Pope John Paul II: A Biography

Pope John Paul II led a life worthy of admiration, not only from the perspective of the Catholic community, but from all religions and sectors. From his dedication to unity between religions, to his staunch stand against violence and oppression, he will be remembered as one of religion's most dedicated leaders.

Karol Jozef Wojtyla was born on May 18th, 1920 to an army officer/tailor father and a school teacher mother. Wojtyla, nicknamed Lolek, was raised in a strict Catholic home, although his family, unlike many of that time in Poland was not anti-Semitic. In fact, Lolek's best friend as a child was a Jewish boy named Jerzy Kluger. The two remained friends in to adulthood, and Kluger "many years later would play a key role as a go-between for John Paul II and Israeli officials when the Vatican extended long-overdue diplomatic recognition to Israel." (CNN.com 1999)

Lolek had many tragedies occur in his early life that resulted in an unhappy childhood. His sister died even before Lolek was born, and he had a brother who died of Scarlet fever several years later. Lolek's mother died of heart and kidney problems in 1929 leaving him to be raised alone by his father in less than appealing conditions. Lolek and his father lived modestly in a one room apartment behind a church where his father disciplined him as if he were one of his soldiers. Although Lolek's father was very strict in his upbringing, the two seemingly had a good relationship.

During his childhood and early adult years, Lolek was involved in several accidents that would plague him throughout his life. He was twice hit by vehicles, once a car and once a truck, he dislocated his shoulder, broke his thigh, and had a precancerous tumor removed from his colon. None of this would deter him from accomplishing his goals, however.

Eventually Lolek, who had a love of religion and religious poetry, decided to dedicate his life to God and began to study the priesthood. He was Ordained in 1946 and went on to several prestigious positions within the church, including Arch Bishop in 1963 and Cardinal in 1967, before becoming the first non-Italian Pope to preside over the Catholic church in over 400 years.

Lolek became Pope John Paul II in 1978, succeeding Pope John Paul I, who had only a brief time in office. It is said that John Paul II took on the same name as a sign of respect to his predecessor and to insure there was a continuation in leadership and policy. Pope John Paul the II ruled for over 20 years and was an instrumental force in creating unity between Christians, Jews, and Muslims. He was the first pope to visit a synagogue, and he was also the first to visit memorials from Auschwitz. In addition, he is credited with having a major role in the collapse of communism.

The pope was a promoter of non-violence and was very well respected, but he is also viewed as failing in bringing about Catholic reform. However, he traveled extensively over the years promoting peace and non-violence between religions and against oppressive rule which is what he will be most remembered for.

Pope John Paul continued over the course of his life to suffer numerous physical ailments and suffered from both cancer and Parkinson's disease. He died on April 2, 2005, at the age of 84.

http://europeanhistory.about.com/library/readyref /blpersonpopejohnpaulii.htm
www.cnn.com/specials/1999/pope/