met during his pontificate, the third longest in history with 26 years. John Paul II was acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century. He was instrumental in ending communism in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe. he was one of the main symbols of anti-communism and his fight against the spread of Marxism in places like Latin America. He was one of the most-travelled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate, speaking additional languages: Italian, French, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Russian, Croatian, Esperanto, Ancient Greek and Latin as well as his native Polish. As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, he beatified 1,340 people and canonised 483 saints. A key goal of his papacy was to transform and reposition the Catholic Church. His wish was "to place his Church at the heart of a new religious alliance that would bring together Jews, Muslims and Christians in a great religious armada". He was known as the "traveling Pope", but the press in Latin America as cataloged as "Scorer of faith", "the athlete of God ',' the wanderer of the Gospel" or "the Pope of the youth." In 2005, He had respiratory complications, and late March, a strong infection. On April 2 he said: "Let me go to the house of my father," and he died. 19 December 2009, John Paul II was proclaimed venerable by his successor Pope Benedict XVI and was beatified on 1 May 2011.