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{{Short description|Head of the Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005}}
{{Infobox Pope|
{{Redirect-several|John Paul II|Pope John Paul II|Saint John Paul II|JP2|Karol Wojtyla}}
image=]|
English name=John Paul II|
birth_name= Karol Józef Wojtyła |
term_start=] ]|
term_end=] ]|
predecessor=]|
successor=]|
birth_date={{Birth date|1920|5|18|df=yes}}|
birthplace=], ]|
death_date={{death date and age|2005|4|2|1920|5|18|df=yes}}|
deathplace=], ] ||
other=John Paul}}
{{infobox popestyles|
papal name=Pope John Paul II|
dipstyle=]|
offstyle=Your Holiness|
relstyle=Holy Father|
deathstyle=]|
moto= Totus Tuus|}}
] of Pope John Paul II with the '']''. The Letter M is for ], the mother of ], to whom he held strong devotion]]
<!--A discussion on Misplaced Pages produced an overwhelming consensus to end the 'style wars' by replacing styles at the start by a style infobox later in the text. It is now installed below.-->
'''Pope John Paul II''' (]: ''Ioannes Paulus PP. II'', ]: ''Giovanni Paolo II'', ]: ''Jan Paweł II'') born {{Audio|Pl-Karol-Jozef-Wojtyla.ogg|'''Karol Józef Wojtyła'''}} {{IPA2|ˈkaɾɔl ˈjuzεf vɔi̯ˈtɨwa}}; ] ] &ndash; ] ]) reigned as the 264th ] of the ] and Sovereign of the ] from ] ], until his death, almost 27 years later, making his the ] after ]'s 31-year reign. He is the only ] pope, and was the first non-] pope since the Dutch ] in the 1520s. He is one of only four people to have been named to the ] for both the ] and for a year in the 21st. Although not yet formally ], he was made the patron of ] for 2008 in Sydney, Australia. He started those days for youth in 1984.


{{pp-move}}
His early reign was marked by his opposition to ], and he is often credited as one of the forces which contributed to its collapse in Central and Eastern Europe.<ref>"," ''CNN'', (accessed ] ]).</ref> In the later part of his pontificate, he was notable for speaking against ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], unrestrained ], and what he deemed the "]".


{{pp|small=yes}}
John Paul II was Pope during a period in which the ]'s influence declined in ] but expanded in the ]. During his reign, the pope traveled extensively, visiting over 100 countries, more than any of his predecessors. He remains one of the most-traveled world leaders in history. He was fluent in numerous languages: his native ] and also ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>http://www.robinsonlibrary.com/philosophy/denominations/catholic/history/johnpaul2.htm Pope John Paul II, ''The Robinson Library'']</ref> As part of his special emphasis on the ], he ] a great number of people.
{{EngvarB|date=January 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Pope
| honorific-prefix = ]
| name = John Paul II
| title = ]
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = pl
| image = ADAMELLO - PAPA - Giovanni Paolo II - panoramio (cropped).jpg
| alt =
| caption = John Paul II in 1988
| church = ]
| term_start = 16 October 1978
| term_end = 2 April 2005
| predecessor = ]
| successor = ]
| previous_post = {{indented plainlist|
* Auxiliary ] (1958{{nbnd}}1964)
* Titular Bishop of ] (1958{{nbnd}}1964)
* ] (1964{{nbnd}}1978)
* Cardinal Priest of ] (1967{{nbnd}}1978)
}}
<!--- Orders --->
<!----------The Orders section may be omitted in favour of Template:Ordination for those
clergy claiming Apostolic succession, such as Catholics, Orthodox and Anglicans. ---------->| ordination = 1 November 1946
| ordained_by = ]
| consecration = 28 September 1958
| consecrated_by = ]
| cardinal = 26 June 1967
| created_cardinal_by = ]
| rank = ] (1967{{nbnd}}1978)
<!--- Personal details --->| birth_name = Karol Józef Wojtyła
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1920|05|18|df=yes}}
| birth_place = ], Second Polish Republic
| death_date = {{death date and age|2005|04|02|1920|05|18|df=yes}}
| death_place = ], Vatican City
| religion = ]
| motto = {{langnf|la|]|Totally yours|break=yes}}
| signature = Signature of John Paul II.svg
| coat_of_arms = John paul 2 coa.svg
| feast_day = 22 October
| venerated = Catholic Church
| beatified_date = 1 May 2011
| beatified_place = ], Vatican&nbsp;City
| beatified_by = Benedict XVI
| canonized_date = 27 April 2014
| canonized_place = St. Peter's Square, Vatican&nbsp;City
| canonized_by = ]
| attributes = {{plainlist|
* ]
* Papal vestments
}}
| patronage = {{indented plainlist|
* ]
* ]
* ] (co-Patron)
* ] 2015 (co-patron)
* Young Catholics
* Families<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?from=pl&to=en&a=http%3A%2F%2Fkanonizacja.niedziela.pl%2Fartykul%2F229%2FJan-Pawel-II-patronem-rodzin |title=St. John Paul II, the patron saint of families |date=27 April 2014 |access-date= 2 May 2014}}</ref>
* ]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?from=pl&to=en&a=http%3A%2F%2Fum.swidnica.pl%2Fpages%2Fposts%2Fjan-pawel-ii-ogloszony-patronem-swidnicy-323.php |title=John Paul II proclaimed the patron saint of Świdnica |date=9 May 2012 |access-date=2 May 2014}}</ref>
* ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centropagina.it/senigallia/trecastelli-celebra-suo-patrono-ricordando-giovanni-paolo-ii/|title=Trecastelli celebra il suo patron ricordando Giovanni Paolo II|date=21 October 2017|publisher=Centro Pagina|access-date=31 March 2018}}</ref>
* Borgo Mantovano<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tuttitalia.it/lombardia/91-borgo-mantovano/|title=Comune di Borgo Mantovano (MN)|publisher=Tuttitalia|access-date=31 March 2018}}</ref>
* ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://messaggeroveneto.gelocal.it/udine/cronaca/2015/04/11/news/il-santo-patrono-del-nuovo-comune-e-giovanni-paolo-ii-1.11219806|title=Il santo patrono del nuovo commune è Giovanni Paolo II|publisher=Messaggero Veneto|date=11 April 2015|access-date=31 March 2018}}</ref>
* Paradahan, Tanza, Cavite (Major Patron)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.philmass.com/Asia/Philippines/Cavite/Tanza/Roman-Catholic-Churches/St.-John-Paul-II-Parish/mass-schedule.html|title= Mass Schedule for St. John Paul II Parish|date=3 February 2020|access-date=3 February 2020}}</ref>
}}
| module = {{Infobox philosopher
| embed = yes
| notable_works = {{indented plainlist|
* '']''
* '']''
* '']'' (promulgated)
* '']'' (promulgated)
* '']''
* '']''
}}
| notable_ideas = {{indented plainlist|
* ] and ]
* ]{{efn|The luminous mysteries seem to have their origin (although in a slightly different form) in the writings of ]}}
* ]
}}
| era = ]
| region = ]
| school_tradition = {{plainlist|
* ]
* ]
}}
}}
| education = {{indented plainlist|
* ] (], PhD)
* ] (])
}}
| module2 = {{Ordination
|denomination = Roman Catholicism
|embed = yes
|ordained deacon by = Adam Stefan Sapieha (Kraków)
|date of diaconal ordination = 20 October 1946
|place of diaconal ordination =
|date of priestly ordination = 1 November 1946
|ordained priest by = Adam Stefan Sapieha (Kraków)
| place of priestly ordination = Chapel of the Kraków Archbishop's residence
| consecrated by = Eugeniusz Baziak (Kraków ])
| co-consecrators = {{plainlist|
* ] (] ])
* ]
}}
| date of consecration = 28 September 1958
| place of consecration = ], Kraków
| elevated by = ]
| date of elevation = 26 June 1967
|sources = <ref>{{cite book|title=Booklet for the Celebration of the Canonization of Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II|date=27 April 2014|publisher=Holy See|chapter-url=https://www.vatican.va/special/canonizzazione-27042014/documents/biografia_gpii_canonizzazione_en.html|access-date=2 September 2017|chapter=Biographical Profile: John Paul II}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Lonely Cold War of Pope Pius XII: The Roman Catholic Church and the Division of Europe|author=Peter C. Kent|publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press|year=2002|page=128}}</ref>
}}
}}
{{Infobox pope styles
| image = John paul 2 coa.svg
| image_size =
| dipstyle = ]
| offstyle = Your Holiness
| relstyle =
| deathstyle = ]
}}
{{Infobox saint
|honorific_prefix = Pope ]
|name = John Paul&nbsp;II
|honorific_suffix = ]
|birth_date = 18 May 1920
|death_date = 2 April 2005 (aged 84)
|feast_day = 22 October
|venerated_in = ]
|image = San Giovanni Paolo II.jpg
|imagesize =
|caption = Painting of Saint John Paul II painted by Zbigniew Kotyłło, 2012
|birth_place = ], ]
|death_place = ], Vatican City
|titles = Pope and ]
|beatified_date = 1 May 2011
|beatified_place = ], Vatican City
|beatified_by = ]
|canonized_date = 27 April 2014
|canonized_place = Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City
|canonized_by = ]
|attributes = ], ]
|patronage = ], Poland, ], young Catholics, Świdnica, families, World Meeting of Families 2015
|major_shrine =
|suppressed_date =
|issues =
}}


'''Pope <!--See ], re use of "Pope" in the lead sentence--> John Paul II''' ({{langx|la|Ioannes Paulus II}}; {{langx|pl|Jan Paweł II}}; {{langx|it|Giovanni Paolo II}}; born '''Karol Józef Wojtyła''', {{IPA|pol|ˈkarɔl ˈjuzɛv vɔjˈtɨwa|lang|}};{{efn|In isolation, ''Józef'' is pronounced {{IPAc-pl|'|j|ó|z|e|f}}.}} 18 May 1920{{spnd}}2 April 2005) was head of the ] and sovereign of the ] from 1978 until ].
In 1992, he was diagnosed with ]. On ] ] at 9:37 p.m. local time, Pope John Paul II died in the ] while a vast crowd kept vigil in ] below. Millions of people flocked to Rome to pay their respects to the body and for his funeral. The last years of his reign had been marked by his fight against the various diseases ailing him, provoking some concerns as to leadership should he become severely incapacitated, and speculation as to whether he should abdicate. On ] ], ], John Paul II's successor, waived the five year waiting period for a cause for ] to be opened.<ref></ref>


In his youth, Wojtyła dabbled in stage acting. He graduated with excellent grades from an ] high school in ], Poland, in 1938, soon after which ] broke out. During the war, to avoid being kidnapped and sent off to a ], he signed up for work in harsh conditions in a quarry. Wojtyła eventually took up acting and developed a love for the profession and participated at a local theatre. The linguistically skilled Wojtyła wanted to study ] at university. Encouraged by a conversation with ], he decided to study theology and become a priest. Eventually, Wojtyła rose to the position of ] and then a ], both positions held by his mentor. Wojtyła was elected pope on the third day of the ], and became one of the youngest popes in history. The conclave was called after the death of ], who served only 33 days as pope. Wojtyła adopted the name of his predecessor in tribute to him.<ref>{{cite web|title=John Paul the Great Catholic University|url=http://www.jpcatholic.com|publisher=John Paul the Great Catholic University|access-date=28 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122052707/http://www.jpcatholic.com/|archive-date=22 January 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
John Paul II emphasized what he called the "]" and attempted to define the Roman Catholic Church's role in the modern world. During his lifetime, he personally experienced many of the pivotal events of the 20th century and he was a towering and at times controversial figure on the world stage. He spoke out against ideologies and politics of ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and unrestrained ]. In many ways, he fought against ], ] and ]. Although he was on friendly terms with many ] heads of state and leading citizens, he reserved a special opprobrium for what he believed to be the corrosive spiritual effects of modern Western ] and the concomitant widespread ] and ] orientation of Western populations.


John Paul&nbsp;II was the first non-Italian pope since ] in the 16th century, as well as the third-] in history after ] and ]. John Paul II attempted to improve the Catholic Church's relations with ], ], and the ] in the spirit of ], holding ] as the greatest threat. He maintained the Church's previous positions on such matters as abortion, ], the ], and a celibate clergy, and although he supported the reforms of the ], he was seen as generally conservative in their interpretation.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-pauls-conservative-legacy/|title=John Paul's Conservative Legacy|work = CBS News|date = 3 April 2005|access-date=1 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/2000/02/the-riddle-of-john-paul-ii.aspx|title=The Riddle of John Paul II|website= Beliefnet |access-date=18 May 2018}}</ref> He put emphasis on family and identity, while questioning consumerism, hedonism and the pursuit of wealth. He was one of the most-travelled world leaders in history, visiting 129&nbsp;countries during his ]. As part of his special emphasis on the ], John Paul&nbsp;II ],<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_list_blesseds-jp-ii_en.html |title = Beatifications By Pope John Paul II, 1979–2000|publisher= Office of Papal Liturgical Celebrations|access-date=1 January 2023}}</ref> and ], more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the preceding five centuries. By the time of his death, he had named most of the ], consecrated or co-consecrated many of the world's bishops, and ordained many priests.<ref>{{Catholic-hierarchy|bishop|bwojtyla|Pope John Paul II (St. Karol Józef Wojtyła)|31 October 2014}}</ref>
John Paul II affirmed traditional Roman Catholic teachings against ], ], and pioneered the Church's stance on matters such as ], ], ], ], ] matters, ] (]), and ]s. He also defended traditional teachings on ] and ]s by opposing ], ] and the ] and called upon followers to vote according to Catholic teachings. While conservative views were sometimes criticized as regressive his liberal views were sometimes criticized as unchristian.


He has been credited with fighting against dictatorships for democracy and with helping to end ] in his native Poland and the rest of Europe.<ref>Lenczowski, John (2002). "Public Diplomacy and the Lessons of the Soviet Collapse". .</ref> Under John Paul II, the Catholic Church greatly expanded its influence in Africa and Latin America and retained its influence in Europe and the rest of the world. On 19 December 2009, John Paul&nbsp;II was proclaimed ] by his successor, ], and on 1 May 2011 (]) he was ]. On 27 April 2014, he was canonised together with ].<ref name="BBC 2013">{{cite news |title=Report: Pope Francis Says John Paul II to Be Canonized April 27 |date=3 September 2013 |url=http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/report-pope-francis-says-john-paul-ii-to-be-canonized-april-27/ |work=National Catholic Register |access-date=6 September 2013 |archive-date=5 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105220855/http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/report-pope-francis-says-john-paul-ii-to-be-canonized-april-27/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> He has been criticised for allegedly, as archbishop, having been insufficiently harsh in acting against the sexual abuse of children by priests in Poland,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lepiarz |first=Jacek |date=March 15, 2023 |title=Poland: John Paul II abuse cover-up claims divide a nation |url=https://www.dw.com/en/poland-john-paul-ii-abuse-cover-up-claims-divide-a-nation/a-64995045 |access-date=March 16, 2023 |website=] |language=en}}</ref> though the allegations themselves have been criticised.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |work=Polsat News |title=Kontrowersje wokół Jana Pawła II. "Znawcy życia i dorobku" papieża komentują |url=https://www.polsatnews.pl/wiadomosc/2023-03-11/kontrowersje-wokol-jana-pawla-ii-swiadome-wprowadzanie-w-blad/ |access-date=2023-04-25 |date=11 March 2023 |language=pl}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Kłamstwa w reportażu o Janie Pawle II. Czego nie powiedziano w dokumencie - Wiadomości - polskieradio24.pl |url=https://polskieradio24.pl/5/1222/artykul/3131739,klamstwa-w-reportazu-o-janie-pawle-ii-czego-nie-powiedziano-w-dokumencie |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=polskieradio24.pl |language=pl-PL}}</ref> Posthumously he has been referred to by some Catholics as '''Pope St. John Paul the Great''', though that title has no official recognition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpcatholic.com/about/about.php|title=John Paul the Great Catholic University|access-date=13 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205184931/http://www.jpcatholic.com/about/about.php|archive-date=5 February 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
John Paul II became known as the "Pilgrim Pope" for traveling greater distances than had all his predecessors combined. According to John Paul II, the trips symbolized bridge-building efforts (in keeping with his title as ], literally Master Bridge-Builder) between nations and religions, attempting to remove divisions created through history.


Under John Paul II, two of the most important documents of the contemporary Catholic Church were drafted and promulgated: the ], which revised and updated the ], and the '']'', the first universal catechism to be issued since the ].
] (1985).]]
He beatified 1,340 people (some listed ]), more people than any previous pope. The ] asserts he canonized more people than the combined tally of his predecessors during the last five centuries, and from a far greater variety of cultures.<ref></ref> Whether he had canonized more saints than all previous popes put together, as is sometimes also claimed, is difficult to prove, as the records of many early canonizations are incomplete, missing, or inaccurate. However, it is known that his abolition of the office of ''Promotor Fidei'' ("Promoter of the Faith" and the origin of the term ]) streamlined the process.


== Early life ==
In February 2004 Pope John Paul II was nominated for a ] honoring his life's work in opposing Communist oppression and helping to reshape the world.<ref> USA Today World News</ref>
{{Main|Early life of Pope John Paul II}}


]
Pope John Paul II died on ] ] (buried ] ]) after a long fight against ] and other illnesses. Immediately after his death, many of his followers demanded that he be elevated to ] as soon as possible, shouting "Santo Subito" (meaning "Make Him Saint Immediately" in ]). Both '']'' and ], Pope John Paul II's successor, referred to John Paul II " The Great" (Ioannes Paulus PP. II Magnus){{Fact|date=March 2007}}.


Karol Józef Wojtyła was born in the Polish town of ].<ref name="A&E" /><ref name="ShortBio" /> He was the youngest of three children born to ] (1879–1941), an ], and ] (1884–1929), who was of distant Lithuanian heritage.<ref name="CNN6" /> Emilia, who was a schoolteacher, died from a heart attack and kidney failure in 1929<ref name="CBN" /> when Wojtyła was eight years old.{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=11}} His elder sister Olga had died before his birth, but he was close to his brother Edmund, nicknamed Mundek, who was 13 years his senior. Edmund's work as a physician eventually led to his death from ], a loss that affected Wojtyła deeply.<ref name="CNN6" />{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=11}}
John Paul II was succeeded by the Dean of the ], ] of ], the former head of the ] who had led the ].
{{TOClimit|limit=3}}
== Biography ==
{{main|Biography of Pope John Paul II}}
===Early life===
{{main|Early life of Pope John Paul II}}
]
'''Karol Józef Wojtyła''' was born on ] ] in ] in southern ] and was the youngest of three children of Karol Wojtyła and Emilia Kaczorowska.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_breve_en.html | author=Holy See Press Office | publisher=Holy See Press Office | title="His Holiness John Paul II: Short Biography" | accessdate=2007-01-14}}</ref> His mother died in 1929 when he was just nine years old, and his father supported him so that he could study. His brother, who worked as a ], died when Wojtyła was twelve. He lost everyone in his family - a sister, brother, mother, and father - before he became a priest. His youth was marked by extensive contacts with the then thriving ]ish community of ]. He played sports during his youth, and was particularly interested in ]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legionariesofchrist.org/eng/articulos/articulo.phtml?lc=id-15265_se-91_ca-264_te-193 | author=Pentin, Edward - National Catholic Register | publisher=Legion of Christ | title="Faith and Football" | accessdate=2007-01-06}}</ref> as a ] .


]|left]]
After completing his studies at the ] high school in Wadowice, in 1938 Wojtyła enrolled at the ] in ], and in a school for drama.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_breve_en.html | author=Holy See Press Office | publisher=Holy See Press Office | title="His Holiness John Paul II: Short Biography" | accessdate=2007-01-14}}</ref> He worked as a volunteer librarian and did compulsory military training in the Academic Legion, but refused to hold or fire a weapon. In his youth he was an ], ] and ] and he learned as many as ten ]s during his lifetime, including ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] other than his native ]. He also had some facility with ].


Wojtyła was ] a month after his birth, made his ] at the age of 9, and was ] at the age of 18.<ref>{{cite web |title=St. Pope John Paul II |url=https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=6996 |website=Saints & Angels |publisher=Catholic Online |access-date=11 November 2020}}</ref> As a boy, Wojtyła was athletic, often playing ] as ].{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=25}} During his childhood, Wojtyła had contact with the large Jewish community of ].<ref name="Svidercoschi">{{cite news | url = https://www.vatican.va/jubilee_2000/magazine/documents/ju_mag_01111997_p-46_en.html | title = The Jewish "Roots" of Karol Wojtyła | access-date = 3 July 2013 | last = Svidercoschi | first = Gian Franco | publisher = Vatican.va}}</ref> School football games were often organised between teams of Jews and Catholics, and Wojtyła often played on the Jewish side.<ref name="CNN6" />{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=25}} In 2005, he recalled: "I remember that at least a third of my classmates at elementary school in Wadowice were Jews. At secondary school there were fewer. With some I was on very friendly terms. And what struck me about some of them was their Polish patriotism."{{sfn|Pope John Paul II|2005|p=99}} It was around this time that the young Karol had his first serious relationship with a girl. He became close to a girl called Ginka Beer, described as "a Jewish beauty, with stupendous eyes and jet black hair, slender, a superb actress."{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=32}}
In 1939, ] occupation forces closed the ]. All able-bodied males had to have a job. From 1940 to 1944 Wojtyła variously worked as a messenger for a restaurant and a manual labourer in a limestone quarry, and then as a salesman for the ] chemical factory to avoid being deported to Germany.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_breve_en.html | author=Holy See Press Office | publisher=Holy See Press Office | title="His Holiness John Paul II: Short Biography" | accessdate=2007-01-14}}</ref> His father died of a heart attack in 1941. ] and other authorities have said he helped Jews find refuge from the Nazis.


In mid-1938, Wojtyła and his father left Wadowice and moved to ], where he enrolled at the ]. While studying such topics as ] and various languages, he worked as a volunteer librarian and though required to participate in ] in the ], he refused to fire a weapon. He performed with various theatrical groups and worked as a playwright.<ref name="Kuhiwczak" /> During this time, his talent for language blossomed, and he learned as many as 15 languages — Polish, ], Italian, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, ], Dutch, Ukrainian, ], ], ], and ],<ref>{{cite book |last=Grosjean |first=François |title=Life With Two Languages |url=https://archive.org/details/lifewithtwolangu0000gros |url-access=registration |access-date=6 July 2013 |year=1982 |publisher=Harvard University Press |location=United States |isbn=978-0-674-53092-8 |edition=8 |page=}}</ref> nine of which he used extensively as pope.
On ] ], Wojtyła was knocked down by a German truck. In sharp contrast to the harshness normally expected from the occupiers, German officers tended him and commandeered a passing truck to get him to a hospital. He spent two weeks there with a severe concussion and a shoulder injury. This accident and his survival seemed to Wojtyła a confirmation of his priestly vocation.<ref name="Weigel"/> On ] 1944, "Black Sunday", just after the ] began, the Gestapo rounded up young men in Kraków to avoid a similar uprising. Wojtyła escaped by hiding in the basement of his home as it was searched, then escaped to the Archbishop's residence, where he stayed until after the war.


In 1939, after invading Poland, ]'s ] closed the university.<ref name="A&E" /> Able-bodied males were required to work, so from 1940 to 1944 Wojtyła variously worked as a messenger for a restaurant, a manual labourer in a limestone quarry and for the ] chemical factory, in order to avoid deportation to Germany.<ref name="ShortBio" /><ref name="Kuhiwczak" /> In February 1940, he met ] who introduced him to the ] spirituality and the "]" youth groups.<ref>Weigel, George. Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II (p. 44). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.</ref> In that same year he had two major accidents, suffering a fractured skull after being struck by a tram and sustaining injuries which left him with one shoulder higher than the other and a permanent stoop after being hit by a lorry in a quarry.<ref>. Retrieved 26 March 2015.</ref> His father, a former ] ] and later officer in the ], died of a heart attack in 1941,<ref name="Ancestry">{{cite web |url= http://www.catholic.org/pope/jp2/genealogy.php |title=Family Genealogy of Blessed Pope John Paul II |publisher=Catholic Online |year=2012 |quote=Family Genealogy of Blessed Pope John Paul II |access-date=3 February 2012}}</ref> leaving the young adult Wojtyła an orphan and the immediate family's only surviving member.<ref name="CNN6" /><ref name="CBN" />{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=60}} Reflecting on these times of his life, nearly 40 years later he said: "I was not at my mother's death, I was not at my brother's death, I was not at my father's death. At twenty, I had already lost all the people I loved."{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=60}}
On the night of ] ], the Germans quit the city, and the seminarians reclaimed the ruined seminary. Wojtyła and another seminarian volunteered for the odious task of chopping up and carting away piles of frozen excrement from the lavatories.<ref name="Weigel"/> That month, Wojtyła personally helped a 14-year-old Jewish refugee girl named Edith Zierer<ref>, '''', Retrieved on ].</ref> who had run away from a Nazi labor camp in ]. Zierer was attempting to reach her family in Kraków but had collapsed from cold and exhaustion on a train platform in ]. No one helped but Wojtyła, who gave her some hot tea and food, personally carried her to a train and accompanied her to Kraków. Zierer credits Wojtyła for saving her life that day. She would not hear of her benefactor again until she read that he was elected as the Pope in 1978.<ref>, ''].com'', Aired ], Retrieved on ].</ref><ref>Roberts, Genevieve., , '']'', ], Retrieved on ].</ref><ref>Cohen, Roger., , '']'', ], Retrieved on ].</ref>


] forced labour work crew during the ], circa 1941]]
===Priest===
]
In 1942 he entered the ] run by the Archbishop of ], ]. Karol Wojtyła was ] a ] on ] ], by Cardinal Sapieha. Not long after, he was sent to study ] at the ] in ], ], commonly known as the '']'', where he earned a ] and later a ] in sacred theology. This doctorate, the first of two, was based on the Latin dissertation ''Doctrina de fide apud S. Ioannem a Cruce'' (''The Doctrine of Faith According to Saint John of the Cross''). Even though his doctoral work was unanimously approved in June 1948, he was denied the degree because he could not afford to print the text of his dissertation (an ''Angelicum'' rule). In December of that year, a revised text of his dissertation was approved by the theological faculty of ] in ], and Wojtyła was finally awarded the degree.


After his father's death, he started thinking seriously about the priesthood.{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=63}} In October 1942, while ] continued, he knocked on the door of the ], and asked to study for the priesthood.{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=63}} Soon after, he began courses in the ] run by the ], the future Cardinal ].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Social memory and history: anthropological perspectives |date=2002 |publisher=AltaMira Press |isbn=978-0-7591-0177-7 |editor-last=Climo |editor-first=Jacob |location=Walnut Creek, CA |pages=280 |editor-last2=Cattell |editor-first2=Maria G.}}</ref> On 29 February 1944, Wojtyła was hit by a German truck. German ] ] tended to him and sent him to a hospital. He spent two weeks there recovering from a severe ] and a shoulder injury. It seemed to him that this accident and his survival was a confirmation of his vocation. On 6 August 1944, a day known as "Black Sunday",{{sfn|Weigel|2001b|p=71}} the ] rounded up young men in Kraków to curtail ],{{sfn|Weigel|2001b|p=71}} similar to the recent ].{{sfn|Davies|2004|pp=253–254}}{{sfn|Weigel|2001b|pp=71–21}} Wojtyła escaped by hiding in the basement of his uncle's house at 10 Tyniecka Street, while the German troops searched above.{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=63}}{{sfn|Davies|2004|pp=253–254}}{{sfn|Weigel|2001b|pp=71–21}} More than 8,000 men and boys were taken that day, while Wojtyła escaped to the Archbishop's residence,{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=63}}{{sfn|Weigel|2001b|p=71}}{{sfn|Davies|2004|pp=253–254}} where he remained until after the Germans had left.<ref name="CNN6" />{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=63}}{{sfn|Davies|2004|pp=253–254}}
Returning to Poland in the summer of 1948, with his first ] assignment in the village of ], fifteen miles from Kraków. In March 1949, he was transferred to ]'s parish in Kraków. He taught ] at the ] in there and subsequently at the ]. Wojtyła gathered a group of fewer than 20 young people, who began to call themselves ''Rodzinka'', the "little family", who met for prayer, philosophical discussion, and helping the blind and sick. Eventually there were some 200 people in his circle, which came to be called ''Środowisko'', meaning roughly "milieu". The group went on both ] and ]ing trips annually.


On the night of 17 January 1945, the ], and the students reclaimed the ruined ]. Wojtyła and another seminarian volunteered for the task of clearing away piles of frozen excrement from the toilets.{{sfn|Weigel|2001b|p=75}} Wojtyła also helped a 14-year-old Jewish refugee girl named Edith Zierer,<ref name="EdithZ" /> who had escaped from a Nazi ] in ].<ref name="EdithZ" /> Edith had collapsed on a railway platform, so Wojtyła carried her to a train and stayed with her throughout the journey to Kraków. She later credited Wojtyła with saving her life that day.<ref name="CNNLive" /><ref name="archive" /><ref name="IHT" /> ] and other authorities have said that Wojtyła helped protect many other ] from the Nazis. During the ], a Jewish family sent their son, Stanley Berger, to be hidden by a ] Polish family. Berger's biological Jewish parents were killed in ], and after the war Berger's new Christian parents asked Karol Wojtyła to baptise the boy. Wojtyła refused, saying that the child should be raised in the Jewish faith of his birth parents and nation, not as a Catholic.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://ekai.pl/wydarzenia/x9122/jan-pawel-ii-sprawiedliwym-wsrod-narodow-swiata/ |title=Jan Paweł II Sprawiedliwym wśród Narodów Świata? |language=pl |trans-title=John Paul II Righteous Among the Nations? |publisher=Ekai.pl |date=5 April 2005 |access-date=22 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222053631/http://ekai.pl/wydarzenia/x9122/jan-pawel-ii-sprawiedliwym-wsrod-narodow-swiata/ |archive-date=22 December 2014 }}</ref> He did everything he could to ensure that Berger leave Poland to be raised by his Jewish relatives in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kosciol.pl/article.php?story=20030926144011902 |title=Papież sprawiedliwym wśród narodów świata |language=pl |trans-title=Pope righteous among the nations of the world |publisher=Kosciol.pl |date=26 September 2003 |access-date=22 October 2014 |archive-date=1 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701052401/http://www.kosciol.pl/article.php?story=20030926144011902 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In April 2005, shortly after John Paul II's death, the Israeli government created a commission to honour the legacy of John Paul II. One of the honorifics proposed by a head of Italy's Jewish community, Emmanuele Pacifici was the medal of the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://m.onet.pl/wiadomosci/swiat,m7r7s |title=Papież otrzyma honorowy tytuł "Sprawiedliwy wśród Narodów Świata"? |language=pl |trans-title=The Pope will receive the honorary title of "Righteous Among the Nations"? |publisher=Onet.pl |date=4 April 2005 |access-date=22 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023061706/http://m.onet.pl/wiadomosci/swiat%2Cm7r7s |archive-date=23 October 2014 }}</ref> In Wojtyła's last book, '']'', he described the 12 years of the Nazi régime as "]",{{sfn|Pope John Paul II|2005|p=16}} quoting from the Polish theologian and philosopher ].<ref>{{cite book |title=Między Heroizmem a Beatialstwem |trans-title=Between Heroism and Bestiality |publisher=Częstochowa |year=1984}}</ref>
Fr Wojtyła wrote a series of articles in Kraków's Catholic ] '']'' ("''Universal Weekly''") dealing with contemporary church issues, and his literary work blossomed in his first dozen years as a priest. The ], life under ], and his pastoral responsibilities all fed his ] and ]s. These were published under two pseudonyms-Andrzej Jawień, and Stanisław Andrzej Gruda. He used these pseudonyms firstly to distinguish his literary from his religious writings, which were published under his own name, and also so that his literary work would be considered on their own merits rather than as clerical curiosities.


== Priesthood ==
He earned a second doctorate, based on an evaluation of the possibility of founding a Catholic ethic on the ethical system of ] ] (''An Evaluation of the Possibility of Constructing a Christian Ethics on the Basis of the System of Max Scheler''), in 1954. As was the case with the first degree, he was not granted the degree upon earning it. This time, the faculty at Jagiellonian University was forbidden by communist authorities from granting the degree. In conjunction with his ] at ], ], he finally obtained the ] of ] in 1957 from that institution, where he had assumed the Chair of Ethics in 1956.
]
]
After finishing his studies at the seminary in Kraków, Wojtyła was ] as a priest on ], 1 November 1946,<ref name="CBN" /> by the Archbishop of Kraków, Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha.<ref name="ShortBio" />{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=71}}<ref name="Vatican2" /> Sapieha sent Wojtyła to Rome's Pontifical International Athenaeum ''Angelicum'', the future ], to study under the French ] friar ] beginning on 26 November 1946. He resided in the ] during this time, under rectorship of ].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://vaticancity.diplomatie.belgium.be/nl/belgen-in-rome| title=Belgen in Rome| date=4 April 2016| access-date=30 March 2017| archive-date=31 March 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331025239/http://vaticancity.diplomatie.belgium.be/nl/belgen-in-rome| url-status=dead}}</ref> Wojtyła earned a ] in July 1947, passed his doctoral exam on 14 June 1948, and successfully defended his doctoral thesis titled ''Doctrina de fide apud S. Ioannem a Cruce'' (The Doctrine of Faith in St. ]) in philosophy on 19 June 1948.<ref>{{cite news |title= His Holiness John Paul II, Biography, Pre-Pontificate| url = https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_prepontificato_en.html#1948 |access-date=6 October 2012}} Even though his doctoral work was unanimously approved in June 1948, he was denied the degree because he could not afford to print the text of his dissertation in accordance with the ''Angelicum'' rules. In December 1948 a revised text of his dissertation was approved by the theological faculty of ] in Kraków, and Wojtyła was finally awarded his doctoral degree.</ref> The ''Angelicum'' preserves the original copy of Wojtyła's typewritten thesis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pust.it/index.php?start=5&lang=en|title=Karol Wojtyla: A Pope Who Hails from the Angelicum (Città Nuova, Roma 2009)|publisher=Pust.it|access-date=23 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407161736/http://www.pust.it/index.php?start=5&lang=en|archive-date=7 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Among other courses at the ''Angelicum'', Wojtyła studied Hebrew with the Dutch Dominican Peter G. Duncker, author of the ''Compendium grammaticae linguae hebraicae biblicae''.<ref>"30Giorni" 11 December 2002, http://www.30giorni.it/in_breve_id_numero_14_id_arg_32125_l1.htm Accessed 19 February 2013</ref>


] in Rome, Italy]]
===Bishop and cardinal===


According to Wojtyła's fellow student, the future Austrian cardinal ], in 1947 during his sojourn at the ''Angelicum'', Wojtyła visited ], who heard his confession and told him that one day he would ascend to "the highest post in the Church".<ref name="kwitny">{{cite book| last=Kwitny | first=Jonathan | title=Man of the Century: The Life and Times of Pope John Paul II | publisher=Henry Holt and Company | date=March 1997 | location=New York City | page=768 | isbn=978-0-8050-2688-7 | url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780805026887 | url-access=limited }}</ref> Stickler added that Wojtyła believed that the prophecy was fulfilled when he became a cardinal.<ref name="cnn">{{cite news | last=Zahn | first=Paula | author-link=Paula Zahn | title=Padre Pio Granted Sainthood | work=CNN | date=17 June 2002 | url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0206/17/ltm.04.html | access-date=19 January 2008 }}</ref>
On ] ] ] named him ] of ] and auxiliary to Archbishop Baziak, apostolic administrator of the ]. He was consecrated to the Episcopate by Arcbishop Baziak on ] ]. At 38 Karol Wojtyła was the youngest ] in ]. Pope John Paul II recounts in his book ''Rise, Let us be on our Way'' how he entered a room a full of priests, after news had been received of his appointment as auxiliary Bishop, when Archbishop Baziak called out "Habemus papam" ("We have a Pope"). Baziak died in June 1962 and on ] Karol Wojtyła was elected as ''Vicar Capitular'', or temporary administrator, of the Archdiocese until an Archbishop could be appointed.


Wojtyła returned to Poland in the summer of 1948 for his first ] assignment in the village of ], {{convert|15|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=off}} from Kraków, at the Church of the Assumption. He arrived at Niegowić at harvest time, where his first action was to kneel and kiss the ground.{{sfn|Maxwell-Stuart|2006|p=233}} He repeated this gesture, which he adopted from ],{{sfn|Maxwell-Stuart|2006|p=233}} throughout his papacy.
Starting in October 1962 Bishop Wojtyła took part in the ], and in December 1963 ] appointed him ] of ]. On ] ], Paul VI announced Archbishop Wojtyła's promotion to the ] with the title of ''] of ]''.


In March 1949, Wojtyła was transferred to the parish of ] in Kraków. He taught ethics at Jagiellonian University and subsequently at the ]. While teaching, he gathered a group of about 20&nbsp;young people, who began to call themselves ''Rodzinka'', the "little family". They met for prayer, philosophical discussion, and to help the blind and the sick. The group eventually grew to approximately 200&nbsp;participants, and their activities expanded to include annual ] and ]ing trips.<ref name="USCCB_Bio" />
He made contributions to two of the most historic and influential products of the council, the ''Decree on Religious Freedom'' (in Latin, '']'') and the ''Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World'' ('']'').


In 1953, Wojtyła's habilitation thesis was accepted by the Faculty of Theology at the Jagiellonian University. In 1954, he earned a ],{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=97}} writing a dissertation titled "Reevaluation of the possibility of founding a Catholic ethic on the ethical system of ]"<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_prepontificato_en.html#1948 |title=Highlights on the life of Karol Wojtiła |publisher=Holy See Press Office |access-date=23 June 2013}}</ref> ({{langx|pl|Ocena możliwości zbudowania etyki chrześcijańskiej przy założeniach systemu Maksa Schelera}}).<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2QunKUmsM4kC&q=Ocena+&pg=PA153 |title=Destined for Liberty: The Human Person in the Philosophy of Karol Wojtyla/John Paul II |publisher=CUA Press |access-date=23 June 2013 |isbn=978-0-8132-0985-2 |year=2000}}</ref> Scheler was a German philosopher who founded a broad ] that emphasised the study of conscious experience. The ] authorities abolished the Faculty of Theology at the Jagiellonian University, thereby preventing him from receiving the degree until 1957.<ref name="Vatican2" /> Wojtyła developed a theological approach, called ], that combined traditional Catholic ] with the ideas of ], a philosophical approach deriving from phenomenology, which was popular among Catholic intellectuals in Kraków during Wojtyła's intellectual development. He translated Scheler's ''Formalism and the Ethics of Substantive Values''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Walsh |first=Michael |title=John Paul II: A Biography |year=1994 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=London |isbn=978-0-00-215993-7 |pages= |url=https://archive.org/details/johnpaulii0000wals/page/20 }}</ref> In 1961, he coined "Thomistic Personalism" to describe Aquinas's philosophy.<ref>Wojtyla, Karol. "Thomistic Personalism." In ''Person and Community.'' Translated by Theresa Sandok, OSM. Pages 165–175. New York: Peter Lang, 1993. Originally published 1961 in Polish</ref>
In 1960, Wojtyła had published the influential book Love and Responsibility, a defense of the traditional Church teachings on sex and marriage from a new philosophical standpoint. In 1967, he was instrumental in formulating the ] '']'' which deals with those same issues and forbids abortion and artificial birth control.


] trip to the countryside with a group of students, circa 1960]]
===A Pope from Poland===
], Madrid]]
{{main|Papal conclave, 1978 (October)}}
In August 1978 following Paul's death, he voted in the ] that elected ], who at 65 was considered young by papal standards. However, John Paul I was in poor health and he died after only 33 days as pope, thereby precipitating another conclave.


During this period, Wojtyła wrote a series of articles in Kraków's Catholic newspaper, '']'' (''Universal Weekly''), dealing with contemporary church issues.<ref name="Zenit5" /> He focused on creating original ] during his first dozen years as a priest. War, life in the ], and his pastoral responsibilities all fed his poetry and plays. Wojtyła published his work under two pseudonyms, ''Andrzej Jawień'' and ''Stanisław Andrzej Gruda'',<ref name="Kuhiwczak" /><ref name="Zenit5" /> to distinguish his literary from his religious writings (issued under his own name), and also so that his literary works would be considered on their own merits.<ref name="Kuhiwczak" /><ref name="Zenit5" /> In 1960, Wojtyła published the influential theological book '']'', a defence of traditional church teachings on marriage from a new philosophical standpoint.<ref name="Kuhiwczak" />{{sfn|Wojtyła|1981}}
Voting in the second conclave was divided between two particularly strong candidates: ], the Archbishop of ]; and ], the Archbishop of ] and a close associate of ]. In early ballots, Benelli came within nine votes of victory. However, Wojtyła secured election as a compromise candidate, in part through the support of ] and others who had previously supported Cardinal Siri.


The aforementioned students regularly joined Wojtyła for hiking, skiing, bicycling, camping and kayaking, accompanied by prayer, outdoor Masses and theological discussions. In Stalinist-era Poland, it was not permitted for priests to travel with groups of students. Wojtyła asked his younger companions to call him "Wujek" (Polish for "Uncle") to prevent outsiders from deducing he was a priest. The nickname gained popularity among his followers. In 1958, when Wojtyła was named ] of Kraków, his acquaintances expressed concern that this would cause him to change. Wojtyła responded to his friends, "Wujek will remain Wujek," and he continued to live a simple life, shunning the trappings that came with his position as bishop. This beloved nickname stayed with Wojtyła for his entire life and continues to be affectionately used, particularly by the Polish people.<ref>Witness to Hope; The Biography of Pope John Paul II, by George Weigel. New York: Cliff Street Books/Harper Collins, 1999. p. 992.</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=They Call Him "Wujek". |newspaper=St Louis Post-Dispatch |date=24 January 1999 |last=Rice |first=Patricia}}</ref>
He became the 264th Pope according to the chronological ]. At only 58 years of age, he was the youngest pope elected since ] in 1846. Like his immediate predecessor, Pope John Paul II dispensed with the traditional ] and instead received ecclesiastical ] with the simplified ] on ] ]. During his inauguration, when the cardinals were to kneel before him to take their vows and kiss his ring, he stood up as the Polish prelate ] knelt down, stopped him from kissing the ring and hugged him (SABC2 "The Greatest souls" documentary 2005). As ] he took possession of his ], the ], on ]].


== Episcopate and cardinalate ==
=== Assassination attempts ===
{{Main|1981 Pope John Paul II assassination attempt|Juan María Fernández y Krohn|The Bojinka Plot}}


=== Call to the episcopate ===
On ] ] John Paul II was shot and critically wounded by ], a ] gunman, as he entered ] to address an audience. He was rushed into the Vatican complex, then to the ], where Dr. ], a noted surgeon, had just arrived by police escort after hearing of the incident. The Pope had lost almost three-quarters of his blood, a near-], despite the fact that the bullets missed his mesenteric artery and abdominal aorta. He underwent five hours of surgery to treat his massive blood loss and abdominal wounds. En route to the hospital, he lost consciousness. Ağca was caught and restrained by a nun and other bystanders until police arrived. He was sentenced to ]. Two days after ] 1983, John Paul II visited the prison where his would-be assassin was being held. The two spoke privately for 20 minutes. John Paul II said, "What we talked about will have to remain a secret between him and me. I spoke to him as a brother whom I have pardoned and who has my complete trust." The pope also stated that ] helped keep him alive throughout his ordeal.
] in ], Poland, where John Paul II lived as a priest and bishop (now an ])]]


On 4 July 1958,<ref name="Vatican2" /> while Wojtyła was on a kayaking holiday in the lakes region of northern Poland, ] appointed him as an ] of Kraków. He was consequently summoned to ] to meet the ] of Poland, Cardinal ], who informed him of his appointment.<ref name="Rise" />{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=103}} Wojtyła accepted the appointment as auxiliary bishop to Kraków's Archbishop ], and he received episcopal consecration (as ] of ]) on 28 September 1958, with Baziak as the principal consecrator and as co-consecrators Bishop ] (titular bishop of ]), auxiliary of the Catholic ], and ], ] (Titular Bishop of ]). Kominek was to become Cardinal ] and Jop was later Auxiliary Bishop of Wrocław and then Bishop of ].<ref name="Vatican2" /> At the age of 38, Wojtyła became the youngest bishop in Poland.
{{cquote|Could I forget that the event in St. Peter’s Square took place on the day and at the hour when the first appearance of the Mother of Christ to the poor little peasants has been remembered for over sixty years at Fátima, Portugal? For in everything that happened to me on that very day, I felt that extraordinary motherly protection and care, which turned out to be stronger than the deadly bullet.|25px|25px|Pope John Paul II -''Memory & Identity'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005, p.184}}


In 1959, Wojtyła began an annual tradition of saying a ] on Christmas Day in an open field at ], the so-called model workers' town outside Kraków that was without a church building.<ref>Weigel, George. Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II (p. 151). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.</ref> Baziak died in June 1962 and on 16 July, Wojtyła was selected as '']'' ''(temporary administrator)'' of the Archdiocese until an ] could be appointed.<ref name="A&E" /><ref name="ShortBio" />
]


=== Participation in Vatican II and subsequent events ===
On ] ], an Italian parliamentary commission concluded that the ] was behind the attempt, in retaliation for John Paul II's support of ], the Catholic, pro-democratic Polish workers' movement, a thesis which had already been supported by ] and the United States ] at the time. The report stated that certain Communist ]n security departments were utilized to prevent the Soviet Union's role from being uncovered.<ref> By VICTOR L. SIMPSON Associated Press Writer</ref> Although the Pope declared during a May 2002 visit to Bulgaria that this country had nothing to do with the assassination attempt, his secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, alleges in his book ''A Life with Karol'' that the pope was convinced privately that the KGB was behind the assassination attempt.<ref> BBC News</ref> Bulgaria and Russia disputed the Italian commission's conclusions, pointing out that the Pope denied the Bulgarian connection. This thesis was also central to ]'s novel '']'', published in 2002.
From October 1962, Wojtyła took part in the ] (1962–1965),<ref name="A&E" /><ref name="Vatican2" /> where he made contributions to two of its most historic and influential products, the ''Decree on Religious Freedom'' (in Latin, '']'') and the ''Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World'' ('']'').<ref name="Vatican2" /> Wojtyła and the Polish bishops contributed a draft text to the Council for ''Gaudium et spes''. According to the ] historian ], the draft text ''Gaudium et spes'' that Wojtyła and the Polish delegation sent "had some influence on the version that was sent to the council fathers that summer but was not accepted as the base text".<ref>{{cite book|last=O'Malley |first=John W. |title=What Happened at Vatican II |year=2008 |publisher=Harvard University Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |isbn=978-0-674-03169-2 |pages= |url=https://archive.org/details/whathappenedatva00omal/page/204 }}</ref> According to John F. Crosby, as pope, John Paul II used the words of ''Gaudium et spes'' later to introduce his own views on the nature of the human person in relation to God: man is "the only creature on earth that God has wanted for its own sake", but man "can fully discover his true self only in a sincere giving of himself".<ref>{{cite book |last=Crosby |first=John F. |year=2000 |chapter=John Paul II's Vision of Sexuality and Marriage: The Mystery of "Fair Love" |title=The Legacy of Pope John Paul II: His Contribution to Catholic Thought |page=54 |publisher=Crossroad |isbn=978-0-8245-1831-8 |editor-last=Gneuhs |editor-first=Geoffrey}}</ref>


He also participated in the assemblies of the ] of Bishops.<ref name="A&E" /><ref name="ShortBio" /> On 13 January 1964, ] appointed him ].<ref name="VaticanNewsService" /> On 26 June 1967, Paul VI announced Wojtyła's promotion to the ].<ref name="Vatican2" /><ref name="VaticanNewsService" /> Wojtyła was named ] of the ] of ].
Another assassination attempt took place on ] ], just a day before the anniversary of the last attempt on his life, in ] when a man tried to stab John Paul II with a ], but was stopped by security guards. The psychopathic assailant, a right wing Spanish ex-] named ], a former priest of the ] of ], reportedly opposed the reforms of the ] and called the pope an agent of Communist ]. Fernández y Krohn subsequently left the Roman Catholic priesthood and served a six-year sentence. He was treated for mental illness and was expelled from ] afterwards, only to become a lawyer in ], where he would try to assassinate King ].


] imposing the cardinal biretta on Wojtyła in 1967]]
Pope John Paul II was also one of the targets of the ]-funded ] during a visit to the Philippines in 1995. The first plan was to kill Pope John Paul II when he visited the Philippines during the ] ] celebrations. On January 15, 1995, a ] would dress up as a priest, while John Paul II passed in his motorcade on his way to the San Carlos Seminary in Makati City. The assassin planned to get close to the Pope, and detonate the bomb. The planned assassination of the Pope was intended to divert attention from the next part of the phase. However, a chemical fire inadvertently started by the would-be assassins alerted police to their whereabouts, and they were arrested nearly a week before the Pope's visit.


In 1967, he was instrumental in formulating the ] '']'', which dealt with the same issues that forbid abortion and ].<ref name="Vatican2" /><ref name="Memory" /><ref name="HV" />
=== Health ===
{{main|Health of Pope John Paul II}}
] on ] ]]]
When he became pope in 1978, John Paul II was already an avid sportsman, and he traveled extensively during his papacy. At the time, the 58-year old was extremely healthy and active, jogging in the Vatican gardens, ], ] and ] in the mountains. He was also fond of soccer and played for Poland in his youth.


According to a contemporary witness, Wojtyła was against the distribution of a letter around Kraków in 1970, stating that the Polish Episcopate was preparing for the 50th anniversary of the ].<ref>{{cite book |last= Graczyk |first= Roman |date=2011 |title=Cena przetrwania: SB wobec Tygodnika Powszechnego |trans-title= |language=pl |location=Warsaw |publisher=Wydawnictwo Czerwone i Czarne | page =204 |isbn=978-83-7700-015-1}}</ref>
John Paul's obvious physical fitness and athletic good-looks earned much comment in the media following his election, which compared his health and trim figure to the poor health of John Paul I and Paul VI, the portliness of John XXIII and the constant claims of ailments of Pius XII. The only modern pope with a keep-fit regime had been ] (1922&ndash;1939) who was an avid mountain climber. An ] article in the 1980s labeled John Paul the "the keep-fit pope."


In 1973, Wojtyła met philosopher ], the wife of ], professor of economics at ] and ], and member of President ]'s ]<ref name="Stourton">{{Cite news|last=Stourton|first=Ed|title = The secret letters of Pope John Paul II – BBC News|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35552997|website = BBC News|access-date = 15 February 2016|date=15 February 2016}}</ref><ref name="Guardian-letters">{{cite news|last1=Kirchgaessner|first1=Stephanie|title=Pope John Paul II letters reveal 32-year relationship with woman|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/15/pope-john-paul-ii-letters-reveal-32-year-relationship-with-woman|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=16 February 2016|date=15 February 2016}}</ref><ref name="Telegraph 2016" /> Tymieniecka collaborated with Wojtyła on a number of projects including an English translation of Wojtyła's book ] (''Person and Act''). ''Person and Act'', one of John Paul II's foremost literary works, was initially written in Polish.<ref name="Guardian-letters" /> Tymieniecka produced the English-language version.<ref name="Guardian-letters" /> They corresponded over the years, and grew to be good friends.<ref name="Guardian-letters" /><ref name="Panarama" /> When Wojtyła visited New England in the summer of 1976, Tymieniecka put him up as a guest in her family home.<ref name="Guardian-letters" /><ref name="Panarama" /> Wojtyła enjoyed his holiday in ], kayaking and enjoying the outdoors, as he had done in his beloved Poland.<ref name="Guardian-letters" />{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=103}}
In 1981, John Paul II's health suffered a major blow after the first failed ] attempt. He went on to a full recovery, and sported an impressive physical condition throughout the 1980s. Starting about 1992, however, his health slowly declined. He rarely walked in public and began to suffer from an increasingly slurred speech and difficulty in hearing. Most experts agreed that the frail pontiff suffered from ], although it wasn't until ] that the ] finally confirmed it. From being strikingly fitter than his predecessors, he had declined physically to far more ill health than was the norm among more elderly popes.


During 1974–1975, Wojtyła served ] as consultor to the ], as recording secretary for the 1974 synod on evangelism and by participating extensively in the original drafting of the 1975 ], '']''.<ref>Moreira Neves, Lucas Cardinal. "EVANGELII NUNTIANDI: PAUL VI'S PASTORAL TESTAMENT TO THE CHURCH". Eternal Word Television Network.</ref>
In February 2005 John Paul II was taken to the ] with ] and spasm of the ], the result of ]. He was released from the hospital, then taken back after a few days because of difficulty breathing. A ] was performed, which improved the Pope's breathing but limited his speaking abilities, to his visible frustration. In March 2005, speculation was high that the Pope was near death; this was confirmed by the Vatican a few days before John Paul II died.


=== Death === ==Papacy==
], First Lady ], former Presidents ] and ] pay their respects to John Paul II as he ] in ], ] ].]]


=== Election ===
On ] ] the Pope developed a very high ] and profoundly ], but was neither rushed to the hospital nor offered life support. Instead, he was offered medical monitoring by a team of consultants at his private residence. This was taken as an indication that the pope and those close to him believed that he was nearing death; it would have been in accordance with his wishes to die in the Vatican.<ref>"," ''BBC News'', ] ] (accessed ] ]).</ref> Later that day Vatican sources announced that John Paul II had been given the ] by his friend and secretary ]. During the final days of the Pope's life, the lights were kept burning through the night where he lay in the Papal apartment on the top floor of the ].
{{Main|October 1978 papal conclave}}
]


In August 1978, following the death of Pope Paul VI, Wojtyła voted in ], which elected ]. John Paul I died after only 33 days as pope, triggering another ].<ref name="ShortBio" /><ref name="Vatican2" /><ref name="Time1978" />
Tens of thousands of people rushed to the Vatican, filling ] and beyond with a vast multitude, and held vigil for two days. Upon hearing of this, the dying pope was said to have stated: "I have searched for you, and now you have come to me, and I thank you."


The second conclave of 1978 started on 14 October, ten days after the funeral. It was split between two strong ]: Cardinal ], the conservative ], and Cardinal ], the liberal ] and a close friend of John Paul I.<ref name="Time1978b" />
On Saturday ], at about 15:30 CEST, John Paul II spoke his final words, "Let me go to the house of the Father," to his aides in his native Polish and fell into a ] about four hours later.<ref>", ''BBC News'', ] ] (accessed ] ]).</ref> He died in his private apartment, at 21:37 ] (19:37 ]), 46 days short of his 85th birthday. The mass of the vigil of the Second Sunday of Easter, that is, ] which was put into the Church's calendar by him on the occasion of the canonization of ] on ] ],<ref> EWTN</ref> had just been celebrated at his bedside. Several aides were present, along with several Polish nuns of the Congregation of the Sisters Servants of the Most Sacred Heart of ], who ran the papal household.
{{wikinews|Pope John Paul II dies}}
A crowd of over two million present in Vatican City mourned the death of John Paul II. The public viewing of his body in ] drew over four million people to Vatican City and was one of the largest ]s in the ]. Many world leaders expressed their condolences and ordered flags in their countries lowered to half-mast. Numerous countries with a Catholic majority, and even some with only a small Catholic population, declared mourning for John Paul II.


] of John Paul&nbsp;II displaying the '']'' with the letter M signifying the ], the mother of Jesus]]
On his death certificate, (refractory) ] was listed as a primary cause of death along with profound arterial ] leading to complete circulatory collapse. In cases of fatal sepsis, the normal cause of death is complete circulatory collapse.


Supporters of Benelli were confident that he would be elected, and in early ]s, Benelli came within nine votes of success.<ref name="Time1978b" /> However, both men faced sufficient opposition for neither to be likely to prevail. ], the ], was considered as a compromise candidate among the Italian cardinal-electors, but when he started to receive votes, he announced that, if elected, he would decline to accept the papacy.<ref>{{cite book |title=Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FYMKOgA5lSAC |first=Thomas J. |last=Reese |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-674-93261-6 |pages=91, 99}}</ref> Cardinal ], ], suggested Wojtyła as another compromise candidate to his fellow electors.<ref name="Time1978b" /> Wojtyła won on the eighth ballot on the third day (16 October).
=== Funeral ===
] of John Paul II]]
{{main|Funeral of Pope John Paul II}}
The death of the pontiff set in motion ]s and traditions dating back to ] times. The ] took place from ] to ] at ]. The Mass of ] on ] was said to have set world records both for attendance and number of heads of state present at a funeral.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. The Dean of the College of Cardinals, ], who would become the next pope, conducted the ceremony. John Paul II was interred in the grottoes under the basilica, the Tomb of the Popes. He was lowered into a tomb created in the same alcove previously occupied by the remains of ]. The alcove had been empty since Pope John's remains had been moved into the main body of the basilica after his ].


Among those cardinals who rallied behind Wojtyła were supporters of Giuseppe Siri, ], most of the American cardinals (led by ]), and other moderate cardinals. He accepted his election with the words: "With obedience in faith to Christ, my Lord, and with trust in the Mother of Christ and the Church, in spite of great difficulties, I accept".{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=171}}<ref name="NewPope" /> The pope, in tribute to his immediate predecessor, then took the ] of ''John Paul II'',<ref name="Vatican2" /><ref name="Time1978b" /> also in honour of the late Popes Paul VI and John XXIII, and the traditional white smoke informed the crowd gathered in ] that a pope had been chosen. There had been rumours that the new pope wished to be known as ''Pope Stanislaus'' in honour of ], but was convinced by the cardinals that it was not a Roman name.<ref name="Time1978" /> When the new pontiff appeared on the balcony, he broke tradition by addressing the gathered crowd:{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=171}}
=== Titles ===
His title was: ], ] of ], Successor of ], Head of the ], Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Patriarch of the West (this title was recently removed from the papal list of titles by the reigning pope, Benedict XVI), ], Archbishop and Metropolitan of the ], Sovereign of the ], Servant of the Servants of God, Pope John Paul II.


<blockquote>"Dear brothers and sisters, we are saddened at the death of our beloved Pope John Paul I, and so the cardinals have called for a new bishop of Rome. They called him from a faraway land—far and yet always close because of our communion in faith and Christian traditions. I was afraid to accept that responsibility, yet I do so in a spirit of obedience to the Lord and total faithfulness to Mary, our most Holy Mother. I am speaking to you in your—no, our Italian language. If I make a mistake, please {{sic|''corrict''}}{{efn|In his speech, John Paul deliberately chose to mispronounce the Italian word for 'correct'.}} <!-- ATTENTION! Please leave this word as 'corrict'. This is how it is written in the source --> me."{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=171}}<ref>Agasso, Renzo. . Effata Editrice IT, 2011. p. 23.</ref><ref name="Bottum" /><ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018234821/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1978/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19781016_primo-saluto_it.html |date=18 October 2013 }}. ]. ''Vatican.va''.</ref></blockquote>
== Posthumous recognition and cause for canonization ==
]]]
Since the death of John Paul II, a number of clergy at the Vatican and laymen throughout the world have been referring to the late pontiff as "John Paul the Great"&mdash;only the fourth pope to be so acclaimed, and the first since the first millennium.


Wojtyła became the 264th pope according to the chronological ], the first non-Italian in 455 years.<ref name="upi" /> At only 58 years of age, he was the youngest pope since ] in 1846, who was 54.<ref name="Vatican2" /> Like his predecessor, John Paul&nbsp;II dispensed with the traditional ] and instead received ecclesiastical ] with a simplified ] on 22 October 1978. During his inauguration, when the cardinals were to kneel before him to take their vows and kiss his ring, he stood up as the Polish prelate, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński knelt down, stopped him from kissing the ring, and simply embraced him.<ref name="Vatican-bio-en" />
His successor, ], referred to him as "the great Pope John Paul II" in his first address from the ] of St Peter's Church. Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Ratzinger, stirred excitement by some devotees of the pope when in his published written homily for the Mass of Repose, he referred to Pope John Paul II as "the Great."


=== Pastoral journeys ===
Since giving his homily at the funeral of Pope John Paul, Pope Benedict XVI has continued to refer to John Paul II as "the Great." At the 2005 World Youth Day in Germany, Pope Benedict XVI, speaking in Polish, John Paul's native language, said, "As the great Pope John Paul II would say: keep the flame of faith alive in your lives and your people." In May 2006, Pope Benedict XVI visited John Paul's native Poland. During that visit he repeatedly made references to "the great John Paul" and "my great predecessor."
{{Main|List of pastoral visits of Pope John Paul II outside Italy}}
]


During his pontificate, John Paul II made journeys to 129 countries,{{sfn|Maxwell-Stuart|2006|p=234}} travelling more than {{convert|1100000|km}} while doing so. He consistently attracted large crowds, some among the largest ever assembled in ], such as the Manila ], which gathered up to four million people, the largest papal gathering ever, according to the Vatican.<ref name=BaltimoreSun>{{cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1995-01-16-1995016078-story.html |title=Biggest Papal Gathering &#124; Millions Flock to Papal Mass in Manila, Gathering is Called the Largest the Pope Has Seen at a Service |agency=The New York Times News Service |work=The Baltimore Sun |year=2012 |access-date=29 January 2012 |archive-date=24 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924125252/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1995-01-16/news/1995016078_1_pope-philippines-papal |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="AsiaNews" /> John Paul II's earliest official visits were to the Dominican Republic and Mexico in January 1979.<ref name="CBN2" /> While some of his journeys (such as to the United States and the ]) were to places previously visited by Pope Paul VI, John Paul II became the first pope to visit the ] in October 1979, where he was ] by President ]. He was the first pope ever to visit several countries in one year, starting in 1979 with Mexico<ref name="Mexico" /> and ].<ref name="Ireland" /> He was the first reigning pope to ], in 1982, where he met Queen ], the ]. While in Britain he also visited ] and knelt in prayer with ], the ], at the spot where ] had been killed,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/29/newsid_4171000/4171657.stm |title=BBC on This Day &#124; 29 &#124; 1982: Pope makes historic visit to Canterbury |work=BBC News |date= 29 May 1982 |access-date=23 June 2013}}</ref> as well as holding several large-scale open air masses, including one at ], which was attended by some 80,000 people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thepapalvisit.org.uk/Visit-Background/A-Retrospective-of-the-1982-Visit|title=A Retrospective of the 1982 Visit / Visit Background / Home – The Visit|last=Systems|first=eZ|website=www.thepapalvisit.org.uk|access-date=16 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012084655/http://www.thepapalvisit.org.uk/Visit-Background/A-Retrospective-of-the-1982-Visit|archive-date=12 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In addition to the Vatican calling him "the great," numerous newspapers have also done so. For example the Italian newspaper '']'' called him "the Greatest" and the South African Catholic newspaper, The Southern Cross, has called him "John Paul II The Great."


] in 1984]]
Scholars of ] say that there is no official process for declaring a pope "Great"; the title establishes itself through popular, and continued, usage. The three popes who today commonly are known as "Great" are ], who reigned from ]&ndash;] and persuaded ] to withdraw from Rome, thus saving Christianity and Catholicism in Europe from destruction; ], ]&ndash;], after whom the ] is named; and ], ]&ndash;], who also withstood a siege of Rome (in this case from ] Christians, over a dispute regarding marriage ]).


He travelled to Haiti in 1983, where he spoke in ] to thousands of impoverished Catholics gathered to greet him at the airport. His message, "things must change in Haiti," referring to the disparity between the wealthy and the poor, was met with thunderous applause.<ref name="Haiti: The Duvalier Years" /> In 2000, he was the first modern pope to visit Egypt,<ref name="PopeEgypt" /> where he met with the ], ]<ref name="PopeEgypt" /> and the ].<ref name="PopeEgypt" /> He was the first Catholic pope to visit and pray in an Islamic mosque, in ], Syria, in 2001. He visited the ], a former Christian church where ] is believed to be interred,<ref name="Mosque" /> where he made a speech calling for Muslims, Christians and Jews to live together.<ref name="Mosque" />
]


On 15 January 1995, during the X World Youth Day, he offered ] to an estimated crowd of between five and seven million in ],<ref name="AsiaNews" /> ], Philippines, which was considered to be the largest single gathering in ].<ref name="AsiaNews" /> In March 2000, while visiting ], John Paul became the first pope in history to visit and pray at the ].<ref name="BBCIsrael" /><ref name="ADL2006" /> In September 2001, amid post-] concerns, he travelled to Kazakhstan, with an audience largely consisting of Muslims, and to Armenia, to participate in the celebration of 1,700&nbsp;years of ].<ref name="NewYorkTimes3" />
On ], ], ] began the ] process for his predecessor, John Paul II. Normally five years must pass after a person's death before the beatification process can begin. However, in an audience with Pope Benedict XVI, ], ] of the ] and the one responsible for promoting the ] of any person who dies within that diocese, cited "exceptional circumstances" which suggested that the waiting period could be waived.


In June 1979, John Paul II travelled to Poland, where ecstatic crowds constantly surrounded him.<ref name="OnThisDay" /> This first papal trip to Poland uplifted the nation's spirit and sparked the formation of the ] movement in 1980, which later brought freedom and human rights to his troubled homeland.<ref name="Memory" /> Leaders of the ] intended to use the pope's visit to show the people that although the pope was Polish, it did not alter their capacity to govern, oppress, and distribute the goods of society. They also hoped that if the pope abided by the rules they set, the Polish people would see his example and follow them as well. If the pope's visit inspired a riot, the Communist leaders of Poland were prepared to crush the uprising and blame the suffering on the pope.<ref name="Angelo M. Codevilla 2008">Angelo M. Codevilla, "Political Warfare: A Set of Means for Achieving Political Ends", in Waller, ed., ''Strategic Influence: Public Diplomacy, Counterpropaganda and Political Warfare'' (IWP Press, 2008.)</ref>
The "exceptional circumstances" presumably refer to the people's cries of "Santo Subito!" ("Saint now!") during the late pontiff's funeral. Therefore the new Pope waived the five year rule "so that the cause of Beatification and Canonization of the same Servant of God can begin immediately."<ref> Vatican News</ref> The decision was announced on ]], the Feast of ] and the 24th anniversary of the assassination attempt on John Paul II at St. Peter's Square.<ref>], ]] ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome</ref> John Paul II often credited Our Lady of Fatima for preserving him on that day. Cardinal Ruini inaugurated the diocesan phase of the cause for beatification in the Lateran Basilica on ] ].<ref> ], ]</ref>


{{blockquote|"The pope won that struggle by transcending politics. His was what ] calls ']' — the power of attraction and repulsion. He began with an enormous advantage, and exploited it to the utmost: He headed the one institution that stood for the polar opposite of the Communist way of life that the Polish people hated. He was a Pole, but beyond the regime's reach. By identifying with him, Poles would have the chance to cleanse themselves of the compromises they had to make to live under the regime. And so they came to him by the millions. They listened. He told them to be good, not to compromise themselves, to stick by one another, to be fearless, and that God is the only source of goodness, the only standard of conduct. 'Be not afraid,' he said. Millions shouted in response, 'We want God! We want God! We want God!' The regime cowered. Had the Pope chosen to turn his soft power into the hard variety, the regime might have been drowned in blood. Instead, the Pope simply led the Polish people to desert their rulers by affirming solidarity with one another. The Communists managed to ] a decade longer. But as political leaders, they were finished. Visiting his native Poland in 1979, Pope John Paul II struck what turned out to be a mortal blow to its Communist regime, to the Soviet Empire, ultimately to Communism."<ref name="Angelo M. Codevilla 2008" />
In early 2006, it was reported that the Vatican was investigating a possible ] associated with John Paul II. A ] nun, confined to her bed by ], is reported to have experienced a "complete and lasting cure after members of her community prayed for the intercession of Pope John Paul II".<ref> ABC News online</ref><ref> Catholic World News</ref> The nun was later identified as ], a member of the Congregation of Little Sisters of Catholic Maternity Wards from Puyricard, near ].<ref> New York Times, Europe</ref>
}}


<blockquote>"When Pope John Paul II kissed the ground at the Warsaw airport he began the process by which Communism in Poland — and ultimately elsewhere in Europe — would come to an end."<ref>], ''The Cold War: A New History'', p. 193, Penguin Books (2006), {{ISBN|978-0-14-303827-6}}</ref></blockquote>
On ], ], Pope Benedict XVI said Mass before an estimated 900,000 people in John Paul II's native Poland. During his homily he encouraged prayers for the early canonization of John Paul II and stated that he hoped canonization would happen "in the near future."


On later trips to Poland, he gave tacit support to the Solidarity organisation.<ref name="Memory" /> These visits reinforced this message and contributed to the collapse of East European Communism that took place between 1989 and 1990 with the reintroduction of democracy in Poland, and which then spread through Eastern Europe (1990–1991) and South-Eastern Europe (1990–1992).<ref name="Bottum" />{{sfn|Maxwell-Stuart|2006|p=234}}<ref name="OnThisDay" /><ref name="CBCNews" /><ref name="Gorbachev" />
In January 2007, it was announced by ] of Krakow, his former secretary, that the key interviewing phase in Italy and Poland of the beatification process was nearing completion. Cardinal Dziwisz had been giving an interview that featured the introduction of his new book in Polish and Italian, '']'', when he made the announcement. In February 2007, the has stated that relics of Pope John Paul II — pieces of white papal cassocks he used to wear — were being freely distributed with prayer cards for the cause to interested parties; this distribution and prayerful use of relics is a typical praiseworthy pious practice after a saintly Catholic's death.


===World Youth Days===
On ] ] it was announced that the ] announced that the ] phase of John Paul's cause for beatification is at an end. Following a ceremony on ] ] — the second anniversary of the Pontiff's death — the cause proceeded to the scrutiny of the committee of lay, clerical, and episcopal members of the ] ], who will conduct an investigation of their own.
] (left) addressing the crowd attending the closing mass of the tenth ] at ], 1995]]


As an extension of his successful work with youth as a young priest, John Paul II pioneered the international ]s. John Paul II presided over nine of them: ] (1985 and 2000), ] (1987), ] (1989), ] (1991), ] (1993), ] (1995), ] (1997), and ] (2002). Total attendance at these signature events of the pontificate was in the tens of millions.<ref name="ReferenceA">Weigel, George. The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II – The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy. The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.</ref>
Not all Catholic theologians agree with the call for beatification. Eleven dissident theologians, including Jesuit professor ] and Italian theologian ] raised seven points, including his stance on contraception, the role of women, and Church scandals that presented "facts which according to their consciences and convictions should be an obstacle to beatification."<ref> Catholic News Agency, ] ] (accessed ] ])</ref>


==Life's work== ===Dedicated Years===
===Teachings===
], ]. The statue was unveiled by Cardinal ], a former private secretary to Pope John Paul II.]]
{{main|Teachings of Pope John Paul II}}
As pope, one of John Paul II's most important roles was to teach people about ]. He wrote 14 papal ] (]) that many observers believe will have long-lasting influence on the church.{{Fact|date=January 2008}}


Keenly aware of the rhythms of time and the importance of anniversaries in the Catholic Church's life, John Paul II led nine "dedicated years" during the twenty-six and a half years of his pontificate: the Holy Year of the Redemption in 1983–84, the ] in 1987–88, the Year of the Family in 1993–94, the three Trinitarian years of preparation for the ] of 2000, the Great Jubilee itself, the Year of the Rosary in 2002–3, and the ], which began on 17 October 2004, and concluded six months after the Pope's death.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
In his Apostolic Letter ''At the beginning of the third millennium'' ('']''), he emphasized the importance of "starting afresh from ]": "No, we shall not be saved by a formula but by a Person." In what he calls a "program for all times," he placed "sanctity" as the single most important priority of all pastoral activities in the entire Catholic Church. He canonized many saints around the world as exemplars for his vision and he supported the prelature of ], whose aim is to spread the message of the ] and the sanctification of secular activities, which he said is a "great ideal" and a "characteristic mark" of the Second Vatican Council.


===Music albums===
In ''The Splendour of the Truth'' ('']'') he emphasized the dependence of man on God and his law ("Without the Creator, the creature disappears") and the "dependence of freedom on the truth". He warned that man "giving himself over to ] and ], goes off in search of an illusory freedom apart from truth itself".
John Paul II recorded music albums. In 1979, his album ''Pope John Paul II sings at the Festival of Sacrosong'' was recorded by ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,916921,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408085903/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,916921,00.html|url-status=dead|title=Pope John Paul II|publisher=Time|date=October 15, 1979|archive-date=April 8, 2008|accessdate=October 16, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://archivesspace.library.nd.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/1815735|title=Pope John Paul II sings at the Festival of Sacrosong , 1979|publisher=University of Notre Dame|accessdate=October 16, 2024}}</ref> In 1994 he released a music album title ''The Rosary''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-11-27-mn-1865-story.html|title=Pope Soaring to Top of Music Charts|agency=Reuters|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 27, 1994|accessdate=October 16, 2024}}</ref> In 1999, John Paul II released another music album titled '']''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-mar-20-me-19179-story.html|title=Newest Music Star: The Pope|first=Larry B.|last=Stammer|work=Los Angeles Times|date=March 20, 1999|accessdate=October 16, 2024}}</ref>


===Great Jubilee of 2000===
In '']'' (''On the Relationship between Faith and Reason'') John Paul promotes a renewed interest in philosophy and an autonomous pursuit for Truth in theological matters. Drawing on many different sources (such as Thomism), he describes the mutually supporting relationship between faith and reason, and emphasizes why it is important that theologians should focus on the relationship. John Paul proposes that philosophy has lost its meaning (''e.g.'', the pursuit for objective truth), and that restoring it will ultimately help cure the nihilistic condition of our current age; and, moreover, lead to the Truth of sacred scripture.
The ] of 2000 was a call to the church to become more aware and to embrace her missionary task for the work of ].


<blockquote>"From the beginning of my Pontificate, my thoughts had been on this Holy Year 2000 as an important appointment. I thought of its celebration as a providential opportunity during which the Church, thirty-five years after the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, would examine how far she had renewed herself, in order to be able to take up her evangelising mission with fresh enthusiasm."<ref>Novo Millenio Inuente §2</ref></blockquote>
John Paul II also wrote extensively about workers and the social doctrine of the Church, which he discussed in three encyclicals. Through his encyclicals, John Paul also talked about the dignity of women and the importance of the ] for the future of mankind, and many Apostolic Letters and Exhortations.


John Paul II also made a pilgrimage to the ] for the Great Jubilee of 2000.<ref name=Vatican3 /> During his visit to the Holy Land, John Paul II visited many sites of the ], including the following locations: ], at the ], where ] baptized Jesus; ] and the ] in the town of ], the location of Jesus' birth; and the ] in ], the site of Jesus' burial and resurrection.<ref name=Vatican5 /><ref name=Vatican6 /><ref name=Vatican7 />
]
Other ]s include ''The Gospel of Life'' ('']'') and ''Orientale Lumen'' (''Light of the East''). Often accused of inflexibility through misunderstanding of the office of the papacy in asserting Church Teaching, he explicitly reiterated and asserted unchanged 2,000-year old Catholic teaching on moral matters like murder, euthanasia and abortion. These, like all statements on faith and morals, according to the ], when asserted in the official papal capacity possess the quality referred to as infallibility.


== Teachings ==
John Paul II, who was present and very influential at the ] (1962&ndash;65), affirmed the teachings of that Council and did much to implement them. Nevertheless, his critics often wished aloud that he would embrace the so-called "progressive" agenda that some hoped would evolve as a result of the Council. In fact, the Council did not advocate "progressive" changes in these areas, ''e.g.'', still condemning the taking of unborn human life through abortion as an "unspeakable crime". John Paul II continued to declare that ], ], and ] were gravely sinful, and, with ] (future Pope Benedict XVI), opposed ].
{{Catholic philosophy |expanded=all}}
As pope, John Paul II wrote ] and taught about sexuality in what is referred as the "]". Some key elements of his strategy to "reposition the Catholic Church" were encyclicals such as '']'', '']'' and '']''. In his ''At the beginning of the new millennium'' ('']''), he emphasised the importance of "starting afresh from Christ": "No, we shall not be saved by a formula but by a Person." In ''The Splendour of the Truth'' ('']''), he emphasised the dependence of man on God and His Law ("Without the Creator, the creature disappears") and the "dependence of freedom on the truth". He warned that man "giving himself over to relativism and scepticism, goes off in search of an illusory freedom apart from truth itself". In '']'' (''On the Relationship between Faith and Reason'') John Paul promoted a renewed interest in philosophy and an autonomous pursuit of truth in theological matters. Drawing on many different sources (such as Thomism), he described the mutually supporting relationship between ], and emphasised that theologians should focus on that relationship. John Paul II wrote extensively about workers and the ] of the church, which he discussed in three encyclicals: '']'', '']'', and '']''. Through his encyclicals and many ] and Exhortations, John Paul II talked about the ] and the equality of women.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pope John Paul II|title=Mulieris Dignitatem: Apostolic Letter on the Dignity and Vocation of Women|publisher=Libreria Editrice Vaticana|year=1988|url=http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1988/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19880815_mulieris-dignitatem.html}}</ref> He argued for the importance of the family for the future of humanity.<ref name="Memory" />


Other encyclicals include ''The Gospel of Life'' ('']'') and '']'' (''That They May Be One''). Though critics accused him of inflexibility in explicitly re-asserting Catholic moral teachings against abortion and ] that have been in place for well over a thousand years, he urged a more nuanced view of ].<ref name="Memory" /> In his second encyclical '']'' he stressed that ] is the greatest feature of God, needed especially in modern times.
He believed in the Church's exaltation of the marital act of ] between a baptized man and woman within sacramental ] as proper and exclusive to the ] of marriage that was, in every instance, profaned by contraception, abortion, divorce followed by a 'second' marriage, and by homosexual acts. Often mistakenly assumed to be a rejection against women{{Fact|date=January 2008}}, he definitively explained and asserted in 1994 for all time the Church's lack of authority to ordain women to the priesthood, without such authority such ordination is not legitimately compatible with fidelity to Christ. This was also deemed a repudiation of calls to break with the constant tradition of the Church by ordaining women to the priesthood. () In addition, John Paul II chose not to end the discipline of mandatory priestly ], although in a small number of unusual circumstances, he did allow certain married clergymen of other Christian traditions who later became Catholic to be ordained as Catholic priests.


=== Social and political stances ===
John Paul II, as a writer of ] and ] thought, was characterized by his explorations in ] and ]. He is also known for his development of the ].
{{Main|Social and political stances of Pope John Paul II}}
John Paul II was considered a conservative on ] and issues relating to human ] and the ordination of women.<ref name="Spiegel2" /> While he was visiting the United States in 1977, the year before becoming pope, Wojtyła said: "All human life, from the moments of conception and through all subsequent stages, is sacred."<ref name="Pope John Paul II Visits the US, 1977 Year in Review" />


A series of 129 lectures given by John Paul II during his Wednesday audiences in Rome between September 1979 and November 1984 were later compiled and published as a single work titled '']'', an extended meditation on ]. He extended it to the condemnation of abortion, euthanasia, and virtually all capital punishment,<ref name="pbs" /> calling them all a part of a struggle between a "]" and a "culture of death".<ref>John Paul II. (1995). Evangelium Vitae. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, §95</ref> He campaigned for world debt forgiveness and ].<ref name="Memory" /><ref name="Spiegel2" /> He coined the term "]", which related that all private property had a social dimension, namely that "the goods of this are originally meant for all."<ref>article 42, Solicitudo Rei Socialis</ref> In 2000, he publicly endorsed the ] campaign on African ] fronted by Irish rock stars ] and ], once famously interrupting a ] recording session by telephoning the studio and asking to speak to Bono.<ref name="Pope phones Bono" />
Philosophers and theologians influenced by him include{{Fact|date=January 2008}}-among countless others: his successor, ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke, ], ], ], ], ], ], Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].


John Paul II, who was present and very influential at the 1962–65 ], affirmed the teachings of that Council and did much to implement them. Nevertheless, his critics often wished that he would embrace what has been called a progressive agenda that some hoped would evolve as a result of the Council. In fact, the Council did not advocate progressive changes in these areas; for example, they still condemned abortion as an unspeakable crime. John Paul II continued to declare that contraception, abortion, and homosexual acts were gravely sinful, and, along with Joseph Ratzinger (future ]), initially opposed ].
=== Pastoral trips ===
{{main|Pastoral trips of Pope John Paul II}}
]
]


Following the church's exaltation of the marital act of sexual intercourse between a baptised man and woman within sacramental marriage as proper and exclusive to the ] of marriage, John Paul II believed that it was, in every instance, profaned by contraception, abortion, divorce followed by a 'second' marriage, and by homosexual acts. In 1994, John Paul II asserted the church's lack of authority to ordain women to the priesthood, stating that without such authority ordination is not legitimately compatible with fidelity to Christ. This was also deemed a repudiation of calls to break with the constant tradition of the church by ordaining women to the priesthood.<ref name="VaticanOrdinatio" /> In addition, John Paul II chose not to end the discipline of mandatory priestly celibacy, although in a small number of unusual circumstances, he did allow certain married clergymen of other Christian traditions who later became Catholic to be ordained as Catholic priests.
During his pontificate, Pope John Paul II made trips to 117 countries.<ref></ref> In total he logged more than 1.1 million km (725,000 miles). He consistently attracted large crowds on his travels, some amongst the largest ever assembled in human history. All these travels were paid by the money of the countries he visited and not by the Vatican.


=== Apartheid in South Africa ===
One of John Paul II's earliest official visits was to ], in June 1979, where he was constantly surrounded by ecstatic crowds.<ref>"," from "On This Day, ] ]," ''BBC News'' (accessed ] ]).</ref> The first trip to Poland was marked by his support for the Soldiarity movement to bring freedom and human rights to his troubled country. Successive trips reinforced this message and Poland began the process that would finally defeat the domination of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe in 1989.
John Paul II was an outspoken opponent of ]. In 1985, while visiting the Netherlands, he gave an impassioned speech condemning apartheid at the ], proclaiming that "No system of apartheid or separate development will ever be acceptable as a model for the relations between peoples or races."<ref> '']'', 13 May 1985</ref> In September 1988, John Paul II made a pilgrimage to ten Southern African countries, including those bordering South Africa, while demonstratively avoiding South Africa. During his visit to ], John Paul II called for economic sanctions against South Africa's government.<ref> '']'', 13 May 1995</ref> After John Paul II's death, both ] and Archbishop ] praised the pope for defending human rights and condemning economic injustice.<ref> , 5 April 2005</ref>


=== Capital punishment ===
While some of his trips (such as to the ] and the ]) were to places previously visited by ] (the first pope to travel widely), many others were to places that no pope had ever visited before, including Japan (in 1982), ] and ] (both in 1984). He was the first reigning pope to travel to the ], where he met ], the ] of the ]. In the first visit by a pontiff to Cuba (]), he sharply criticized Cuba's stance on religious expression, as well as ]. In 2000, the first modern Catholic pope to visit ] met with the ] and the ]. He was the first Catholic Pope to visit and pray in an ] ], in ], ] in ]. He visited ], where ] is believed to be interred.
John Paul II was an outspoken opponent of the death penalty, which was a break from previous popes regarding the practise. At a papal mass in ], in the United States he said:


<blockquote>"A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. Modern society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform. I renew the appeal I made most recently at Christmas for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/node/1403 |title=Religious Views: Pope John Paul II's Statements on the Death Penalty |publisher=Death Penalty Information Center |access-date=3 November 2013}}</ref></blockquote>
In 1988 he made a trip to Lesotho to beatify Joseph Gerrad.<ref></ref> On ] ], during the ], he offered Mass to an estimated crowd of between four and eight million in ], ], considered the largest single event in Christian history. In September 2001 amid post-] concerns, he traveled to ], with an audience of largely Muslims, and to ], to participate in the celebration of the 1700 years of ] in that nation. He fluently said Mass in local languages during some visits, including Kiswahili at a Mass in Nairobi, Kenya in 1995 and in an ] in ].


During that visit, John Paul II convinced the then ] of Missouri, ], to reduce the death sentence of convicted murderer Darrell J. Mease to life imprisonment without parole.<ref>Trigilio Jr., Rev. John, Rev. Kenneth Brighenti and Rev. Jonathan Toborowsky. ''John Paul II for Dummies'', p. 140, John Wiley & Sons, 2011 {{ISBN|978-0-471-77382-5}}</ref> John Paul II's other attempts to reduce the sentence of ] inmates were unsuccessful. In 1983, John Paul II visited ] and unsuccessfully asked the country's president, ], to reduce the sentence for six left-wing guerrillas sentenced to death.<ref>Virginia Garrard-Burnett. ''Terror in the Land of the Holy Spirit: Guatemala Under General Efrain Rios Montt, 1982–1983'', pp. 20–21, John Wiley & Sons, 2010 {{ISBN|978-0-19-537964-8}}</ref>
Throughout his trips, he stressed his devotion to the ] through visits to various ], notably ] in ], ] in Poland, ] in ], ] in ] and ] in ].


In 2002, John Paul II again travelled to Guatemala. At that time, Guatemala was one of only two countries in Latin America (the other being Cuba) to apply capital punishment. John Paul II asked the Guatemalan president, ], for a moratorium on executions.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0802/p07s02-woam.html/(page)/3 |title=With Papal Prodding, Guatemala May End Executions |newspaper=] |date=24 May 2013 |access-date=3 November 2013}}</ref>
=== Relations with other religions and denominations ===
Pope John Paul II traveled extensively and came into contact with believers from many divergent faiths. He constantly attempted to find common ground, both doctrinal and dogmatic. At the ], held in ] on ] ], more than 120 representatives of different religions and Christian denominations spent a day together with fasting and praying.<ref name="Pace preventiva"> ]. ''La pace preventiva.'' ]: San Paolo 2004. </ref>


====Anglicanism==== ===Environment and ecology===
] in the ]]]


John Paul II taught on the environmental health of Earth that "humanity has disappointed God's expectations ... degrading that 'flowerbed' which is the earth, our dwelling-place".<ref name=aud20010117 /> His phrase and exhortation, "ecological conversion", which was used in a general audience in The Vatican in 2001,<ref name=aud20010117>John Paul II, , accessed 3 September 2023</ref> has been widely adopted, for example in the Mandate for ],<ref>Catholic Earthcare Australia, , published May 2002, archived 3 August 2012, accessed 3 September 2023</ref> and in the writings of Pope Francis.<ref>Pope Francis, , Chapter 6, section 3, published 24 May 2015, accessed 3 September 2023</ref>
Pope John Paul II had good relations with the Anglican Church, referred to by Paul VI as "our beloved Sister Church". He preached in ] during his visit to Britain, and received ] with friendship and courtesy. However, John Paul II was greatly disappointed by the Anglican Church's decision to offer the sacrament of priestly ordination to women and saw it as a step in the opposite direction from unity between the Anglican Church and Roman Catholicism.


==== Judaism ==== === European Union ===
John Paul II pushed for a reference to Europe's Christian cultural roots in the draft of the ]. In his 2003 ] '']'', John Paul II wrote that he "fully (respected) the secular nature of (European) institutions". However, he wanted the constitution to enshrine religious rights, including acknowledging the rights of religious groups to organise freely, recognise the specific identity of each denomination and allow for a "structured dialogue" between each religious community and the ] (EU), and extend across the EU the legal status enjoyed by religious institutions in individual member states. John Paul II said: "I wish once more to appeal to those drawing up the future European Constitutional Treaty so that it will include a reference to the religion and in particular to the Christian heritage of Europe." The pope's desire for a reference to Europe's Christian identity in the EU Constitution was supported by non-Catholic representatives of the ] and ] from Russia, Romania, and Greece.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/european-council/aggregator/113730 |title=Pope says EU constitution should cite Christian heritage |publisher=EU Business |date=28 June 2003 |access-date=14 November 2013 |archive-date=7 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407082650/http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/european-council/aggregator/113730 |url-status=dead }}</ref> John Paul II's demand to include a reference to Europe's Christian roots in the European Constitution was supported by some non-Christians, such as ], a practising ] and renowned constitutional lawyer, who said that the EU Constitution's lack of a reference to Christianity was not a "demonstration of neutrality" but rather "a ] attitude".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/jewish-professor-defends-mention-of-christianity-in-euro-text |title=Jewish Professor Defends Mention of Christianity in Euro Text |publisher=] |date=17 September 2003 |access-date=14 November 2013}}</ref>
], April 1986]]
] improved during the pontificate of John Paul II. He spoke frequently about the Church's relationship with ]s.


At the same time, John Paul II was an enthusiastic supporter of ]; in particular, he supported his native Poland's entry into the bloc. On 19 May 2003, three weeks before a ], the Polish pope addressed his compatriots and urged them to vote for Poland's EU membership at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City State. While some conservative, Catholic politicians in Poland opposed EU membership, John Paul II said:
As a child, Karol Wojtyła had played sports with his many Jewish neighbors. In 1979 he became the first Pope to visit the ] in ], where many of his countrymen (mostly Polish Jews) had perished during the ] occupation. He also became the first pope known to have made an official papal visit to a synagogue, when he visited the ] on ] ].


<blockquote>"I know that there are many in opposition to integration. I appreciate their concern about maintaining the cultural and religious identity of our nation. However, I must emphasise that Poland has always been an important part of Europe. Europe needs Poland. The Church in Europe needs the Poles' testimony of faith. Poland needs Europe."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://euobserver.com/enlargement/11309 |title=Pope paves the way to Polish "Yes" vote |author=Marcin Frydrych |publisher=] |date=21 May 2003 |access-date=14 November 2013}}</ref></blockquote>
In 1994, in honor of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the ] and the ], Pope John Paul II hosted "The Papal Concert to Commemorate the Holocaust." This concert, which was conceived and conducted by American Maestro ], was attended by the Chief ] of ], the ] of ], and survivors of the ] from around the world.


The Polish pope compared Poland's entry into the EU to the ], which was signed in 1569 and united the ] and the ] into one nation and created an elective monarchy.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www2.tygodnik.com.pl/tp/2811/main01.php |title=Od Unii Lubelskiej do Unii Europejskiej |language=pl |trans-title=From the Union of Lublin to the European Union |author=Rev. Adam Boniecki |publisher=] |date=25 May 2003 |access-date=14 November 2013}}</ref>
In March 2000, John Paul II visited ], (the Israeli national ] memorial) in ] and later made history by touching the holiest site in ], the ] in ], placing a letter inside it (in which he prayed for forgiveness for the actions against Jews in the past).<ref></ref> In October 2003 the ] (ADL) issued a statement congratulating John Paul II on entering the 25th year of his papacy.


=== Evolution ===
Immediately after the pope's death, the ADL issued a statement that Pope John Paul II had revolutionized Catholic-Jewish relations, saying that "more change for the better took place in his 27 year Papacy than in the nearly 2,000 years before." (''Pope John Paul II: An Appreciation: A Visionary Remembered'').
On 22 October 1996, in a speech to the ] ] at the Vatican, John Paul&nbsp;II said of ] that "this theory has been progressively accepted by researchers, following a series of discoveries in various fields of knowledge. The convergence, neither sought nor fabricated, of the results of work that was conducted independently is in itself a significant argument in favour of this theory." John Paul II's embrace of evolution was enthusiastically praised by American ] and evolutionary biologist ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/vaticanview.html|title=The Vatican's View of Evolution: Pope Paul II and Pope Pius|author=Doug Linder}}</ref> with whom he had an audience in 1984.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/stephen-jay-gould-vol-25-no-22/ |first =Michelle|last = Green|title = Stephen Jay Gould: Driven By a Hunger to Learn and to Write|date= 1986|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110110195417/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20093775,00.html|archive-date= 10 January 2011}}</ref>

Although generally accepting the theory of evolution, John Paul II made one major exception—the ], saying: "If the human body has its origin in living material which pre-exists it, the spiritual soul is immediately created by God."<ref name="Evolution" /><ref name="NCSE" /><ref name="Tagliabue" />

=== Iraq War ===
In 2003 John Paul II criticised the 2003 United States-led ], saying in his State of the World address "No to war! War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity."<ref>John Paul II, "", Vatican, 13 January 2003 (Retrieved 7 February 2007).</ref> He sent Cardinal ], the former ], to talk with ], the US president, to express opposition to the war. John Paul II said that it was up to the United Nations to solve the international conflict through diplomacy and that a unilateral aggression is a ] and a violation of ]. The pope's opposition to the ] led to him being a candidate to win the 2003 ], which was ultimately awarded to Iranian attorney/judge and noted human rights advocate ].<ref> '']'', 9 October 2003</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106041001/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/515037715/Pope-John-Paul-II-is-the-favorite-to-win-Nobel-Peace-Prize.html?pg=all |date=6 November 2013 }} '']'', 10 October 2003</ref>

=== Liberation theology ===
In 1984 and 1986, through Cardinal Ratzinger (future ]) as ], John Paul II officially condemned aspects of ], which had many followers in Latin America.<ref name="Miami" />

Visiting Europe, Salvadoran Archbishop ] unsuccessfully advocated for the Vatican to condemn the right-wing military regime of ], for violations of human rights during the ] and the support of ]. Though Romero expressed his frustration at working with clergy who cooperated with the government, John Paul II encouraged him to maintain episcopal unity as a top priority.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Beatification of Óscar Romero |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-beatification-of-oscar-romero |magazine=The New Yorker |date=19 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=What Óscar Romero's Canonization Says About Pope Francis |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/11/the-martyr-and-the-pope/570835/ |work=The Atlantic |date=November 2018}}</ref>

In his travel to ], Nicaragua in 1983, John Paul II harshly condemned what he dubbed the "popular Church",<ref name="Miami" /> referencing the ] supported by the ], and the Nicaraguan clergy's tendencies to support the leftist ], reminding the clergy of their duties of obedience to the ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Pope says taking sides in Nicaragua is peril to church |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/05/world/pope-says-taking-sides-in-nicaragua-is-peril-to-church.html |work=The New York Times |date=5 March 1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Their Will Be Done |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/1983/07/their-will-be-done/ |work=Mother Jones |date=1983}}</ref><ref name="Miami" /> During that visit ], a priest and minister in the Sandinista government, knelt to kiss his hand. John Paul withdrew it, wagged his finger in Cardenal's face, and told him, "You must straighten out your position with the church."<ref name="Religion: Berating Marxism's False Hopes" />

However, in March 1986, the Vatican published an Instruction on the subject in which, while warning against reducing "the salvific dimension of liberation to the socio-ethical dimension which is a consequence of it," it supported "]" favored by the liberation theologians, and described the Basic Christian Communities which they had promoted as "a source of great hope for the church." A few weeks later, the pope himself seemed to endorse the movement when he wrote to the Brazilian bishops that as long as it is in harmony with the teaching of the Church, "we are convinced, we and you, that the theology of liberation is not only timely but useful and necessary. It should constitute a new state-- in close connection with the former ones--of theological reflection."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sigmund |first=Paul E. |title=Liberation Theology: An Historical Evaluation}}</ref>

=== Organised crime ===
John Paul II was the first pontiff to denounce ] violence in ]. In 1993, during a pilgrimage to ], Sicily, he appealed to the Mafiosi: "I say to those responsible: 'Convert! One day, the judgement of God will arrive!'" In 1994, John Paul II visited ] and told victims of Mafia violence to "rise up and cloak yourself in light and justice!"<ref>{{cite web |author=Filip Mazurczak |url=http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2013/05/the-priest-who-stood-up-to-mafia |title=The Priest Who Stood Up to the Mafia |publisher=] |date=24 May 2013 |access-date=2 November 2013}}</ref>

In 1995, the Mafia bombed two historical churches in Rome. Some believed that this was the mob's ] against the pope for his denunciations of organised crime.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/mar/05/the-mafia-vs-pope-john-paul-ii/ |title=The Mafia Vs. Pope John Paul II |newspaper=The Spokesman-Review |date=24 May 2013 |access-date=15 November 2013}}</ref>

=== Persian Gulf War ===
Between 1990 and 1991, a 34-nation coalition led by the United States waged a war against ]'s ], which had invaded and annexed ]. John Paul II was a staunch opponent of the ]. Throughout the conflict, he appealed to the international community to stop the war, and after it was over led diplomatic initiatives to negotiate peace in the Middle East.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Times Wire Services |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-04-01-mn-1253-story.html |title=Pontiff's Message Condemns Destruction of Gulf War |newspaper=] |date=1 April 1991 |access-date=22 November 2013}}</ref> In his 1991 encyclical ], John Paul II harshly condemned the conflict:

<blockquote>"No, never again war, which destroys the lives of innocent people, teaches how to kill, throws into upheaval even the lives of those who do the killing and leaves behind a trail of resentment and hatred, thus making it all the more difficult to find a just solution of the very problems which provoked the war."<ref>{{cite news |author=Drew Christiansen, SJ |url=http://americamagazine.org/issue/398/article/hawks-doves-and-pope-john-paul-ii |title=Hawks, Doves, and Pope John Paul II |work=] |date=12 August 2002 |access-date=22 November 2013}}</ref></blockquote>

In April 1991, during his '']'' Sunday message at ], John Paul II called for the international community to "lend an ear" to "the long-ignored aspirations of oppressed peoples". He specifically named the ], a people who were fighting a civil war against Saddam Hussein's troops in Iraq, as one such people, and referred to the war as a "darkness menacing the earth". During this time, the Vatican had expressed its frustration with the international ignoring of the pope's calls for peace in the Middle East.<ref>{{cite news |author=Clyde Haberman |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/01/world/pope-denounces-the-gulf-war-as-darkness.html |title=Pope Denounces Gulf War As 'Darkness' |newspaper=The New York Times |date=1 April 1991 |access-date=22 November 2013}}</ref>

=== Rwandan genocide ===
{{further|Rwandan genocide}}
In 1990, during the ] between ] and ] in the mostly Catholic country of Rwanda, John Paul II called for a ceasefire and condemned the persecution of the Tutsis.<ref>{{cite news|author=Dariusz Rosiak |url=http://tygodnik.onet.pl/wiara/arcybiskup-i-maczety/l2w2l |title=Arcybiskup i maczety |language=pl |trans-title=Archbishop and machetes |publisher=] |date=21 July 2013 |access-date=9 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109104402/http://tygodnik.onet.pl/wiara/arcybiskup-i-maczety/l2w2l |archive-date=9 November 2013 }}</ref> In 1994, he was the first world leader to condemn the massacre of the Tutsis as a ]. In 1995, during his third visit to ] before an audience of 300,000, John Paul II pleaded for an end to the violence in ] and ], urging forgiveness and reconciliation as a solution to the genocide. He told Rwandan and Burundian refugees that he "was close to them and shared their immense pain". He said:

<blockquote>"What is happening in your countries is a terrible tragedy that must end. During the African Synod, we, the pastors of the church, felt the duty to express our consternation and to launch an appeal for forgiveness and reconciliation. This is the only way to dissipate the threats of ethnocentrism that are hovering over Africa these days and that have so brutally touched Rwanda and ]."<ref>{{cite news |author=Donatella Lorch |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/20/world/pope-calls-for-end-to-killings-in-rwanda.html |title=Pope Calls for End to Killings in Rwanda |newspaper=The New York Times |date=20 September 1995 |access-date=9 November 2013}}</ref></blockquote>

=== Views on sexuality ===
{{Main|Theology of the Body}}

John Paul II issued a series of addresses on human sexuality between 1979 and 1984 entitled ], analyzing the theological significance of the body, sexuality, marriage, celibacy, and virginity.

In 1986, the Pope approved the release of a document from the ] entitled ''Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons''. This document reaffirms the historical teaching of the Catholic Church on homosexuality with instructions for pastoral care.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19861001_homosexual-persons_en.html| title = Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons}}</ref>
In his book ''Memory and Identity'', he referred to the "strong pressures" by the ] to recognise homosexual unions as an alternative type of family, with the right to adopt children. In the book, as quoted by ], he wrote: "It is legitimate and necessary to ask oneself if this is not perhaps part of a new ideology of evil, more subtle and hidden, perhaps, intent upon exploiting human rights themselves against man and against the family."<ref name="Memory" />{{sfn|Pope John Paul II|2005|p=12}}

== Reform of canon law ==
{{Main|Canon law (Catholic Church)}}
John Paul II completed a full-scale reform of the Catholic Church's legal system, Latin and Eastern, and a reform of the Roman Curia.

On 18 October 1990, when promulgating the '']'', John Paul II stated
{{blockquote|By the publication of this Code, the canonical ordering of the whole Church is thus at length completed, following as it does...the "]" of 1988, which is added to both Codes as the primary instrument of the Roman Pontiff for 'the communion that binds together, as it were, the whole Church'<ref>Ap. Const. ''Sacri Canones''. Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, Latin-English Edition, New English Translation (Canon Law Society of America, 2001), page xxv. Cf. '']'' n. 2</ref>}}

In 1998, John Paul II issued the ] '']'', which amended two canons (750 and 1371) of the 1983 Code of Canon Law and two canons (598 and 1436) of the 1990 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

=== 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' ===
{{Main|1983 Code of Canon Law}}
On 25 January 1983, with the ] '']'' John Paul II promulgated the current code of canon law for all members of the Catholic Church who belonged to the ]. It entered into force the first Sunday of the following ],<ref name=sacrae>Ap. Const. ''Sacræ Disciplineæ Leges''</ref> which was 27 November 1983.<ref>NYTimes.com, "", 27 November 1983, accessed June-25-2013</ref> John Paul II described the new code as "the last document of Vatican II".<ref name=sacrae /> ] has referred to the 1983 ''Code'' as the "Johanno-Pauline Code"<ref>, CanonLaw.info, accessed 17 March 2016</ref> (''Johannes Paulus'' is ] for "John Paul"), parallelling the ] that it replaced.

=== ''Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches'' ===
{{Main|Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches}}
John Paul II promulgated the '']'' (CCEO) on 18 October 1990, by the document ''Sacri Canones''.<ref>''AAS''82 (1990) pp. 1033–1063</ref> The CCEO came into force of law on 1 October 1991.<ref>Thomas Kuzhinapurath, ''Salvific Law: Salvific Character of CCEO, An Historical Overview'', Malankara Seminary Publications, Trivandrum, 2008, p.79</ref> It is the ] of the common portions of the ] for the 23 of the 24 '']'' churches in the ] that are the ]. It is divided into 30 titles and has a total of 1540 ].<ref>Pete Vere & Michael Trueman, "Surprised by Canon Law, Vol. 2" (Cincinnati, Ohio: Servant Books, 2007); pg. 123</ref>

=== ''Pastor bonus'' ===
{{Main|Pastor bonus}}
John Paul II promulgated the apostolic constitution '']'' on 28 June 1988. It instituted a number of reforms in the process of running the ]. ''Pastor bonus'' laid out in considerable detail the organisation of the Roman Curia, specifying precisely the names and composition of each dicastery, and enumerating the competencies of each ]. It replaced the previous special law, ''Regimini Ecclesiæ universæ'', which was promulgated by Paul VI in 1967.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/is-pope-francis-about-to-rip-up-the-vatican-constitution-12-things-to-know/ |title=Akin, Jimmy. "Is Pope Francis about to "rip up" the Vatican constitution? 12 things to know and share", ''National Catholic Register'', 2 October 2013 |access-date=18 March 2016 |archive-date=8 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408222800/http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/is-pope-francis-about-to-rip-up-the-vatican-constitution-12-things-to-know/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' ==
{{More sources needed section|date=October 2022}}
{{Main|Catechism of the Catholic Church}}
On 11 October 1992, in his apostolic constitution '']'' (''The Deposit of Faith''), John Paul ordered the publication of the '']''.<ref>{{cite web |title=JOHN PAUL II, BISHOP SERVANT OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD FOR EVERLASTING MEMORY |url=https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19921011_fidei-depositum.html |website=The Holy See |access-date=September 7, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church |url=https://ourladyofhopegrafton.org/cathecism-of-the-catholic-church |website=Ourladyofhopegrafton.org |access-date=September 7, 2024}}</ref>

He declared the publication to be "a sure norm for teaching the faith … a sure and authentic reference text for teaching Catholic doctrine and particularly for preparing local catechisms". It was "meant to encourage and assist in the writing of new local catechisms " rather than replacing them.

== South American and Caribbean dictatorships ==
According to ], John Paul II's press secretary:

<blockquote>"The single fact of John Paul II's election in 1978 changed everything. In ], everything began. Not in ] or ]. Then the whole thing spread. Why in 1980 did they lead the way in ]? Why did they decide, now or never? Only because there was a Polish pope. He was in Chile and ] was out. He was in Haiti and ] was out. He was in the Philippines and ] was out. On many of those occasions, people would come here to the Vatican thanking the Holy Father for changing things."<ref>Jonathan Kwitny, ''Man of the Century: The Life and Times of Pope John Paul II'', p. 592, Henry Holt and Co. (1997), {{ISBN|978-0-8050-2688-7}}</ref></blockquote>

=== Chile ===
Before John Paul II's pilgrimage to Latin America, during a meeting with reporters, he criticised ]'s regime as "dictatorial". In the words of '']'', he used "unusually strong language" to criticise Pinochet and asserted to journalists that the ] must not only pray, but actively fight for the restoration of democracy in Chile.<ref> ''The New York Times'', 1 April 1987</ref>

During his visit to Chile in 1987, John Paul II asked Chile's 31 Catholic bishops to campaign for free elections in the country. According to ] and Cardinal ], he encouraged Pinochet to accept a democratic opening of the regime, and may even have called for his resignation.<ref>{{cite book|author=George Weigel |title=Biografía de Juan Pablo II—Testigo de Esperanza |language=es |trans-title=Biography of John Paul II—Witness to Hope |publisher=Editorial Plaza & Janés |year=2003 |isbn=978-84-01-01304-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/biografadejuanpa00geor |author-link=George Weigel }}; {{cite book|author=Heraldo Muñoz |title=The Dictator's Shadow: Life under Augusto Pinochet |page= |publisher=Basic Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-465-00250-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/dictatorsshadowl00muno_0/page/183 |author-link=Heraldo Muñoz }}</ref> According to Monsignor ], the ] of John Paul II's ] cause, John Paul's words to Pinochet had a profound impact on the Chilean dictator. The pope confided to a friend: "I received a letter from Pinochet in which he told me that as a Catholic he had listened to my words, he had accepted them, and he had decided to begin the process to change the leadership of his country."<ref>Slawomir Oder, ''Why He Is a Saint: The Life and Faith of Pope John Paul II and the Case for Canonisation'', p. 107–108, Rizzoli International Publications (2010), {{ISBN|978-0-8478-3631-4}}</ref>

During his visit to Chile, John Paul II supported the ], the church-led pro-democracy, anti-Pinochet organisation. John Paul II visited the Vicariate of Solidarity's offices, spoke with its workers, and "called upon them to continue their work, emphasizing that the Gospel consistently urges respect for human rights".<ref>Timmerman, Jacobo ''Chile: Death in the South'', p. 114, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1987 {{ISBN|978-0-517-02902-2}}</ref> While in Chile, John Paul II made gestures of public support of Chile's anti-Pinochet democratic opposition. For instance, he hugged and kissed ], a young student who had been nearly burned to death by Chilean police and told her that "We must pray for peace and justice in Chile."<ref> '']'', 4 April 1987</ref> Later, he met with several opposition groups, including those that had been declared illegal by Pinochet's government. The opposition praised John Paul II for denouncing Pinochet as a dictator, for many members of Chile's opposition were persecuted for much milder statements. Bishop ], one of the harshest critics of Pinochet's dictatorship within the Chilean Church, praised John Paul II's stance during the papal visit, saying: "I am quite moved, because our pastor supports us totally. Never again will anyone be able to say that we are interfering in politics when we defend human dignity." He added: "No country the Pope has visited has remained the same after his departure. The Pope's visit is a mission, an extraordinary social catechism, and his stay here will be a watershed in Chilean history."<ref> ''The New York Times'', 3 April 1987</ref>

Some have erroneously accused John Paul II of affirming Pinochet's regime by appearing with the Chilean ruler in public. Cardinal ], the organiser of John Paul II's visits, revealed that Pinochet tricked the pontiff by telling him he would take him to his living room, while in reality he took him to his balcony. Tucci says that the pontiff was "furious".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://wyborcza.pl/1,76842,7396637,Dlaczego_Jan_Pawel_II_wyszedl_z_Pinochetem_na_balkon.html |title=Dlaczego Jan Paweł II wyszedł z Pinochetem na balkon |language=pl |trans-title=Why John Paul II went to the balcony of Pinochet |newspaper=] |date=24 December 2009 |access-date=22 October 2014 |archive-date=23 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023063249/http://wyborcza.pl/1,76842,7396637,Dlaczego_Jan_Pawel_II_wyszedl_z_Pinochetem_na_balkon.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Haiti ===
John Paul II visited ] on 9 March 1983, when the country was ruled by ]. He bluntly criticised the poverty of the country, directly addressing Baby Doc and his wife, ] in front of a large crowd of Haitians:

<blockquote>"Yours is a beautiful country, rich in human resources, but Christians cannot be unaware of the injustice, the excessive inequality, the degradation of the quality of life, the misery, the hunger, the fear suffered by the majority of the people."<ref>Riccardo Orizio, ''Talk of the Devil: Encounters with Seven Dictators'', p. 131, Walker & Company (2003), {{ISBN|978-0-8027-1416-9}}</ref></blockquote>

John Paul II spoke in French and occasionally in ], and in the homily outlined the basic human rights that most Haitians lacked: "the opportunity to eat enough, to be cared for when ill, to find housing, to study, to overcome illiteracy, to find worthwhile and properly paid work; all that provides a truly human life for men and women, for young and old." Following John Paul II's pilgrimage, the Haitian opposition to Duvalier frequently reproduced and quoted the pope's message. Shortly before leaving Haiti, John Paul II called for social change in Haiti by saying: "Lift up your heads, be conscious of your dignity of men created in God's image...."<ref>James Ferguson, ''Papa Doc, Baby Doc: Haiti and the Duvaliers'', p. 75-77, Basil Blackwell (1987), {{ISBN|978-0-631-16579-8}}</ref>

John Paul II's visit inspired massive protests against the Duvalier dictatorship. In response to the visit, 860 Catholic priests and church workers signed a statement committing the church to work on behalf of the poor.<ref>Douglas Bond, Christopher Kruegler, Roger S. Powers, and William B. Vogele, ''Protest, Power, and Change: An Encyclopedia of Nonviolent Action from ACT-UP to Women's Suffrage'', p. 227, Routledge (1997), {{ISBN|978-0-8153-0913-0}}</ref> In 1986, Duvalier was deposed in an uprising.

=== Paraguay ===
The collapse of the dictatorship of General ] of Paraguay was linked, among other things, to John Paul II's visit to the South American country in May 1988.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/19/world/pope-ending-trip-urges-justice-in-paraguay.html|title = Pope, Ending Trip, Urges Justice in Paraguay|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 19 May 1988|last1 = Suro|first1 = Roberto}}</ref> Since Stroessner's taking power through a ], Paraguay's bishops increasingly criticised the regime for human rights abuses, rigged elections, and the country's feudal economy. During his private meeting with Stroessner, John Paul II told the dictator:

<blockquote>"Politics has a fundamental ethical dimension because it is first and foremost a service to man. The Church can and must remind men—and in particular those who govern—of their ethical duties for the good of the whole of society. The Church cannot be isolated inside its temples just as men's consciences cannot be isolated from God."<ref name="Willey">], ''God's Politician: Pope John Paul II, the Catholic Church, and the New World Order'', p. 227, St. Martin's Press (1992), {{ISBN|978-0-312-08798-2}}</ref></blockquote>

Later, during a Mass, John Paul II criticised the regime for impoverishing the peasants and the unemployed, saying that the government must give people greater access to the land. Although Stroessner tried to prevent him from doing so, John Paul II met opposition leaders in the one-party state.<ref name="Willey" />

== Role in the fall of Communism ==
{{Main|Holy See–Soviet Union relations}}
] meeting with Pope John Paul II during a visit to the ], 1982]]

===Role as spiritual inspiration and catalyst===
By the late 1970s, the ] had been predicted by some observers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bailey83221.livejournal.com/80804.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060502123923/http://bailey83221.livejournal.com/80804.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 May 2006|title=bailey83221: Anticipations of the Failure of Communism (Scholarly list of those who predicted fall|date=2 May 2006|access-date=24 February 2019}}</ref><ref>Daniel Patrick Moynihan, "Will Russia blow up?" Newsweek (19 November 1979): 144,147.</ref> John Paul II has been credited with being instrumental in bringing down Communism in Central and Eastern Europe,<ref name="Memory" /><ref name="Bottum" />{{sfn|Maxwell-Stuart|2006|p=234}}<ref name="CBCNews" /><ref name="Gorbachev" />{{sfn|Domínguez|2005}} by being the spiritual inspiration behind its downfall and catalyst for "a peaceful revolution" in Poland. ], the founder of ] and the first ] ], credited John Paul&nbsp;II with giving Poles the courage to demand change.<ref name="Memory" /> According to Wałęsa, "Before his pontificate, the world was divided into blocs. Nobody knew how to get rid of Communism. In ], in 1979, he simply said: 'Do not be afraid', and later prayed: 'Let your Spirit descend and change the image of the land ... this land'."{{sfn|Domínguez|2005}} It has also been widely alleged that the ] covertly funded Solidarity.<ref name="NYTimes" /><ref name="Salinger2005" />

In 1984, the ] saw opened diplomatic relations with the Vatican ]. In sharp contrast to the long history of strong domestic opposition, this time there was very little opposition from Congress, the courts, and Protestant groups.<ref>Andrew M. Essig, and Jennifer L. Moore. "US-Holy See Diplomacy: The Establishment of Formal Relations, 1984." ''Catholic Historical Review'' (2009) 95#4, pp. 741-764741-764. </ref> Relations between Reagan and John Paul II were close, especially because of their shared ] and keen interest in forcing the Soviets out of Poland.<ref>Gayte, Marie (2011). "The Vatican and the Reagan Administration: A Cold War Alliance?" ''Catholic Historical Review''. '''97''' (4): 713–736. {{JSTOR|23053064}}.</ref> Reagan's correspondence with the pope reveals "a continuous scurrying to shore up Vatican support for U.S. policies. Perhaps most surprisingly, the papers show that, as late as 1984, the pope did not believe the Communist Polish government could be changed."<ref name="nationalreview"/>

<blockquote>"No one can prove conclusively that he was a primary cause of the end of communism. However, the major figures on all sides—not just Lech Wałęsa, the Polish Solidarity leader, but also Solidarity's arch-opponent, General ]; not just the former American president ] but also the former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev—now agree that he was. I would argue the historical case in three steps: without the Polish Pope, no Solidarity revolution in Poland in 1980; without Solidarity, no dramatic change in Soviet policy towards eastern Europe under Gorbachev; without that change, no velvet revolutions in 1989."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/apr/04/catholicism.religion13?INTCMP=SRCH |title=The first world leader |newspaper=The Guardian |date=4 April 2005 |access-date=4 November 2013}}</ref></blockquote>

In December 1989, John Paul II met with the Soviet leader ] at the Vatican and each expressed his respect and admiration for the other. Gorbachev once said: "The collapse of the ] would have been impossible without John Paul II."<ref name="Bottum"/><ref name="CBCNews" /> On John Paul II's death, Gorbachev said: "Pope John Paul II's devotion to his followers is a remarkable example to all of us."<ref name="Gorbachev" />{{sfn|Domínguez|2005}}

] by US President ] in 2004]]

On 4 June 2004, U.S. president ] presented the ], the United States' highest civilian honour, to John Paul II during a ceremony at the ]. The president read the citation that accompanied the medal, which recognised "this son of Poland" whose "principled stand for peace and freedom has inspired millions and helped to topple communism and tyranny".<ref name="Associated Press">{{cite news |url=http://www.cjonline.com/stories/101303/pag_pope.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040404041319/http://www.cjonline.com/stories/101303/pag_pope.shtml |archive-date=4 April 2004 |title=Poles worried, proud of Pope John Paul II 10/13/03 |agency=Associated Press |work=The Topeka Capital-Journal |date=3 April 2012 |access-date=28 January 2012}}</ref> After receiving the award, John Paul&nbsp;II said, "May the desire for freedom, peace, a more humane world symbolised by this medal inspire men and women of goodwill in every time and place."<ref name="vatican1" />

=== Communist attempt to compromise John Paul II ===
], ]]]

In 1983, Poland's Communist government unsuccessfully tried to humiliate John Paul II by falsely saying he had fathered an illegitimate child. Section D of ] (SB), the security service, had an action named "Triangolo" to carry out criminal operations against the ]; the operation encompassed all Polish hostile actions against the pope.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.canadafreepress.com/2006/axis101306.htm |title=Polish secret services played key part in criminal plot to kill John Paul II |newspaper=Canada Free Press |date=13 October 2006 |access-date=23 October 2014}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2019}} Captain Grzegorz Piotrowski, one of the murderers of beatified ], was the leader of section D. They drugged Irena Kinaszewska, the secretary of the Kraków-based weekly Catholic magazine '']'' where Wojtyła had worked, and unsuccessfully attempted to make her admit to having had sexual relations with him.<ref name=sbd>{{cite news |url=http://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/historia/aktualnosci/artykuly/439582,prowokacja-sluzby-bezpieczenstwa-plotki-o-dziecku-papieza.html |title=Nieślubne dziecko Jana Pawła II. Kulisy esbeckiej prowokacji |language=pl |trans-title=Illegitimate Child of John Paul II. A behind-the-scenes SB provocation |newspaper=] |date=4 October 2013 |access-date=23 October 2014}}</ref>

The SB then attempted to compromise Kraków priest Andrzej Bardecki, an editor of ''Tygodnik Powszechny'' and one of the closest friends of Cardinal Wojtyła before he became pope, by planting false memoirs in his dwelling; Piotrowski was exposed and the forgeries were found and destroyed before the SB could say to have discovered them.<ref name=sbd />

== Relations with other Christian denominations ==
John Paul&nbsp;II travelled extensively and met with believers from many divergent faiths. At the World ] for Peace, held in ] on 27 October 1986, more than 120 representatives of different religions and ] spent a day of fasting and prayer.<ref name="Pace preventiva" />

===Churches of the East===
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2022}}
Although the contact between the ] and many Christians of the East had never totally ceased, communion had been interrupted since ancient times. Again, the history of conflict in Central Europe was a complex part of John Paul II's personal cultural heritage which made him all the more determined to react so as to attempt to overcome abiding difficulties, given that relatively speaking the ] and the non-Catholic Eastern Churches are close in many points of faith.


==== Eastern Orthodox Church ==== ==== Eastern Orthodox Church ====
{{main|Pope John Paul II's relations with the Eastern Orthodox Church}} {{Main|Pope John Paul II's relations with the Eastern Orthodox Church}}
] in 2000]]
In May 1999, John Paul II visited ] on the invitation from Patriarch ] of the ]. This was the first time a pope had visited a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country since the ] in ]. On his arrival, the Patriarch and the President of Romania, ], greeted the Pope. The Patriarch stated, "The second millennium of Christian history began with a painful wounding of the unity of the Church; the end of this millennium has seen a real commitment to restoring Christian unity."
In May 1999, John Paul II visited Romania on the invitation from Patriarch ] of the ]. This was the first time a pope had visited a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country since the ] in 1054.<ref name="Teoctist" /> On his arrival, the Patriarch and the ], ], greeted the pope.<ref name="Teoctist" /> The Patriarch stated, "The second millennium of Christian history began with a painful wounding of the unity of the Church; the end of this millennium has seen a real commitment to restoring Christian unity."<ref name="Teoctist" />


On 23–27 June 2001, John Paul&nbsp;II visited Ukraine, another heavily Orthodox nation, at the invitation of the ] and bishops of the ].<ref name="Ukraine" /> The Pope spoke to leaders of the ], pleading for "open, tolerant and honest dialogue".<ref name="Ukraine" /> About 200 thousand people attended the liturgies celebrated by the Pope in ], and the liturgy in ] gathered nearly one and a half million faithful.<ref name="Ukraine" /> John Paul&nbsp;II said that an end to the ] was one of his fondest wishes.<ref name="Ukraine" /> Healing divisions between the Catholic and ] regarding Latin and ] traditions was clearly of great personal interest. For many years, John Paul II sought to facilitate dialogue and unity stating as early as 1988 in ''Euntes in mundum'', "Europe has two lungs, it will never breathe easily until it uses both of them."{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
John Paul II visited other heavily Orthodox areas such as ], despite lack of welcome at times, and he said that an end to the Schism was one of his fondest wishes.


During his 2001 travels, John Paul&nbsp;II became the first pope to visit Greece in 1291 years.<ref name="Macedonian" /><ref name="Associated" /> In ], the pope met with Archbishop ], the head of the ].<ref name="Macedonian" /> After a private 30-minute meeting, the two spoke publicly. Christodoulos read a list of "13 offences" of the Catholic Church against the Eastern Orthodox Church since the Great Schism,<ref name="Macedonian" /> including the ] by the ] in 1204, and bemoaned the lack of apology from the Catholic Church, saying "Until now, there has not been heard a single request for pardon" for the "maniacal crusaders of the 13th century".<ref name="Macedonian" />
The Pope had also said throughout his pontificate that one of his greatest dreams was to visit ], but this never occurred. He had made several attempts to solve the problems which arose over a period of centuries between the ] and ] churches, such as giving back the icon of ] in August 2004. However, the Russian Orthodox Church never expressed much enthusiasm, making statements to the effect of: "The question of the visit of the Pope in Russia is not connected by the journalists with the problems between the Churches, which are now unreal to solve, but with giving back one of many sacred things, which were illegally stolen from Russia." (]).


The pope responded by saying "For the occasions past and present, when sons and daughters of the Catholic Church have sinned by action or omission against their Orthodox brothers and sisters, may the Lord grant us forgiveness", to which Christodoulos immediately applauded. John Paul&nbsp;II said that the sacking of Constantinople was a source of "profound regret" for Catholics.<ref name="Macedonian" /> Later John Paul II and Christodoulos met on a spot where ] had once preached to Athenian Christians. They issued a common declaration saying, "We shall do everything in our power, so that the Christian roots of Europe and its Christian soul may be preserved.... We condemn all recourse to violence, ] and ], in the name of religion."<ref name="Macedonian" /> The two leaders then said the ] together, breaking an Orthodox taboo against praying with Catholics.<ref name="Macedonian" />
====Buddhism====
], the 14th ] and the spiritual leader of ], visited Pope John Paul II eight times, more than any other single dignitary. The Pope and the Dalai Lama often shared similar views and understood similar plights, both coming from peoples affected by ] and both being heads of religious bodies.


The pope had said throughout his pontificate that one of his greatest dreams was to visit Russia,<ref>{{cite news |title=The Distance Between the First and Third Rome |url=https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-distance-between-the-first-and-third-rome?barrier=accesspaylog |work=] |date=12 January 2001}}</ref> but this never occurred. He attempted to solve the problems that had arisen over centuries between the Catholic and ] churches, and in 2004 gave them a 1730 copy of the lost icon of ].{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
====Islam====
On ] ], Pope John Paul II became the first Catholic pope to enter and pray in an Islamic mosque. He visited ] in Damascus, Syria, where ] is believed to be interred, and gave a speech including the statement: "For all the times that Muslims and Christians have offended one another, we need to seek forgiveness from the Almighty and to offer each other forgiveness." He kissed the Quran in Syria , an act which made him popular amongst Muslims and largely unpopular amongst traditional Catholics.


==== Armenian Apostolic Church ====
In 2005, Pope John Paul II hosted the "Papal Concert of Reconciliation," which brought together leaders of ] with leaders of the ] community and of the ] at the ] for a concert by choirs from ], the ], the ], and ] with the ]. The event was conceived and conducted by Sir ], ] and was broadcast throughout the world.
John Paul II was determined to maintain good relations with the ], whose separation from the ] dated to Christian antiquity. In 1996, he brought the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church closer by agreeing with Armenian Archbishop ] on Christ's nature.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-apr-24-me-30550-story.html |title=Pope to Make First Visit to Armenia |newspaper=] |date=24 April 1999 |access-date=6 December 2014|agency=Associated Press }}</ref> During an audience in 2000, John Paul II and Karekin II, by then the ], issued a joint statement condemning the ]. Meanwhile, the pope gave Karekin the relics of St. ], the first head of the Armenian Church that had been kept in ], Italy, for 500 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atour.com/~aahgn/news/20001111b.html |title=Pope John Paul II Recognises Armenian Genocide |publisher=Atour.com |date=10 November 2000 |access-date=6 December 2014}}</ref> In September 2001, John Paul II went on a three-day pilgrimage to ] to take part in an ecumenical celebration with Karekin II in the newly consecrated ]. The two Church leaders signed a declaration remembering the victims of the Armenian genocide.<ref>George Weigel, ''The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II – The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy'', p. 283, Doubleday Religion (2010), {{ISBN|978-0-385-52480-3}}</ref>


===The Pope for youth=== ===Protestantism===
Like his successors after him, John Paul II took a large number of initiatives to promote friendly relations, practical humanitarian cooperation and theological dialogue with a range of ] bodies. Of these the first in importance had to be with ]ism, given that the contention with ] and his followers was the most significant historical split in Western Christianity.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
]
John Paul II had a special relationship also with Catholic youth and is known by some as The Pope for Youth. Before he was pope he used to camp and mountain hike with the youth. He still went mountain hiking when he was pope. He was a hero to many of them. Indeed, at gatherings, young Catholics, and conceivably non-Catholics, were often fond of chanting the phrase "JP Two, We Love You", and occasionally John Paul would reply "JP too, He Loves YOU!" He was particularly concerned with the education of young future Priests, and made many early visits to Roman seminaries, including to the ] in 1979.


==== Lutheranism ====
He established ] in 1984 with the intention of bringing young Catholics from all parts of the world together to celebrate their faith. These week-long meetings of youth occur every two or three years, attracting hundreds of thousands of young people, who go there to sing, party, have a good time and deepen their faith. Some of his most faithful youths gathered themselves in two organizations: "]" and "papagirls."
{{More citations needed section|date=October 2022}}
From 15 to 19 November 1980, John Paul II visited ]<ref name="Travels – Federal Republic of Germany 1980 – John Paul II – The Holy Father – The Holy See" /> on his first trip to a country with a large ] ] population. In ], he met with leaders of the ], and with representatives of other Christian denominations.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}


On 11 December 1983, John Paul II participated in an ecumenical service in the ],<ref name="Ökumenisches Treffen mit der evangelisch-lutherischen Gemeinde von Rom" /> the first papal visit ever to a Lutheran church. The visit took place 500 years after the birth of the German ], who was first an ] friar and subsequently a leading Protestant ].{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
===Apologies===
Over the later parts of his reign, John Paul II made several apologies to various peoples that had been wronged by some members of the Catholic Church through the years. Even before he became the Pope, he was a prominent supporter of initiatives like the ] from 1965. During his reign as a Pope, he publicly made apologies for over 100 of these wrongdoings, including:
*The legal process on the Italian scientist and philosopher ], himself a devout Catholic, around 1633 (] ]).
*Catholics' involvement with the ] (] ]).
*The Church Hierarchy's role in ] and the religious wars that followed the ] (May 1995, in the ]).
*The injustices committed against women, the violation of women's rights and for the historical denigration of women (] ], in a letter to "every woman").
*] during the ] (] ]).
*For the execution of ] in 1415 (] ] in ]). When John Paul II visited Prague in 1990s, he requested experts in this matter "to define with greater clarity the position held by Jan Hus among the Church's reformers, and acknowledged that "independently of the theological convictions he defended, Hus cannot be denied integrity in his personal life and commitment to the nation's moral education." It was another step in building a bridge between Catholics and Protestants.
*For the sins of some Catholics throughout the ages for violating "the rights of ethnic groups and peoples, and contempt for their cultures and religious traditions". (] ], during a public Mass of Pardons).
*For the sins of the ] in 1204. (] ], to the ]).


In his apostolic pilgrimage to Norway, Iceland, Finland, Denmark and Sweden of June 1989,<ref name="vatican" /> John Paul II became the first pope to visit countries with Lutheran majorities. In addition to celebrating Mass with Catholic believers, he participated in ecumenical services at places that had been Catholic shrines before the Reformation: ] in Norway; near St. Olav's Church at ] in Iceland; ] in Finland; ] in Denmark; and ] in Sweden.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
=== Social and political stances ===
John Paul II was considered a conservative on ] and issues relating to reproduction and the ] of women. No pope, however, has strayed from the Catholic Church's unbroken moral teachings on artificial contraception and the ordination of women.


On 31 October 1999, (the 482nd anniversary of ], Martin Luther's posting of the ]), representatives of the ]'s ] and the ] signed a ], as a gesture of unity. The signing was a fruit of a theological dialogue that had been going on between the Lutheran World Federation and the ] since 1965.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
A series of 129 lectures given by John Paul during his Wednesday audiences in Rome between September 1979 and November 1984 were later compiled and published as a single work entitled "]," an extended meditation on the nature of ]. He also extended it to condemnation of abortion, ] and virtually all uses of capital punishment, calling them all a part of the "]" that is pervasive in the modern world. He campaigned for world ] and ].


==== Relations with dictatorships ==== ==== Anglicanism ====
John Paul&nbsp;II had good relations with the ], as also with other parts of the ]. He was the first reigning pope to travel to the United Kingdom, in 1982, where he met Queen ], the ]. He preached in ] and received ], the ]. He said that he was disappointed by the Church of England's decision to ] and saw it as a step away from unity between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church.<ref name="Kirby" />
] ("Fighting Solidarity") - underground ] organization in Poland (est. 1982). Used not for letters, but as shares sold to financially support the organization.]]
In 1984 and 1986, through the voice of ], leader of the ], John Paul II officially condemned the ] which had many followers in South America. ]'s attempt, during his visit to Europe, to obtain a Vatican condemnation of ]'s regime, denounced for violations of human rights and its support of ], was a failure. In his travel to Managua, ] in 1983, John Paul II harshly condemned what he dubbed the "popular Church" (i.e. "]" (CEBs) supported by the ]), and the Nicaraguan clergy's tendencies to support the leftist ], reminding the clergy of their duties of obedience to the ].


In 1980, John Paul II issued a ] allowing married former Episcopal priests to become Catholic priests, and for the acceptance of former ] parishes into the Catholic Church. He allowed the creation of a form of the ], known informally by some as the ], which incorporates selected elements of the Anglican ] that are compatible with Catholic doctrine. He permitted Archbishop ] of ], Texas, to establish ], together as the inaugural parish for the use of this hybrid liturgy.<ref name="Atonement" />
John Paul II was criticized for visiting ] in ]. He invited him to restore democracy, but, critics claim, not in as firm terms as the ones he used against communist countries. John Paul also allegedly endorsed ], who critics say supported the "]" in Argentina and was on friendly terms with the Argentinean generals of the military dictatorship, allegedly playing regular tennis matches with general ]. However, the Pope has been linked to the fall of ]'s dictatorship in ]. He was also critical of the ] government and the ] running the church and appointing bishops without the consent of the Holy See, and maintained strong ties with underground Catholic groups.


== Relations with Judaism ==
The pope, who began his papacy when the ] controlled his native country of Poland, as well as the rest of ], was a harsh critic of ], and supported the Polish ] movement. Soviet leader ] once said the collapse of the ] would have been impossible without John Paul II.<ref>Ryan Chilcote, "," ''CNN'', ] ] (accessed ] ]).</ref>
{{Main|Pope John Paul II and Judaism}}
] improved dramatically during the pontificate of John Paul II.<ref name="Memory" /><ref name="ADL2006" /> He spoke frequently about the Catholic Church's relationship with the Jewish faith.<ref name="Memory" /> It is likely that his attitude was shaped in part by his own experience of the terrible fate of the Jews in Poland and the rest of Central Europe in the 1930s and 1940s.


In 1979, John Paul II visited the ] in Poland, where many of his compatriots (mostly ]) had perished during the German occupation there in World War II, the first pope to do so. In 1998, he issued '']'', which outlined his thinking on ].<ref name="Cassidy" /> He became the first pope known to have made an official papal visit to a synagogue, when he visited the ] on 13 April 1986.<ref name="AIJAC" /><ref name="www" />
In later years, after having harshly condemned ], John Paul II criticized some of the more extreme versions of ]. "Unfortunately, not everything the West proposes as a theoretical vision or as a concrete lifestyle reflects Gospel values." He saw in capitalism certain "viruses": secularism, indifferentism, hedonistic consumerism, practical materialism, and also formal ].


On 30 December 1993, John Paul&nbsp;II established formal diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the ], acknowledging its centrality in Jewish life and faith.<ref name="AIJAC" />
==== Jubilee 2000 campaign ====
In 2000 he publicly endorsed the ] campaign on ] ] fronted by Irish rock stars ] and ]. It was reported that during this period, ]'s recording sessions were repeatedly interrupted by phone calls from the Pope, wanting to discuss the campaign with Bono. {{fact|date=February 2008}}


On 7 April 1994, he hosted the '']''. It was the first-ever Vatican event dedicated to the memory of the six million Jews murdered in World War II. This concert, which was conceived and conducted by US conductor ], was attended by the Chief Rabbi of Rome ], the President of Italy ], and survivors of the Holocaust from around the world. The ], actor ] and cellist ] performed on this occasion under Levine's direction.<ref name="Shoah Speech" /><ref name="Timeline" /> On the morning of the concert, the pope received the attending members of survivor community in a special audience in the ].
==== Iraq war ====
In 2003 John Paul II also became a prominent critic of the ]. In his 2003 State of the World address the Pope declared his opposition to the invasion by stating, "No to war! War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity."<ref>John Paul II, "," Vatican, ] ] (accessed ] ]).</ref> He sent former ] ] to talk with ] ] to express opposition to the war. John Paul II said that it was up to the ] to solve the international conflict through ] and that a unilateral aggression is a crime against peace and a violation of ].


In March 2000, John Paul&nbsp;II visited ], the national Holocaust memorial in Israel, and later made history by touching one of the holiest sites in Judaism, the ] in Jerusalem,<ref name="ADL2006" /> placing a letter inside it (in which he prayed for forgiveness for the actions against Jews).<ref name="BBCIsrael" /><ref name="ADL2006" /><ref name="AIJAC" /> In part of his address he said: "I assure the Jewish people the Catholic Church ... is deeply saddened by the hatred, acts of persecution and displays of ] directed against the Jews by Christians at any time and in any place." He added that there were "no words strong enough to deplore the terrible tragedy of the Holocaust."<ref name="BBCIsrael" /><ref name="ADL2006" /> He added: "We are deeply saddened by the behaviour of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking your forgiveness we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant."<ref name="Online News" /> ] minister Rabbi ], who hosted the pope's visit, said he was "very moved" by the pope's gesture.<ref name="BBCIsrael" /><ref name="ADL2006" /> He said: "It was beyond history, beyond memory."<ref name="BBCIsrael" />
==== European Constitutional Treaty ====
In ] negotiations for a new ] in 2003 and 2004, the Vatican's representatives failed to secure any mention of Europe's "Christian heritage"&mdash;one of the Pope's cherished goals.


In October 2003, the ] (ADL) issued a statement congratulating John Paul II on entering the 25th year of his papacy. In January 2005, John Paul II became the first pope known to receive a ] from a rabbi, when Rabbis ], Barry Dov Schwartz, and Jack Bemporad visited the Pontiff at ] in the Apostolic Palace.<ref name="PTWF" />
==== Sexuality ====
{{See also|Homosexuality and Roman Catholicism|Theology of the Body}}
The pope asserted that persons with homosexual inclinations possess the same inherent dignity as everybody else, while taking a traditional position on sexuality, defending the Church's moral opposition to ]. In his last book, '']'', he referred to the "pressures" on the ] to permit "homosexual 'marriage'". In the book, as quoted by Reuters, he wrote: "It is legitimate and necessary to ask oneself if this is not perhaps part of a new ideology of evil, perhaps more insidious and hidden, which attempts to pit human rights against the family and against man."


Immediately after John Paul II's death, the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement that he had revolutionised Catholic-Jewish relations, saying that "more change for the better took place in his 27-year Papacy than in the nearly 2,000 years before."<ref name="ADL2" /> In another statement issued by the ], Director Colin Rubenstein said, "The Pope will be remembered for his inspiring spiritual leadership in the cause of freedom and humanity. He achieved far more in terms of ] with both the Jewish people and the State of Israel than any other figure in the history of the Catholic Church."<ref name="AIJAC" /> In April 1986, John Paul II said: "With Judaism, therefore, we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers, and in a certain way, it could be said that you are our ''elder'' brothers."<ref name="Quotes" />
The Pope also reaffirmed the Church's existing teaching on gender in relation to ], as the ], which he supervised, made clear that transsexuals could not serve in church positions.


In an interview with the ], ], chief rabbi of Poland, said that never in history did anyone do as much for Christian-Jewish dialogue as John Paul II, adding that many Jews had a greater respect for the late pope than for some rabbis. Schudrich praised John Paul II for condemning anti-Semitism as a sin, which no previous pope had done.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.fakt.pl/zydzi-szanowali-JPII-bardziej-niz-rabinow,artykuly,101875,1.html |title=Żydzi szanowali JPII bardziej niż rabinów |language=pl |trans-title=Jews respect John Paul II more than the rabbis |date=21 April 2011 |publisher=Fakt |access-date=22 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109084810/http://www.fakt.pl/zydzi-szanowali-JPII-bardziej-niz-rabinow%2Cartykuly%2C101875%2C1.html |archive-date=9 November 2014 }}</ref>
==== Theory of evolution and the interpretation of Genesis ====
:''See also: ].''


On John Paul II's beatification, the Chief Rabbi of Rome ] said in an interview with the Vatican newspaper '']'' that "John Paul II was revolutionary because he tore down a thousand-year wall of Catholic distrust of the Jewish world." Meanwhile, ], the former Chief Rabbi of Rome, said that:
In an ] ] address to the ], Pope John Paul II reaffirmed the Church's openness to the theory of evolution:


<blockquote>"Remembrance of the Pope Karol Wojtyła will remain strong in the collective Jewish memory because of his appeals to fraternity and the spirit of tolerance, which excludes all violence. In the stormy history of relations between Roman popes and Jews in the ghetto in which they were closed for over three centuries in humiliating circumstances, John Paul II is a bright figure in his uniqueness. In relations between our two great religions in the new century that was stained with bloody wars and the plague of racism, the heritage of John Paul II remains one of the few spiritual islands guaranteeing survival and human progress."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://swiat.newsweek.pl/zydzi--wyrazili-radosc--z-powodu-beatyfikacji-jana-pawla-ii,76146,1,1.html |title=Żydzi 'wyrazili radość' z powodu beatyfikacji Jana Pawła II |language=pl |trans-title=Jews "expressed joy" because of the beatification of John Paul II |date=5 April 2011 |publisher=Fakt |access-date=8 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005133557/http://swiat.newsweek.pl/zydzi--wyrazili-radosc--z-powodu-beatyfikacji-jana-pawla-ii,76146,1,1.html |archive-date=5 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref></blockquote>
:"In his encyclical ] (1950), my predecessor Pius XII has already affirmed that there is no conflict between evolution and the doctrine of the faith regarding man and his vocation, provided that we do not lose sight of certain fixed points....Today, more than a half-century after the appearance of that encyclical, some new findings lead us toward the recognition of evolution as more than an hypothesis. In fact it is remarkable that this theory has had progressively greater influence on the spirit of researchers, following a series of discoveries in different scholarly disciplines. The convergence in the results of these independent studies -- which was neither planned nor sought -- constitutes in itself a significant argument in favor of the theory." (John Paul II, )


== Relations with other world religions ==
In the same address, the Pope rejected any theory of evolution that provides a materialistic explanation for the human ]:


=== Animism ===
:"Theories of evolution which, because of the philosophies which inspire them, regard the spirit either as emerging from the forces of living matter, or as a simple epiphenomenon of that matter, are incompatible with the truth about man."
In his book-length interview '']'' with the Italian journalist ] published in 1995, John Paul II draws parallels between ] and Christianity. He wrote:


<blockquote>"...&nbsp;it would be helpful to recall ... the animist religions which stress ancestor worship. It seems that those who practise them are particularly close to Christianity, and among them, the Church's missionaries also find it easier to speak a common language. Is there, perhaps, in this veneration of ancestors a kind of preparation for the Christian faith in the Communion of Saints, in which all believers—whether living or dead—form a single community, a single body? ... There is nothing strange, then, that the African and Asian animists would become believers in Christ more easily than followers of the great religions of the Far East."<ref>John Paul II. ''Crossing the Threshold of Hope'', p. 82, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1994 {{ISBN|978-0-307-76457-7}}</ref></blockquote>
John Paul II also wrote to the ''Pontifical Academy of Sciences'' on the subject of cosmology and how to interpret Genesis:


In 1985, the pope visited the African country of ], where 60 per cent of the population espouses animist beliefs. To honour the pope, animist religious leaders met him at a Catholic Marian shrine in the forest, much to the pontiff's delight. John Paul II proceeded to call for the need for religious tolerance, praised nature, and emphasised common elements between animism and Christianity, saying:
:"] and cosmology have always aroused great interest among peoples and religions. The Bible itself speaks to us of the origin of the universe and its make-up, not in order to provide us with a scientific treatise, but in order to state the correct relationships of man with God and with the universe. Sacred Scripture wishes simply to declare that the world was created by God, and in order to teach this truth it expresses itself in the terms of the cosmology in use at the time of the writer. The Sacred Book likewise wishes to tell men that the world was not created as the seat of the gods, as was taught by other cosmogonies and cosmologies, but was rather created for the service of man and the glory of God. Any other teaching about the origin and make-up of the universe is alien to the intentions of the Bible, which does not wish to teach how heaven was made but how one goes to heaven." (Pope John Paul II, ] ] to the Pontifical Academy of Science, )


<blockquote>"Nature, exuberant and splendid in this area of forests and lakes, impregnates spirits and hearts with its mystery and orients them spontaneously toward the mystery of He who is the author of life. It is this religious sentiment that animates you and one can say that animates all of your compatriots."<ref> ''The New York Times'', 10 August 1985</ref></blockquote>
===Syro-Malankara Catholic Church===
On February 10, 2005, Pope John Paul II elevated the ] to a Major Archdiocese, elevating the Archbishop to Major Archbishop (called Catholicos by ]). As a major archiepiscopal church, the Syro-Malankaras are granted the greatest level of self-government (autonomy) under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, governed by the major archbishop and the general synod of all bishops of the church, subject to papal oversight.


During the investiture of President ] of ] as a titled ] ] on 20 December 2008, the reigning ], ], ], referred to John Paul II as a previous recipient of the same royal honour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theooni.org/soko.htm |title=His Imperial Majesty, Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse ll- The Ooni of Ife |publisher=Theooni.org |date=20 December 2008 |access-date=28 April 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303202401/http://theooni.org/soko.htm |archive-date=3 March 2013 }}</ref>
===Criticisms===
{{criticism-section}}
{{POV-section|date=January 2008}}


=== Buddhism ===
John Paul II was criticized from the left for his support of the ] prelature and the ] of its founder, ]. Escrivá's detractors call him an admirer of ] dictator ]. Other movements and religious organizations of the Church went decidedly under his wing (], the ], ], the ] Movement etc.) and he was accused repeatedly of waving a soft hand on them, especially in the case of Rev. ], founder of the ].<ref></ref>
Tenzin Gyatso, the ], visited John Paul&nbsp;II eight times. The two men held many similar views and understood similar plights, both coming from nations affected by Communism and both serving as heads of major religious bodies.<ref name="Dalai" /><ref name="Lama" /> As Archbishop of Kraków, long before the 14th Dalai Lama was a world-famous figure, Wojtyła held special Masses to pray for the Tibetan people's non-violent struggle for freedom from ].<ref>Levi, Mons. Virgilio and Christine Allison. ''John Paul II: A Tribute in Words and Pictures'', p. 165, William Morrow, 1999 {{ISBN|978-0-688-16621-2}}</ref> In 1987, he welcomed participants of the ''East-West Spiritual Exchanges'', an initiative by the ] (DIMMID) and the Institute for Zen Studies in which Buddhist and Christian monks or nuns take turns residing for one month in each other's monasteries.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=de Béthune |first1=Pierre-François |title=Bethune Experience of Hospitality |journal=Dilatato Corde |date=2022 |volume=XII |issue=2 July - December |url=https://dimmid.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={2184B240-66D1-41C6-B233-21976A735E16}&DE= |access-date=16 February 2024 |publisher=DIMMID}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=To the participants in the "East-West Spiritual Exchanges" (September 9, 1987) {{!}} John Paul II |url=https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/1987/september/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19870909_religiosi-zen.html |website=www.vatican.va |publisher=Libreria Editrice Vaticana |access-date=16 February 2024}}</ref> During his 1995 visit to ], a country where a majority of the population adheres to ], John Paul II expressed his admiration for Buddhism. He said:


<blockquote>"In particular I express my highest regard for the followers of Buddhism, the majority religion in Sri Lanka, with its ... four great values of … loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity; with its ten transcendental virtues and the joys of the ] expressed so beautifully in the Theragathas. I ardently hope that my visit will serve to strengthen the goodwill between us, and that it will reassure everyone of the Catholic Church's desire for interreligious dialogue and cooperation in building a more just and fraternal world. To everyone I extend the hand of friendship, recalling the splendid words of the ]: 'Better than a thousand useless words is one single word that gives peace' ... ."<ref>{{cite web |url = http://old.usccb.org/comm/archives/1997/97-071a.shtml |title = Text of Bishop Brunett's Greetings |author = Brunett, Mons. Alex |publisher = ] Office of Media Relations |access-date = 30 October 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130416054156/http://old.usccb.org/comm/archives/1997/97-071a.shtml |archive-date = 16 April 2013 |df = dmy-all }}</ref></blockquote>
John Paul II's steadfast defense of traditional moral teachings of the Catholic Church regarding ], ], ] and artificial ] came under attack, often from the ]. Some ] criticized his traditional positions on the roles of women, which included rejecting ]. Many gay-rights activists criticized him for upholding the Church's unbroken moral opposition to homosexual acts and its modern-day application to the concept of ]. Critics have also claimed that large families are caused by lack of contraception and exacerbate ] poverty and problems such as ] in ]. In 2007, ] reported that the manner of John Paul II's death may have contravened his own position on using medical means to prolong life.<ref>''TIME'', , retrieved ]</ref>


=== Islam ===
In addition to all the criticism from those demanding modernization, ]s sometimes denounced him from the right, demanding a return to the ] and repudiation of the reforms instituted after the ], such as the use of the vernacular language in the formerly Latin rite Mass, ecumenism, and the principle of religious liberty. He was also accused by these critics for allowing and appointing liberal bishops in their sees and thus silently promoting ], which was firmly condemned as the ''"synthesis of all heresies"'' by his predecessor ]. In 1988, the controversial traditionalist Archbishop ], founder of the ] (1970), was ] under John Paul II because of the unapproved ordination of four bishops, which was called by the ] a "schismatic act". The International Peace Prayer Conference John Paul II held in ], ], in 1986 was heavily criticized as giving the impression that syncretism and/or indifferentism were openly embraced by the papal magisterium. When the second instance the Conference was held, in 2002, it was condemned as confusing the laity and compromising to ''"false religions"''. Likewise criticized were his kissing of the ] in ], ], on one of his travels on ] ] - (). His call for religious freedom was not always supported; bishops like ] promoted religious tolerance, but at the same time rejected the Vatican II principle of religious liberty as being liberalist and already condemned by Pope ] in his ] (1864) and at the ].
], Damascus.]]
John Paul&nbsp;II made considerable efforts to improve relations between Catholicism and Islam.<ref name="Crossing the Threshold of Hope" />


He officially supported the project of the ] and participated in the inauguration in 1995.
<!-- Please note that the following section does NOT violate NPOV policy. NPOV means "neutral point of view", not "no points of view". The language in the following paragraph is either directly from or a paraphrase of the source cited. From ]: "It should... not be asserted that the most popular view... is the correct one." Please DO NOT edit this section without discussion and consensus on the talk page first. -->
John Paul II took an absolutist position against artificial birth control, including the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV.<ref>, Deitsche Welle</ref> This position was harshly criticized by doctors and AIDS activists, who said that it led to countless deaths and millions of AIDS orphans.<ref>, International Herald Tribune</ref> It also led to an unusually public debate among senior figures in the Church. The ] published a paper stating, "Any strategy that enables a person to move from a higher-risk towards the lower end of the continuum, believe, is a valid risk reduction strategy."<ref>, Washington Post</ref>


On 14 May 1999, at a meeting with Muslim leaders in Syria, he was gifted and then promptly kissed a ], an act that was controversial with some Catholics.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Marshall |first=Taylor |title=Infiltration: The Plot To Destroy The Church |publisher=Sophia Institute Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-622828-470 |pages=178}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Theologian: John Paul II wanted to show respect by kissing the Koran |url=https://english.katholisch.de/artikel/53269-theologian-john-paul-ii-wanted-to-show-respect-by-kissing-the-koran |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=english.katholisch.de |language=de}}</ref>
John Paul II was also criticized for failing to respond quickly enough to the ], and for ] power back to the Vatican following what some viewed as a ] by ]. As such he was regarded by some as a strict ]. Conversely, he was also criticized for spending far too much time preparing for and undertaking foreign travel. The frequency of his trips, it was said, not only undermined the "specialness" of papal visits, but took him away from important business at the Vatican and allowed the Church, administratively speaking, to drift.


On 6 May 2001, he became the first Catholic pope to enter and pray in a mosque, namely the ] in ], Syria. Respectfully removing his shoes, he entered the former ] Christian church dedicated to ], who is also revered as a ]. He gave a speech including the statement: "For all the times that Muslims and Christians have offended one another, we need to seek forgiveness from the Almighty and to offer each other forgiveness."<ref name="Mosque" />
There was strong criticism of the pope for the controversy surrounding the alleged use of charitable social programs as a means of converting people in the ] to Catholicism.<ref></ref><ref></ref> The Pope created an uproar in the Indian subcontinent when he suggested that a great harvest of faith would be witnessed on the subcontinent in the third Christian millennium.<ref></ref>


In 2004, John Paul&nbsp;II hosted the "]", which brought together leaders of Islam with leaders of the Jewish community and of the Catholic Church at the Vatican for a concert by the Kraków Philharmonic Choir from Poland, the ] from the United Kingdom, the ] from the United States, and the Ankara State Polyphonic Choir of Turkey.<ref name="WQED" /><ref name="Concert" /><ref name="Philharmonic" /><ref name="Gazette" /> The event was conceived and conducted by ], ] and was broadcast throughout the world.<ref name="WQED" /><ref name="Concert" /><ref name="Philharmonic" /><ref name="Gazette" />
==Other facts==
<!-- Commented out because image was deleted: ] ].]] -->
*John Paul II's apostolic motto was ''Totus Tuus'' ("totally yours"); and according to his '']'' he borrowed the motto from the ] consecrating prayer as found in "True Devotion to Mary" by ]. The complete text of the prayer in Latin is: "Tuus totus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt" ("I am all Yours, and all that I have belongs to You"). Furthermore, he singled out Saint ] as a key example of Marian spirituality in his ''Redemptoris Mater'' encyclical, and in an address to the Montfortian Fathers said that reading one of ]'s books had been a "decisive turning point" in his life.<ref>] on Saint ] http://www.catholicregister.org/content/view/1402/857/</ref><ref>]'s encyclical ''Redemptoris Mater'' http://www.cin.org/jp2ency/jp2mot.html</ref>
*John Paul II was the first Pope to have a letter (the letter 'M' for Mary) in his coat of arms.
*A new form of the ], called the '']'' which calls for more meditation was introduced by Pope John Paul II on Good Friday 1991. He celebrated that thereafter at the ]<ref>Joseph M Champlin, ''The Stations of the Cross With Pope John Paul II'' Liguori Publications, 1994, ISBN 0892436794</ref><ref>Vatican Description of the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum: http://www.pcf.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20000421_via-crucis_en.html</ref>.
*According to a '']'' article of ] ], John Paul II personally performed three ]s during his tenure as pope. The first exorcism was performed on a woman in 1982. His second was in September 2000 when he performed the rite on a 19-year-old woman who had become enraged in ]. A year later, in September 2001, he performed an exorcism on a 20-year-old woman.
*The ] (]: KRK), in ], ], near ] where he served as Archbishop before being elected Pope, was named in his honor.
*In 2004 he received an extraordinary ] of the city of ], ].
*The ] visited Pope John Paul II at the ] in November of 2000 and named the Pontiff an Honorary Harlem Globetrotter.
*The action-thriller novel, '']'' (2002) by ], detailed a fictional ] attempt to assassinate a newly elected Polish Pope, who, though only mentioned by the name "Karol", is obviously supposed to be John Paul II.
*On ] ], John Paul II released his debut CD "".
*John Paul II has been featured on at least seven popular albums in his native Poland. Most notably ] ]’s 2003 album, “Jan Pawel II -- Tryptyk Rzymski”, a ten-track collection of the Pope's poems set to music, reached No. 1.<ref>"," ''MSNBC News'', ] ] (accessed ] ]).</ref>
*In 2003, his death was ] by ] when his pre-written obituary (along with those of several other famous figures) was inadvertently published on CNN's web site due to a lapse in password protection.
*In 2004 John Paul II met members of the ]. It was at this time he told ] Goalkeeper ] that he was a keen fan of his and followed Liverpool whenever they played.
*John Paul II is considered as the "protector" of Fluminense Football Club among supporters of this traditional Brazilian football team.One of the team's most famous chants is "A Bênção, João de Deus" ("Bless us, John of God"), a song that was composed in honour of the pope John Paul II on his first visit to Brazil in 1980. The tradition is that Fluminense fans spontaneously started singing the famous song when the team was to decide the 1980 state championship on a penalty shootout against their arch-rivals Vasco da Gama. Fluminense won the championship.
*John Paul II is the eighth most ] person by U.S. citizens in the 20th century, according to ].
*John Paul II was an avid ] player in his youth and later became an honorary member of ], ], and ]. He was a ].
* His favorite football team had always been ], whose games he attented while living in Krakow,
* Polish ] driver ] drives in a helmet with the "Jan Pawel II" inscription,
*John Paul II sent the first papal e-mail in 2001.<ref>BBC, "", ] ]. Retrieved on ] ].</ref>
*Solar eclipses took place both on the day he was born and the day of his funeral.<ref> and on ].</ref>
*In 2004, ] made a special F1 car for the pope to celebrate his 26th anniversary as the pontiff.
*John Paul II is the only Pope that appears as a main character in his own comic book and animation feature.<ref></ref>
*John Paul II, when meeting ] and ] during their visit famously asked to try on Bono's trademark ], leading to one of the most enduring and personal images of his life.
*In 1988, when the Pope delivered a speech to the ], the leader of the ], ], shouted "I renounce you as the antichrist!" and held up a poster reading "POPE JOHN PAUL II ANTICHRIST". The Pope continued with his address after Paisley was ejected from the auditorium.<ref>{{cite news|last=MacDonald|first=Susan|title=Paisley ejected for insulting Pope|publisher=]|date=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Chrisafis|first=Angelique|title=The Return of Dr. No|publisher=]|date=] }}</ref><ref></ref><ref></ref>
{{main|Denunciation of Pope John Paul II by Ian Paisley}}
*A popular story in ] circles states that a certain Karol Wojtyła had published a chess problem in 1946. Although the young Wojtyła was indeed an accomplished chess player, the story of this publication appears to be a ] whose roots were uncovered by


John Paul&nbsp;II oversaw the publication of the ], which makes a special provision for Muslims; therein, it is written, "together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day."<ref name="Catechism" />
== Further reading ==
=== Books by John Paul II ===
In ]:
====Meditations and philosophy====
* ''] - Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium'', published by Rizzoli (] ]) ISBN 0-8478-2761-5, conversational presentation of John Paul II's views on many secular topics, such as evil, freedom, contemporary Europe, nationalism, and democracy. Included in the book is also a ] of the Pope's discussion on his assassination attempt in 1981.
* ''Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way'', Warner Books (] ]), ISBN 0-446-57781-2, mostly addressed to his bishops, although it has been used as source of inspiration for others having knowledge of ].
* ''] (Meditation)'' - ] (]), in Italy published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana ISBN 88-209-7451-7
* ''Pope John Paul II - In My Own Words'', Gramercy (] ]) ISBN 0-517-22084-9, best-seller, a carefully selected compilation of words and prayers of John Paul II, compiled by ].
* ''Gift and Mystery - On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination'', Image (] ]) ISBN 0-385-49371-1, about being a priest.
* '']; Human Love In The Divine Plan'', Pauline Books and Media, 1997, ISBN 0-8198-7394-2, a compilation of weekly lectures from 1979 to 1984 to married couples about the deep meaning of human love and sexuality.
* '']'', Knopf (] ]), ISBN 0-679-76561-1, edited by ]. John Paul II expounds upon many of his teachings and ideas.
* ''The Way to Christ - Spiritual Exercises'', HarperSanFrancisco (] ]) ISBN 0-06-064216-5, conversational presentation of two retreats Karol Wojtyła gave 10 years apart before becoming pope. In that time he served in Kraków as bishop and cardinal.
* ''Person and Act'', by Karol Wojtyła; before his papacy, (] ]). In depth phenomenological work tied to ] Ethics; the title is sometimes mistranslated into English as ''The Acting Person'', (2002), ISBN 90-277-0985-8.
* ''Love and Responsibility'', by Karol Wojtyła before his papacy, Ignatius Press; Rev. edition (] ]) ISBN 0-89870-445-6, in depth philosophical analysis of human love and sexuality.
* ''Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body'' Pauline Books & Media, 2006. ISBN 0-8198-7421-3, a new translation in English created from the newly-discovered original Polish work written by John Paul II
*(Promulgated by Pope John Paul II), ''Catecismo de la Iglesia Catolica'', ], 2006. ISBN 978-0385-51650-1


====Plays by John Paul II==== === Jainism ===
In 1995, John Paul II held a meeting with 21 ], organised by the ]. He praised ] for his "unshakeable faith in God", assured the Jains that the Catholic Church will continue to engage in dialogue with their religion and spoke of the common need to aid the poor. The Jain leaders were impressed with the pope's "transparency and simplicity", and the meeting received much attention in the ] state in western India, home to many Jains.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ucanews.com/story-archive/?post_name=/1995/04/20/pope-impresses-jain-team-with-personal-warmth-encourages-more-dialogue&post_id=47157 |title=Pope Impresses Jain Team with Personal Warmth, Encourages More Dialogue |publisher=Ucanews.com |date=20 April 1995 |access-date=6 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213182603/http://www.ucanews.com/story-archive/?post_name=%2F1995%2F04%2F20%2Fpope-impresses-jain-team-with-personal-warmth-encourages-more-dialogue&post_id=47157 |archive-date=13 December 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* ''David'' - according to Pope John Paul II’s translator Boleslaw Taborski, no copy has been found.<ref>, ''New York Post'', ] ] (accessed ] ]).</</ref>
* ''Job''
* ''Jeremiah''
* '']'', Ave Maria Press (September 1995) ISBN 0-87793-870-9, play written by Karol Wojtyła in Poland during ] at a time when ] were suppressing ] (1944).
* ''The Jeweller's Shop: A Meditation on the Sacrament of Matrimony, Passing on Occasion into a Drama'', Arrow, (] ]) ISBN 0-09-140861-X.


== {{anchor|Assassination}}<!-- ] hatnote links here--> Assassination attempts and plots ==
Both of these plays were filmed:
{{Main|Attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II|Juan María Fernández y Krohn|Bojinka Plot}}
*''Our God's brother'' (in Polish: ''Brat naszego Boga''), 123 min, 1997, color, directed by ]. .
] by ] in St. Peter's Square, 13 May 1981]]
*''La Bottega dell'orefice'' (English: ''The Jeweller's Shop''), 88 min (Canada)/95 min (USA), 1988, color, directed by ]. .


As he entered ] to address an audience on 13 May 1981,<ref>{{cite news |title=1981 Year in Review: Pope John Paul II Assassination (sic) Attempt |url=http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1981/Pope-John-Paul-II-Assasination-Attempt/12311754163167-6/ |publisher=United Press International (UPI) |year=1981}}</ref> John Paul II was shot and ] by ],<ref name="A&E" />{{sfn|Maxwell-Stuart|2006|p=234}}{{sfn|Dziwisz|2001}} an expert Turkish gunman who was a member of the militant fascist group ].<ref name="SanFrancisco" /> The assassin used a ],<ref name="upi2" /> shooting the pope in the abdomen and perforating his ] and ] multiple times.<ref name="Bottum" /> John Paul II was rushed into the Vatican complex and then to the ]. On the way to the hospital, he lost consciousness. Even though the two bullets missed his ] and ], he lost nearly three-quarters of his blood. He underwent five hours of surgery to treat his wounds.{{sfn|Time Magazine 1982-01-25|p=1}} Surgeons performed a ], temporarily rerouting the upper part of the ] to let the damaged lower part heal.{{sfn|Time Magazine 1982-01-25|p=1}} When he briefly regained consciousness before being operated on, he instructed the doctors not to remove his ] during the operation.<ref name="scapolare" /> One of the few people allowed in to see him at the Gemelli Clinic was one of his closest friends, philosopher ], who arrived on Saturday 16 May and kept him company while he recovered from emergency surgery.<ref name="Telegraph 2016"> by Edward Stourton, 15 February 2016, ''The Telegraph''</ref> The pope later stated that the ] helped keep him alive throughout his ordeal.{{sfn|Maxwell-Stuart|2006|p=234}}{{sfn|Dziwisz|2001}}{{sfn|Bertone|2000–2009}} He said:
====Poetry by John Paul II====
* ''Roman Triptych. Meditations'', Libreria Editrice Vaticana, (]) March 2003), ISBN 88-209-7451-7
* ''The Poetry of Pope John Paul II'', USCCB (] ]) ISBN 1-57455-556-1, poems written in the summer of 2002.
* ''The Place Within: The Poetry of Pope John Paul II'', Random House; 1st edition (] ]) ISBN 0-679-76064-4, lyrical poetry
]n ambassador ] in September 2002.]]


<blockquote>"Could I forget that the event in St. Peter's Square took place on the day and at the hour when the first appearance of the Mother of Christ to the poor little peasants has been remembered for over sixty years at ]? For in everything that happened to me on that very day, I felt that extraordinary motherly protection and care, which turned out to be stronger than the deadly bullet."{{sfn|Pope John Paul II|2005|p=184}}</blockquote>
===Biographies of Pope John Paul II===
* ''Witness to Hope'', ], HarperCollins (1999, 2001) ISBN 0-06-018793-X.
* ''Man of the Century: The Life and Times of Pope John Paul II'', ], Henry Holt and Company, 1997.
* ''His Holiness: John Paul II and the History of Our Time, ] and ], Doubleday, 1996.
* ''Pope John Paul II: The Biography'', Tad Szulc, Scribner, 1995.
* ''Universal Father'', Garry O'Connor, Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2005, ISBN 91-37-12870-1
* ''John Paul II: An Illustrated Biography'', ], Kluszczynski, Kraków, 2005
* ''Let Me Go to the Father's House: John Paul II's Strength in Weakness'', ], Pauline Books & Media, 2006. ISBN 0-8198-4522-1
* ''The Hidden Pope'', Dacry O'Brien, Daybreak Books (1998) ISBN 0-87596-478-8


Ağca was caught and restrained by a nun and other bystanders until police arrived. He was sentenced to ]. Two days after Christmas in 1983, John Paul II visited Ağca in prison. John Paul II and Ağca spoke privately for about twenty minutes.{{sfn|Maxwell-Stuart|2006|p=234}}{{sfn|Dziwisz|2001}} John Paul II said, "What we talked about will have to remain a secret between him and me. I spoke to him as a brother whom I have pardoned and who has my complete trust."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Morrow |first=Lance |date=19 January 1984 |title=Pope John Paul II Forgives His Would-Be Assassin |magazine=Time |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,952295-3,00.html |access-date=4 January 2023 |issn=0040-781X}}</ref>
===Literature about his thought===
* Buttiglione, Rocco, ''Karol Wojtyla: The Thought of the Man Who Became Pope John Paul II'', Grand Rapids, Mich. & Cambridge, UK, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997. ISBN 0802838480
* ], ''The Phenomenology of Karol Wojtyla. On the Problem of the Phenomenological Foundation of Anthropology'', in: Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Vol. 42 (1982), pp. 326-334
* ], (Saint Joseph College, USA, 2006)
* Simpson, Peter, ''On Karol Wojtyła'', Belmont, CA, Wadsworth Publishing, 2000. ISBN 053458375X


Numerous other theories were advanced to explain the assassination attempt, some of them controversial. One such theory, advanced by ] and heavily pushed by the United States ] at the time of the assassination but never substantiated by evidence, was that the Soviet Union was behind the attempt on John Paul II's life in retaliation for the pope's support of Solidarity, the Catholic, pro-democratic Polish workers' movement.<ref name="SanFrancisco" /><ref name="ItalianPanel" /> This theory was supported by the 2006 ], set up by ] and headed by {{lang|it|]}} senator ], which alleged that Communist ] were utilised to prevent the Soviet Union's role from being uncovered, and concluded that ], not the ], were responsible.<ref name="ItalianPanel" /> Russian ] spokesman Boris Labusov called the accusation "absurd".<ref name="ItalianPanel" /> The pope declared during a May 2002 visit to Bulgaria that the country's Soviet-bloc-era leadership had nothing to do with the ].<ref name="SanFrancisco" /><ref name="ItalianPanel" /> However, his secretary, Cardinal ], alleged in his book ''A Life with Karol'', that the pope was convinced privately that the former Soviet Union was behind the attack.<ref name="Retire2" /> It was later discovered that many of John Paul II's aides had foreign-government attachments;<ref name="Thomas2000" /> Bulgaria and Russia disputed the Italian commission's conclusions, pointing out that the pope had publicly denied the Bulgarian connection.<ref name="ItalianPanel" />
== Films about Pope John Paul II ==
* "]", directed by ], starring ], ], ], ], ].
* "]", a documentary on John Paul's June 1987 visit to Poland.
* "]", directed by ].
* "]'' (1999) (TV), a documentary directed by ].
* '']'' (2004), a documentary by ].
* "]",<ref></ref> polish title: ''Karol. Człowiek, który został papieżem'', 2005, a documentary, directed by ], based upon the book ] by ].
* "]" (2005),<ref></ref> a two-hour movie based on the life of Pope John Paul, shot on location in ] and ], was broadcast on Thursday, ] ] (8:00-10:00 PM,ET/PT).
* "]" (2005),<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref> a new four-hour mini-series event based on the remarkable life of Pope John Paul II, shot on location in ], ] and in ], was broadcast Sunday, ] (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) and Wednesday, ] (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the ] Television Network. ] portrays Karol Wojtyła in his adult years prior to being elected ] on ] ], and ] winner and multiple ] winner ] portrays him during his extraordinary 26-year reign that ended with his death on ] ]. It was approved and blessed by the Pope Benedict XVI.
* "A Time Remembered - The Visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland" (2005), a film produced by Radio Telefís Éireann (]), the national broadcaster of Ireland, showing footage from the three day visit in 1979.
* "]" world debut was on Easter Sunday and Monday of 2006, and is the continuation of "]." It stars the same actors as the first mini-series.
* "The Life of Pope John Paul II", a 4 chapter series by NBC News
* "]" 60-minute cartoon available on multilingual DVD by Cavin Cooper Productions
* ''John Paul II, the Pope who made History'' - 5 DVD by Vatican Television Center (distr. by HDH Communications)
* ''John Paul II, this is my story'' - 1 DVD by Vatican Television Center (distr. by HDH Communications)
* ''John Paul II the Keys of the Kingdom'' - 1 DVD by Vatican Television Center (distr. by HDH Communications)


A second assassination attempt was made on 12 May 1982, just a day before the anniversary of the first attempt on his life, in ], when a man tried to stab John Paul II with a ].<ref name="Krohn" /><ref name="CBC2" /><ref name="Reuters3" /> He was stopped by security guards. Stanisław Dziwisz later said that John Paul II had been injured during the attempt but managed to hide a non-life-threatening wound.<ref name="Krohn" /><ref name="CBC2" /><ref name="Reuters3" /> The assailant, a ] Spanish priest named ],<ref name="Krohn" /> had been ordained as a priest by Archbishop ] of the ] and was opposed to the changes made by the ], saying that the pope was an agent of Communist Moscow and of the Marxist ].{{sfn|Hebblethwaite|1995|p=95}} Fernández y Krohn subsequently left the priesthood and served three years of a six-year sentence.<ref name="CBC2" /><ref name="Reuters3" />{{sfn|Hebblethwaite|1995|p=95}} The ex-priest was treated for ] and then expelled from Portugal to become a solicitor in Belgium.{{sfn|Hebblethwaite|1995|p=95}}
== Honors and namesakes ==
{{Seealso|List of places named for Pope John Paul II}}


The ]-funded ] planned to kill John Paul II during a visit to the Philippines during World Youth Day 1995 celebrations. On 15 January 1995 a ] was planning to dress as a priest and detonate a bomb when the pope passed in his ] on his way to the ] in ]. The assassination was supposed to divert attention from the next phase of the operation. However, a chemical fire inadvertently started by the cell alerted police to their whereabouts, and all were arrested a week before the pope's visit, and confessed to the plot.<ref name="ThePlot" />
]
The Pontiff was celebrated during his lifetime and later posthumously with several honors and as the namesake of several places and institutions. Such places often bear the name ''John Paul II'' but newer institutions are using the name ''John Paul the Great''.


In 2009 ], a journalist and former army intelligence officer, published ''Spies in the Vatican: The Soviet Union's Cold War Against the Catholic Church''.<ref name="Koehler2011" /> Mining mostly East German and Polish secret police archives, Koehler claimed the assassination attempts were "KGB-backed".<ref>''Publishers Weekly'', review of 'Spies in the Vatican', 11 May 2009</ref>
Educational and cultural centers named in honor of the Pope include the ] whose largest campuses are located at the ] in Rome, Italy and ] in Washington, DC. Affiliated campuses are found in Australia, Benin, Brazil, India, Mexico and Spain. There is also a ] in the United States capital.


== Apologies ==
] is a rededicated degree-granting institution in ], ].<ref></ref> Several John Paul II Catholic Centers may be found on college and university campuses around the world, usually serving students and staff as Roman Catholic chapels.<ref></ref> Several elementary and secondary schools also use the name ''John Paul II'' or ''John Paul the Great'', like John Paul the Great Catholic High School in ],<ref></ref> administered by the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia or "Nashville Dominicans."
{{Main|Apologies by Pope John Paul II}}
John Paul II apologised to many groups that had suffered at the hands of the Catholic Church through the years.<ref name="Memory" />{{sfn|Pope John Paul II|2005|p=1}} Before becoming pope he had been a prominent editor and supporter of initiatives such as the ] from 1965. As pope, he officially made public apologies for over 100 wrongdoings, including:<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/mar/13/catholicism.religion |title=Pope says sorry for sins of church |newspaper=The Guardian |date=13 March 2000 | access-date=22 October 2014 |author=Caroll, Rory |location=London}}</ref><ref name="BBC News 1">{{cite news | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/pope/johnpaulii_1.shtml | title= Pope issues apology |work=BBC News | access-date=14 January 2013 | author=BBC News}}</ref><ref name="BBC News 2">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/674246.stm | title= Pope apologises for Church sins| work=BBC News |access-date=14 January 2013 | author=BBC News | date=12 March 2000}}</ref><ref name="Ontario">{{cite news | url=http://www.religioustolerance.org/popeapo2.htm | title=Apologies by Pope John Paul II | publisher=Ontario Consultants | date=7 March 2000 | access-date=14 January 2013 | author=Robinson, B. A. | archive-date=14 November 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114082949/http://www.religioustolerance.org/popeapo2.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref>
* The legal process on the Italian scientist and philosopher ], himself a devout Catholic, around 1633 (31 October 1992).<ref name="MsnbcNews2" /><ref name="Adherents" />
* The involvement of Catholics in the ] (9 August 1993).
* The church hierarchy's role in ] and the ]s that followed the ] (20 May 1995, in the Czech Republic).
* The injustices committed against women, the violation of ] and the historical denigration of women (10 July 1995, in a letter to "every woman").
* The inactivity and silence of many Catholics during ] (see the article ]) (16 March 1998).


The ] of the year 2000 included a day of Prayer for Forgiveness of the Sins of the Church on 12 March 2000.
Several national and municipal public projects were named in honor of the Pope. Rome main railway station the ] was dedicated to Pope John Paul II by the vote of City Council, more or less like Rome's main airport at Fiumicino is dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci. International airports named after Him are ] - one of the principal airports of Poland and the ] in the ]. The ] is located in ] while John Paul II Square in ] denotes the Pope's visit to Sofia in ]. ''Parvis Notre-Dame - Place Jean-Paul II'' is a centerpiece of one of Paris' neighborhoods. Pope John Paul II Park is a feature of ]<ref></ref> while Pope John Paul II Drive<ref></ref> serves residents of ].


On 20 November 2001, from a laptop in the Vatican, John Paul II sent his first e-mail apologising for the ], the church-backed ] of Aboriginal children in Australia, and to China for the behaviour of Catholic missionaries in ].<ref name="PopeApologises" />
Of international interest, ] on ] in the ] was named in honor of the Pope. The ] landmark recognizes the his contribution to world peace and understanding among people.


== Health ==
The Pope was named ]'s ] in ].
{{Main|Pope John Paul II's health}}
] in September 2004 in ]]]
When he became pope in 1978 at the age of 58, John Paul II was an avid sportsman. He was extremely healthy and active, jogging in the ], weight training, swimming, and hiking in the mountains. He was fond of football. The media contrasted the new pope's athleticism and trim figure to the poor health of ] and ], the portliness of ] and the constant claims of ailments of ]. The only modern pope with a fitness regimen had been ] (1922–1939), who was an avid mountaineer.<ref name="Ratti" /><ref name="Ratti2" /> An '']'' article in the 1980s labelled John Paul II the ''keep-fit pope''.


However, after over 26 years as pope, two assassination attempts, one of which injured him severely, and a number of cancer scares, John Paul's physical health declined. In 2001 he was diagnosed as suffering from ].<ref name="Parkinsons2001" /> International observers had suspected this for some time, but it was only publicly acknowledged by the Vatican in 2003. Despite difficulty speaking more than a few sentences at a time, trouble ], and severe ], he continued to tour the world although rarely walking in public.
In ], he was also made an honorary ].

== Death and funeral ==
{{Main|Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II}}

=== Final months ===
John Paul II was hospitalised with breathing problems caused by a bout of ] on 1 February 2005.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4228059.stm |title=Europe &#124; Pope John Paul rushed to hospital |work=BBC News |date=2 February 2005 |access-date=17 February 2013}}</ref> He left the hospital on 10 February, but was subsequently hospitalised again with breathing problems two weeks later and underwent a ].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/3198/pope-john-paul-resting;-breathing-on-own-following-tracheotomy |title=Pope John Paul resting; breathing on own following tracheotomy |publisher=] |date=25 February 2005 |access-date=17 February 2013}}</ref>

=== Final illness and death ===
]|243x243px]]
On 31 March 2005, following a ],{{sfn|BBC 2005-04-01}} he developed ], a form of infection with a high fever and low ], but was not hospitalised. Instead, he was monitored by a team of consultants at his private residence. This was taken as an indication by the pope, and those close to him, that he was nearing death; it would have been in accordance with his wishes to die in the Vatican.{{sfn|BBC 2005-04-01}} Later that day, Vatican sources announced that John Paul II had been given the ] by his friend and secretary Stanisław Dziwisz. The day before his death, one of his closest personal friends, ], visited him at his bedside.<ref name="Stourton" /><ref name="Bernstein/Politi" /> During the final days of the pope's life, the lights were kept burning through the night where he lay in the Papal apartment on the top floor of the ]. Tens of thousands of people assembled and held vigil in St. Peter's Square and the surrounding streets for two days. Upon hearing of this, the dying pope was said to have stated: "I have searched for you, and now you have come to me, and I thank you."<ref name="LastWords" />

On Saturday, 2 April 2005, at approximately 15:30 ], John Paul II spoke his final words in ], ''"Pozwólcie mi odejść do domu Ojca"'' ("Allow me to depart to the house of the Father"), to his aides, and fell into a coma about four hours later.<ref name="LastWords" /><ref name="BBCLastWords" /> The Mass of the vigil of the Second Sunday of Easter commemorating the ] of ] on 30 April 2000, had just been celebrated at his bedside, presided over by Dziwisz and two Polish associates. Present at the bedside was Cardinal ] from Ukraine, who served as a priest with John Paul in Poland, along with Polish nuns of the Congregation of the ], who ran the ]. John Paul II died in his private apartment at 21:37 CEST (19:37 ]) of heart failure from profound ] and complete ] from septic shock.<ref name="BBCLastWords" /><ref name="Pisa" />{{sfn|Navarro-Valls 2 April 2005}} His death was verified when an electrocardiogram that ran for 20 minutes showed a ].<ref>{{cite news|title=Vatican Releases Official Record of Pope John Paul II's Final Days|date=19 September 2005|author=The New York Times|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/19/world/europe/vatican-releases-official-record-of-pope-john-paul-iis-final.html|access-date=29 January 2018|author-link=The New York Times}}</ref>

He had no close family by the time of his death; his feelings are reflected in his words written in 2000 at the end of his Last Will and Testament.{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=320}} Dziwisz later said he had not burned the pontiff's personal notes despite the request being part of the will.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pope aide 'has not burned papers' |work=BBC News |date=5 June 2005 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4610607.stm |access-date=12 August 2013}}</ref>

], ], ], ], ], and ], US dignitaries paying respects to John Paul II on 6 April 2005 at ], ]]]

=== Aftermath ===
The death of the pontiff set in motion rituals and traditions dating back to medieval times. The Rite of Visitation took place from 4 April 2005 to 7 April 2005 at St. Peter's Basilica. John Paul II's testament, published on 7 April 2005,<ref name="Last Will" /> revealed that he contemplated being buried in his native Poland but left the final decision to the ], which in passing, preferred burial beneath St. Peter's Basilica, honouring the pontiff's request to be placed "in bare earth".

The ] Mass held on 8 April 2005 was said to have set world records both for attendance and number of ] present at a funeral.<ref name="MsnbcNews2" /><ref name="CNN" /><ref name="Independent" /><ref name="BBCMiracle" /> ''(See: ].)'' It was the single largest gathering of heads of state up to that time, surpassing the funerals of ] (1965) and ] (1980). Four kings, five queens, at least 70 presidents and prime ministers, and more than 14 leaders of other religions attended.<ref name="CNN" /> An estimated four million mourners gathered in and around Vatican City.<ref name="MsnbcNews2" /><ref name="Independent" /><ref name="BBCMiracle" /><ref name="Beltway" /> Between 250,000 and 300,000 watched the event from within the Vatican's walls.<ref name="BBCMiracle" /> In a historical rarity, ] and ] leaders, as well as representatives and heads from Judaism, ], ]<ref></ref> and ], offered their own memorials and prayers as a way of sympathising with the grief of Catholics.

The ], Cardinal ], conducted the ceremony. John Paul II was interred in the ], the ]. He was lowered into a tomb created in the same alcove previously occupied by the remains of ]. The alcove had been empty since John XXIII's remains had been moved into the main body of the basilica after his beatification.

== Posthumous recognition ==
=== Title "the Great" ===
] before his beatification]]
Upon the death of John Paul II, a number of clergy at the Vatican and laymen<ref name="Bottum" /><ref name="MsnbcNews2" /><ref name="Arlington" /> began referring to the late pontiff as "John Paul the Great" — in theory only the fourth pope to be so acclaimed.<ref name="Bottum" /><ref name="Arlington" /><ref name="OReilly-David" /><ref name="Murphy-Brian" /> ] specifically referred to John Paul as "the Great" in his published written ] for the pope's funeral ].<ref name="FirstSpeech" /><ref name="Homily" /> The South African Catholic newspaper '']'' has referred to him in print as "John Paul II the Great".<ref name="Southern" /> Some Catholic educational institutions in the US have additionally changed their names to incorporate "the Great", including ] and schools called some variant of ]<!--variants with saint, pope, ii, or catholic-->.
] Chapel of Saint Sebastian within ] where it has been since 2011]]
Scholars of ] say that there is no official process for declaring a pope "Great"; the title simply establishes itself through popular and continued usage,<ref name="MsnbcNews2" /><ref name="Noonan" /><ref name="Noonan2" /> as was the case with celebrated secular leaders (for example, Alexander III of Macedon became popularly known as ]). The three popes who today commonly are known as "Great" are ], who reigned from 440–461 and persuaded ] to withdraw from Rome; ], 590–604, after whom the ] is named; and ], 858–867, who consolidated the Catholic Church in the Western world in the ].<ref name="Arlington" />

John Paul's successor, Benedict XVI, did not use the term directly in public speeches, but made oblique references to "the great Pope John Paul&nbsp;II" in his first address from the ] of St. Peter's Basilica, at the 20th ] in Germany when he said in Polish: "As the great Pope John Paul&nbsp;II would say: Keep the flame of faith alive in your lives and your people";<ref>Susan Crimp, "The Last Wish of Pope John Paul II: The Life and Messages of Saint Faustina", p92</ref> and in May 2006 during a visit to Poland where he repeatedly made references to "the great John Paul" and "my great predecessor".<ref name="Poland2006" />
] in ], Poland]]

=== Institutions named after John Paul II ===
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ], Lima, ]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://kwc.edu.pe/ | title=KWC Home | access-date=19 March 2022 | archive-date=25 September 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925163640/http://kwc.edu.pe/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>
*Scoil Eoin Phóil, ], Ireland
* John Paul II Gymnasium, ], Lithuania
*Pope John Paul II High School in Olympia, Washington<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.popejp2hs.org/ | title=JPII Home}}</ref>
* Universidad Privada Juan Pablo II, Lima, Peru <ref>{{cite web | url=https://unijuanpablo.edu.pe/2019/09/23/celebracion-dia-de-la-enfermera/ | title=UPJPII Celebración día de la enfermera | access-date=19 March 2022 | archive-date=12 August 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812142417/https://unijuanpablo.edu.pe/2019/09/23/celebracion-dia-de-la-enfermera/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Karol Wojtyła building at ] in ]<ref>{{cite web |author=Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia |url=https://m.atmajaya.ac.id/web/Info.aspx?gid=info-atma-jaya&cid=peta-denah-kampus-semanggi |title=Campus Map |access-date=30 September 2019 |archive-date=20 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520184627/https://m.atmajaya.ac.id/web/Info.aspx?gid=info-atma-jaya&cid=peta-denah-kampus-semanggi |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*St. John Paul II Chapel and Museum at Pakuwon Mall in Surabaya, Indonesia
*St. John Paul II Minor Seminary, Minor Seminary in Antipolo City, Philippines
*St. John Paul II Parish Community (Lake View, NY)
* ]
* ] Boca Raton, FL
* ]
* ]
* ] (Washington, DC)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dcpriest.org/welcome-to-saint-john-paul-ii-seminary | title=Welcome to St. John Paul II Seminary | access-date=25 May 2020 | archive-date=28 July 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728073013/https://www.dcpriest.org/welcome-to-saint-john-paul-ii-seminary | url-status=dead }}</ref>
* ]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pope John Paul Major Seminary|url=https://pjpsawka.org/|access-date=16 March 2021|website=pjpsawka.org|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413221545/https://pjpsawka.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* ], Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
* ], ] ], ]

=== Beatification ===
{{Main|Beatification of Pope John Paul II}}
] attendees witness the beatification of John Paul II on 1 May 2011 in ].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/8486488/Pope-John-Paul-II-beatified-in-front-of-audience-of-1.5-million.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/8486488/Pope-John-Paul-II-beatified-in-front-of-audience-of-1.5-million.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Pope John Paul II beatified in front 1.5 million |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=1 May 2011 |access-date=17 February 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>]]

Inspired by calls of ''"Santo Subito!''" (" Saint Immediately!") from the crowds gathered during the funeral Mass that he celebrated,<ref name="Moore1" /><ref name="Hollingshead" /><ref name="Hooper1" /><ref name="Hope" /> Benedict XVI began the beatification process for his predecessor, bypassing the normal restriction that five years must pass after a person's death before beginning the beatification process.<ref name="Hollingshead" /><ref name="Hooper1" /><ref name="Canonisation" /><ref name="Metro" /> In an audience with Pope Benedict XVI, ], Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome, who was responsible for promoting the cause for canonisation of any person who died within that diocese, cited "exceptional circumstances", which suggested that the waiting period could be waived.<ref name="ShortBio" /><ref name="MsnbcNews2" /><ref name="Zenit3" /> This decision was announced on 13 May 2005, the Feast of ] and the 24th anniversary of the assassination attempt on John Paul II at St. Peter's Square.<ref name="catholicnewsagency" />

In early 2006, it was reported that the Vatican was investigating a possible ] associated with John Paul II. ], a French nun and member of the Congregation of Little Sisters of Catholic Maternity Wards, confined to her bed by
Parkinson's disease,<ref name="Hooper1" /><ref name="Vicariato" /> was reported to have experienced a "complete and lasting cure after members of her community prayed for the intercession of Pope John Paul II".<ref name="NYTimes" /><ref name="MsnbcNews2" /><ref name="Moore1" /><ref name="Hooper1" /><ref name="ABC" /><ref name="Trinity" /> {{As of|2008|5}}, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, then 46,<ref name="Moore1" /><ref name="Hooper1" /> was working again at a ] run by her ].<ref name="Metro" /><ref name="Vicariato" /><ref name="Miracle-americancatholic" /><ref name="Willan" />

"I was sick and now I am cured," she told reporter Gerry Shaw. "I am cured, but it is up to the church to say whether it was a miracle or not."<ref name="Vicariato" /><ref name="Miracle-americancatholic" />

On 28 May 2006, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass before an estimated 900,000 people in John Paul II's native Poland. During his ], he encouraged prayers for the early canonisation of John Paul II and stated that he hoped canonisation would happen "in the near future".<ref name="Vicariato" /><ref name="Homily-Blonie-Park" />

], Tepeyac, ]]]

In January 2007, Cardinal ] announced that the interview phase of the beatification process, in Italy and Poland, was nearing completion.<ref name="MsnbcNews2" /><ref name="Vicariato" /><ref name="Westcott" /> In February 2007, ] of John Paul II—pieces of white papal ]s he used to wear—were freely distributed with prayer cards for the cause, a typical pious practice after a saintly Catholic's death.<ref name="MMoore" /><ref name="Cause" /> On 8 March 2007, the ] announced that the diocesan phase of John Paul's cause for beatification was at an end. Following a ceremony on 2 April 2007—the second anniversary of the Pontiff's death—the cause proceeded to the scrutiny of the committee of lay, clerical, and episcopal members of the Vatican's ], to conduct a separate investigation.<ref name="Hollingshead" /><ref name="Vicariato" /><ref name="Westcott" /> On the fourth anniversary of John Paul II's death, 2 April 2009, Cardinal Dziwisz, told reporters of a presumed miracle that had recently occurred at the former pope's tomb in St. Peter's Basilica.<ref name="Miracle-americancatholic" /><ref name="ncregister" /><ref name="Catholic" /> A nine-year-old Polish boy from ], who was suffering from kidney cancer and was completely unable to walk, had been visiting the tomb with his parents. On leaving St. Peter's Basilica, the boy told them, "I want to walk," and began walking normally.<ref name="ncregister" /><ref name="Catholic" /><ref name="Miracle-catholicnews" /> On 16 November 2009, a panel of reviewers at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints voted unanimously that John Paul&nbsp;II had lived a life of heroic virtue.<ref name="abcNews" /><ref name="Catholic Culture" /> On 19 December 2009, Pope Benedict XVI signed the first of two decrees needed for beatification and proclaimed John Paul II "Venerable", asserting that he had lived a heroic, virtuous life.<ref name="abcNews" /><ref name="Catholic Culture" /> The second vote and the second signed decree certifying the authenticity of the first miracle, the curing of Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, a French nun, from Parkinson's disease. Once the second decree is signed, the ''position'' (the report on the cause, with documentation about his life and writings and with information on the cause) is complete.<ref name="Catholic Culture" /> He can then be beatified.<ref name="abcNews" /><ref name="Catholic Culture" /> Some speculated that he would be beatified sometime during (or soon after) the month of the 32nd anniversary of his 1978 election, in October 2010. As Monsignor Oder said, this course would have been possible if the second decree were signed in time by Benedict XVI, stating that a posthumous miracle directly attributable to his intercession had occurred, completing the positio.

]s around monument to John Paul II in ], Gdańsk, at the time of his death]]
The Vatican announced on 14 January 2011 that Pope Benedict XVI had confirmed the miracle involving Sister Marie Simon-Pierre and that John Paul II was to be beatified on 1 May, the Feast of Divine Mercy.<ref name="BBC-beatify" /> 1 May is commemorated in former Communist countries, such as Poland, and some Western European countries as ], and John Paul&nbsp;II was well known for his contributions to Communism's relatively peaceful demise.<ref name="Bottum" /><ref name="CBCNews" /> In March 2011 the Polish mint issued a gold 1,000 ] coin (equivalent to US$350), with the Pope's image to commemorate his beatification.<ref name="yahoo" />

On 29 April 2011, John Paul&nbsp;II's coffin was disinterred from the grotto beneath St. Peter's Basilica ahead of his beatification, as tens of thousands of people arrived in Rome for one of the biggest events since his funeral.<ref name="Pope John Paul II's body exhumed ahead of beatification" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Willey|first=David|date=1 May 2011|title=Celebration as John Paul beatified|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-13254148|access-date=11 May 2020}}</ref> John Paul II's remains, which were not exposed, were placed in front of the Basilica's main altar, where believers could pay their respect before and after the beatification mass in St. Peter's Square on 1 May 2011. On 3 May 2011 his remains were interred in the marble altar in Pier Paolo Cristofari Chapel of ], where ] was buried. This more prominent location, next to the Chapel of the Pietà, the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, and statues of Popes Pius XI and Pius XII was intended to allow more pilgrims to view his memorial. John Paul II's body is located near the bodies of ] and ], whose bodies were reinterred in the Basilica after their own beatifications and together are three of the five popes beatified in the last century. The two popes who were not exhumed and reinterred after becoming a blessed in the last century were ] and ], who both remain entombed in the papal grottos.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Visiting the Tomb of John Paul II in St Peter´s Basilica in the Vatican|url=https://www.vaticancityguide.org/visit-tomb-john-paul/|date=23 August 2013|website=Vatican City Travel Guide|language=en-US|access-date=11 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Pope Innocent XI's remains make way for John Paul II|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/22313/pope-innocent-xis-remains-make-way-for-john-paul-ii|last=Kerr|first=David|website=Catholic News Agency|language=en|access-date=11 May 2020}}</ref>

In July 2012, a Colombian man, Marco Fidel Rojas, the former mayor of ], testified that he was "miraculously cured" of ] after a trip to Rome where he met John Paul II and prayed with him. Antonio Schlesinger Piedrahita, a renowned ] in Colombia, certified Fidel's healing. The documentation was then sent to the Vatican office for sainthood causes.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/25303/healing-of-colombian-man-could-pave-way-for-john-paul-ii-canonization |title=Healing of Colombian man could pave way for John Paul II canonization |publisher=] |access-date=4 August 2012}}</ref>

In September 2020, Poland unveiled a sculpture of him, designed by {{ill|Jerzy Kalina|pl}} and installed outside the ], holding up a ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.euronews.com/2020/09/24/new-pope-john-paul-ii-sculpture-unveiled-in-warsaw |title=New Pope John Paul II sculpture unveiled in Warsaw |website=euronews.com |date=24 September 2020 }}</ref> In the same month, a relic containing his blood was stolen from the ] in Italy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/relic-containing-pope-john-paul-ii-blood-stolen-from-cathedral-in-italy/090f6169-66fc-451e-998a-ce8194a0030d |title=Relic holding Pope John Paul II's blood stolen from Italian cathedral |website=9news.com |date=25 September 2020 }}</ref>

=== Canonisation ===
{{Main|Canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II}}
]

To be eligible for canonisation (being declared a saint) by the Catholic Church, two miracles must be attributed to a candidate.

The first miracle attributed to John Paul was the above mentioned healing of a nun's Parkinson's disease, which was recognised during the beatification process. According to an article on the Catholic News Service (CNS) dated 23 April 2013, a Vatican commission of doctors concluded that a healing had no natural (medical) explanation, which is the first requirement for a claimed miracle to be officially documented.<ref>The article by Cindy Wooden cited news reports from Italian news media agencies, and included remarks by the Pope's longtime aide, ]'s Cardinal ], and Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father ], S.J.</ref><ref name="Agence France-Presse" /><ref name="ANSA">{{cite news | first = Christopher | last = Livesay | title = John Paul set for sainthood after second miracle okayed | date = 2 July 2013 | publisher = www.ansa.it | url = http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/rubriche/english/2013/07/02/-ANSA-John-Paul-set-sainthood-second-miracle-okayed_8965021.html | work = ANSA (Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata) | access-date = 2 July 2013}}</ref>

The second miracle was deemed to have taken place shortly after the late pope's beatification on 1 May 2011; it was reported to be the healing of Costa Rican woman Floribeth Mora of an otherwise terminal ].<ref name="FNL"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311010751/http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2013/07/06/costa-rican-woman-describes-john-paul-miracle-cure/ |date=11 March 2016 }}, ''Fox News Latino'', 6 July 2013</ref> A Vatican panel of expert theologians examined the evidence, determined that it was directly attributable to the intercession of John Paul II, and recognised it as miraculous.<ref name="Agence France-Presse">{{cite news | title = John Paul II's 2nd miracle approved—report | date = 2 July 2013 | publisher = Rappler.com | url = http://www.rappler.com/world/32751-john-paul-ii-miracle-recognized-report | work = Agence France-Presse (AFP)| access-date = 2 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="ANSA" /> The next stage was for Cardinals who compose the membership of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to give their opinion to ] to decide whether to sign and promulgate the decree and set a date for canonisation.<ref name="Agence France-Presse" /><ref name="ANSA" /><ref name="CNS">{{cite news |url=http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1301805.htm |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20130423192205/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1301805.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 April 2013 |title=Italian media report progress in Blessed John Paul's sainthood cause |publisher=] |date=23 April 2013| access-date=12 June 2013}}</ref>

On 4 July 2013, Pope Francis confirmed his approval of John Paul II's canonisation, formally recognising the second miracle attributed to his intercession. He was canonised together with John XXIII.<ref name="BBC 2013" /><ref name="Reuters">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vatican-johnpaul-idUSBRE9640BA20130705/ |title=Popes John Paul II, John XXIII to be made saints: Vatican |work=Reuters |access-date=9 July 2013 |date=5 July 2013 |archive-date=8 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708081533/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/05/us-vatican-johnpaul-idUSBRE9640BA20130705 |url-status=live }}</ref> The date of the canonisation was on 27 April 2014, Divine Mercy Sunday.<ref name="New York Times 2013">{{cite news |first=Elizabetta |last=Povoledo |author2=Alan Cowell |title=Francis to Canonise John XXIII and John Paul II on Same Day |date=30 September 2013 |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/world/europe/francis-to-canonize-popes-john-xxiii-and-john-paul-ii-on-same-day.html?_r=0 |access-date=30 September 2013}}</ref><ref name="BBC News – Easton">{{cite news |first=Adam |last=Easton |title=Date set for Popes John Paul II and John XXIII sainthood |date=30 September 2013 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24330204 |work=BBC News |access-date=30 September 2013}}</ref>

The canonisation Mass for Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII, was celebrated by Pope Francis (with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI), on 27 April 2014 in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican (John Paul II had died on ] of Divine Mercy Sunday in 2005). About 150 cardinals and 700 bishops concelebrated the Mass, and at least 500,000 people attended the Mass, with an estimated 300,000 others watching from video screens placed around Rome.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-pope-francis-canonization-vatican-20140427-story.html |first1=Patrick J. |last1= McDonnell |first2=Tom |last2=Kington |date=27 April 2014|location=Los Angeles, CA |title=Canonization of predecessors provides another boost for Pope Francis|quote=An estimated 800,000 people descended on Rome for the dual canonisation, a Vatican spokesman said. That included the half a million around the Vatican and another 300,000 watching the event on giant TV screens set up throughout the city of Rome.}}</ref>

The new saint's remains, considered to be holy ]s, were exhumed from their place in the basilica's grotto,<ref>{{Cite web |last=CNA |title=John Paul II remains moved in front of St. Peter's tomb |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/22426/john-paul-ii-remains-moved-in-front-of-st-peters-tomb |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}</ref> and a new tomb was established at the altar of St. Sebastian.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pope Francis Prays at John Paul II's Tomb |url=https://www.ncregister.com/news/pope-francis-prays-at-john-paul-ii-s-tomb |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=NCR |date=3 April 2013 |language=en}}</ref>

===Beatification of the Pope's parents===
On 10 October 2019, the ] and the ] approved ''nihil obstat'' the opening of the beatification cause of the parents of its patron saint John Paul II, Karol Wojtyła Sr. and Emilia Kaczorowska. It gained approval from the ] to open the diocesan phase of the cause on 7 May 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=St. John Paul II's parents' sainthood cause has officially opened|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/44448/st-john-paul-iis-parents-sainthood-cause-has-officially-opened|access-date=22 November 2020|website=Catholic News Agency|language=en}}</ref>

== Sexual abuse scandals ==
{{Main|Catholic sex abuse cases}}
John Paul II was criticised by representatives of the victims of clergy sexual abuse for failing to respond quickly enough to the Catholic sex abuse crisis.<ref>{{cite web |last=Radio |first=Southern California Public |date=24 April 2014 |title=Clergy sex abuse victims decry sainthood for Pope John Paul II |url=http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/04/24/43763/some-victims-of-catholic-church-sex-abuse-oppose-p/ |work=scpr.org}}</ref> After decades of inaction, the scandal came to a head when ] infamously ] on a 3 October 1992 episode of '']'' while performing an ] rendition of ]'s "]".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hess |first=Amanda |date=2021-05-18 |title=Sinead O'Connor Remembers Things Differently |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/18/arts/music/sinead-oconnor-rememberings.html |access-date=2023-08-27 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In response to mounting criticism over the next decade, John Paul II stated in 2002 that "there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young".<ref name="Walsh" /> The Catholic Church instituted reforms to prevent future abuse by requiring ]s for church employees<ref name="charteryouth" /> and, because a significant majority of victims were boys, disallowing ordination of men with "deep-seated homosexual tendencies".<ref name="vatdocord" /><ref name="sexabusereport" /> They now require dioceses faced with an allegation to alert the authorities, conduct an investigation and remove the accused from duty.<ref name="charteryouth" /><ref>{{cite news |date=15 June 2002 |title=Scandals in the church: The Bishops' Decisions; The Bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/15/us/scandals-church-bishops-decisions-bishops-charter-for-protection-children-young.html |access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref> In 2008, the church asserted that the scandal was a very serious problem and estimated that it was "probably caused by 'no more than 1 per cent'", or 5,000, of the over 500,000 Catholic priests worldwide.<ref name="sexabuse" /><ref name="JohnJay" />

In April 2002, John Paul II, despite being frail from Parkinson's disease, summoned all the American cardinals to the Vatican to discuss possible solutions to the issue of sexual abuse in the American Church. He asked them to "diligently investigate accusations". John Paul II suggested that American bishops be more open and transparent in dealing with such scandals and emphasised the role of seminary training to prevent sexual deviance among future priests. In what '']'' called "unusually direct language", John Paul condemned the arrogance of priests that led to the scandals:

<blockquote>"Priests and candidates for the priesthood often live at a level both materially and educationally superior to that of their families and the members of their own age group. It is therefore very easy for them to succumb to the temptation of thinking of themselves as better than others. When this happens, the ideal of priestly service and self-giving dedication can fade, leaving the priest dissatisfied and disheartened."<ref>{{cite news |author=Melinda Henneberger |date=21 April 2002 |title=Pope Takes on Scandals |work=Sun Sentinel |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2002-04-21/news/0204200465_1_confutes-american-cardinals-mandatory-celibacy |url-status=dead |access-date=9 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525055205/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2002-04-21/news/0204200465_1_confutes-american-cardinals-mandatory-celibacy |archive-date=25 May 2013 }}</ref></blockquote>

The pope read a statement intended for the American cardinals, calling the sex abuse "an appalling sin" and said the priesthood had no room for such men.<ref name="Shame" />

In 2002, Archbishop ], the Catholic Archbishop of ], was accused of molesting seminarians.<ref>{{cite news |date=23 February 2002 |title=Europe &#124; Polish archbishop 'molested students' |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1837840.stm |access-date=17 February 2013}}</ref> John Paul II accepted his resignation, and placed sanctions on him, prohibiting Paetz from exercising his ministry as bishop.<ref>{{cite news |date=19 June 2010 |title=Watykan: Nie zrehabilitowaliśmy Paetza |language=pl |trans-title=Vatican: no rehabilitation for Paetz |work=Fakt |url=http://www.fakt.pl/Watykan-nie-zrehabilitowalismy-Paetza,artykuly,75072,1.html |url-status=dead |access-date=9 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209162445/http://www.fakt.pl/Watykan-nie-zrehabilitowalismy-Paetza%2Cartykuly%2C75072%2C1.html |archive-date=9 February 2012}}</ref> It was reported that these restrictions were lifted, though Vatican spokesperson Federico Lombardi strenuously denied this saying "his rehabilitation was without foundation".

In 2003, John Paul&nbsp;II reiterated that "there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young".<ref name="Walsh" /> In April 2003, a three-day conference was held, titled "Abuse of Children and Young People by Catholic Priests and Religious", where eight non-Catholic psychiatric experts were invited to speak to near all Vatican ]' representatives. The panel of experts overwhelmingly opposed implementation of policies of "zero-tolerance" such as was proposed by the ]. One expert called such policies a "case of overkill" since they do not permit flexibility to allow for differences among individual cases.<ref name="VaticanStudy" />

In 2004, John Paul&nbsp;II recalled ] to be Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of ]. Law had previously resigned as ] in 2002 in response to the ] after church documents were revealed that suggested he had covered up sexual abuse committed by priests in his archdiocese.<ref>{{cite news |year=2004 |title=Abuse in the Catholic Church / Cardinal Law and the laity |work=The Boston Globe |url=http://www.boston.com/globe/spotlight/abuse/extras/law_timeline.htm |access-date=24 January 2012 |issn=0743-1791}}</ref> Law resigned from this position in November 2011.<ref name="Shame" />

John Paul&nbsp;II was a firm supporter of the ], and in 1998 discontinued investigations into ], who in 2005 resigned his leadership and was later requested by the Vatican to withdraw from his ministry. However, Maciel's trial began in 2004 during the pontificate of John Paul II, but the Pope died before it ended and the conclusions were known.<ref>{{cite web |last=Piekara |first=Marek |date=2014 |title=Co Jan Paweł II wiedział o ks. Macielu? |url=https://kosciol.wiara.pl/doc/1974132.Co-Jan-Pawel-II-wiedzial-o-ks-Macielu |website=wiara.pl}}</ref> In an interview with ], ] said: "I am grateful to Pope Benedict, who dared to say this publicly (when more facts began to come to light after Degollado's death in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 launched another investigation and on 1 May 2010 announced a declaration about the crimes of the founder of the Legionaries), and to Pope John Paul II, who dared to give the green light to the Legionaries' case".<ref>{{cite news |title=Pope John Paul II and Paedophilia |website=jp2online.pl |url=https://jp2online.pl/en/publication/pope-john-paul-ii-and-paedophilia;UHVibGljYXRpb246OTA= |access-date=11 December 2021}}</ref>

On 10 November 2020, the Vatican published a report which found that John Paul II learned of allegations of sexual impropriety against former cardinal ], who at the time was serving as Archbishop of Newark, through a 1999 letter from Cardinal ] warning him that appointing McCarrick to be Archbishop of Washington D.C., a position which had recently been opened, would be a mistake. John Paul II ordered an investigation, which stalled when three of the four bishops tasked with investigating claims allegedly brought back "inaccurate or incomplete information". John Paul II planned on not giving McCarrick the appointment anyway, but relented and gave him the appointment after McCarrick wrote a letter of denial. He created McCarrick a cardinal in 2001. McCarrick would eventually be laicized after allegations surfaced that he abused minors.<ref name="johnpaulknowledge">{{cite news |date=10 November 2020 |title=Vatican admits Pope John Paul II was warned about abusive archbishop Theodore McCarrick, while clearing Francis |work=CNN}}</ref><ref name="AP111020">{{cite web |date=10 November 2020 |title=Key findings in Vatican report into ex-Cardinal McCarrick |url=https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/findings-in-vatican-report-into-ex-cardinal-mccarrick/65-f3a47d57-95f4-4368-9945-a7ac909c5a02 |access-date=10 November 2020 |publisher=Associated Press}}</ref> ], a biographer of John Paul II, defended the pope's actions as follows: "Theodore McCarrick fooled a lot of people ... and he deceived John Paul II in a way that is laid out in almost biblical fashion in report".<ref>{{cite news |last=Keane |first=James T. |date=10 November 2020 |title=The McCarrick Report and Pope John Paul II: Confronting a saint's tarnished legacy |work=] |url=https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/11/10/mccarrick-report-saint-john-paul-ii-sex-abuse-legacy |access-date=11 November 2011}}</ref>

In a 2019 interview with Mexican television, ] defended John Paul II's legacy on protecting minors against clerical sexual abuse. He said that John Paul II was "often misled", as in the case of ]. Francis said that with respect to the case of ]:

<blockquote>"Ratzinger was courageous, and so was John Paul II. ... With respect to John Paul II, we have to understand certain attitudes because he came from a closed world, from behind the ], where communism was still in force. There was a defensive mentality. We have to understand this well, and no one can doubt the saintliness of this great man and his good will. He was great, he was great."<ref>{{cite news |date=19 May 2019 |title=En primicia el Papa en Televisa: "El mundo sin la mujer no funciona" |work=VaticanNews.va |url=https://www.vaticannews.va/es/papa/news/2019-05/papa-francisco-entrevista-televisa-mexico-migrantes-feminicidio.html |access-date=11 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bronk |first=Krzysztof T. |date=30 May 2019 |title=Pope Francis Explains the "Anecdote" and Clears John Paul II |work=John Paul II Foundation |url=https://fjp2.com/pope-francis-explains-the-anecdote-and-clears-john-paul-ii/ |access-date=11 December 2021 |archive-date=11 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211114636/https://fjp2.com/pope-francis-explains-the-anecdote-and-clears-john-paul-ii/ |url-status=dead }}</ref></blockquote>On March 6, 2023, an investigative report by the Polish television station ] concluded that "there no doubt" that John Paul II "knew about ] under his authority and sought to conceal it when he was an archbishop in his native Poland". The Dutch journalist Ekke Overbeek released a book on John Paul II with similar claims the following week. In response to the claims, Pope Francis stated: "You have to put things in the context of the era At that time everything was covered up. It was only when the ] that the church began to look at the problem." The ] stated that "'further archival research' would be needed to arrive at a just evaluation of the decisions and actions" of Wojtyła.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Scislowska |first=Monika |date=March 7, 2023 |title=Polish TV report: John Paul II knew of abuse as archbishop |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/07/church-sex-abuse-john-paul-poland/464bed56-bcd8-11ed-9350-7c5fccd598ad_story.html |access-date=March 8, 2023 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Furthermore, other journalists have criticised the report, especially the interpretation of the sources.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Another point of contention is the use of materials from the ] in the report.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prof. Skibiński: komuniści podjęli szeroko zakrojoną akcję dyskredytacji duchowieństwa - Wiadomości - polskieradio24.pl |url=https://polskieradio24.pl/5/1222/artykul/3132247,prof-skibinski-komunisci-podjeli-szeroko-zakrojona-akcje-dyskredytacji-duchowienstwa |access-date=2023-04-28 |website=polskieradio24.pl |language=pl-PL}}</ref>

== Other criticism and controversy ==
{{Main|1=Criticism of Pope John Paul II|2=Criticism of the Catholic Church}}
John Paul II was widely criticised for a variety of his views. He was a target of criticism from progressives for his opposition to the ] and use of ],<ref name="A&E" /><ref name="Condom" /> and from ] for his support for the Second Vatican Council and its reform of the ]. John Paul II's response to ] has also come under heavy censure.

=== Opus Dei controversies ===
{{Main|Controversies about Opus Dei}}
John Paul II was criticised for his support of the ] prelature and the 2002 canonisation of its founder, ], whom he called "the saint of ordinary life".<ref name="Opus2" /><ref name="Saints2" /> Other movements and religious organisations of the church went decidedly under his wing ], the ], ], the ], etc. And he was accused repeatedly of taking a soft hand with them, especially in the case of ], founder of the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pepe-rodriguez.com/Sexo_clero/Casos/Sexo_clero_M_Maciel_Leg_pedof_denuncia_Papa.htm |title=Text of the accusation letter directed to John Paul II |language=es |publisher=Pepe-rodriguez.com |access-date=17 February 2013}}</ref>

In 1984 John Paul&nbsp;II appointed Joaquín Navarro-Valls, a member of Opus Dei, as Director of the ]. An Opus Dei spokesman said that "the influence of Opus Dei in the Vatican has been exaggerated".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4249444.stm |work=BBC News |title=Decoding secret world of Opus Dei |date=16 September 2005 |access-date=30 April 2010}}</ref> Of the nearly 200 cardinals in the Catholic Church, only two are known to be members of Opus Dei.<ref>Associated Press, "Opus Dei backs new pope", CNN, 19 April 2005.</ref>

=== Banco Ambrosiano scandal ===
{{Main|Banco Ambrosiano}}
John Paul II was alleged to have links with ], an Italian bank that collapsed in 1982.<ref name="NYTimes" /> At the centre of the bank's failure was its chairman, ], and his membership in the illegal ] ] (aka P2). The ] was Banco Ambrosiano's main shareholder, and the death of ] in 1978 is rumoured to be linked to the Ambrosiano scandal.<ref name="Salinger2005" />

Calvi, often referred to as "God's Banker", was also involved with the Vatican Bank, and was close to Bishop ], the bank's chairman. Ambrosiano also provided funds for political parties in Italy, and for both the ] dictatorship in Nicaragua and its ] opposition. It has been widely alleged that the Vatican Bank provided money for ] in Poland.<ref name="NYTimes" /><ref name="Salinger2005" />

Calvi used his complex network of overseas banks and companies to move money out of Italy, to inflate share prices, and to arrange massive unsecured loans. In 1978, the ] produced a report on Ambrosiano that predicted future disaster.<ref name="Salinger2005" /> On 5 June 1982, two weeks before the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano, Calvi had written a letter of warning to John Paul II, stating that such a forthcoming event would "provoke a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions in which the Church will suffer the gravest damage".<ref name="TimesOnline" /> On 18 June 1982 Calvi's body was found hanging from scaffolding beneath ] in the financial district of London. Calvi's clothing was stuffed with bricks, and contained cash valued at US$14,000, in three different currencies.<ref name="GodsBanker" />

=== Problems with traditionalists ===
In addition to all the criticism from those demanding modernisation, some ] denounced him as well. These issues included demanding a return to the ],<ref name="HughHewitt" /> as well as the repudiation of reforms instituted after the Second Vatican Council, such as the use of the vernacular language in the formerly Latin-language ], ], and the principle of ].<ref>e.g. Marcel Lefebvre, ''An Open Letter to Confused Catholics'' (Herefordshire: Gracewing Publishing, 1986). {{ISBN|9780852440476}}.</ref> In 1988, the controversial traditionalist Archbishop ], founder of the ] (1970), was ] under John Paul II because of the unapproved ordination of four bishops, which Cardinal Ratzinger called a "schismatic act".<ref>A discussion of the crucial work of Ratzinger (later pope) to attempt reconciliation between Lefebvre and the Holy See, ''vide'' John Thavis, ''The Vatican Diaries: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Power, Personalities, and Politics at the Heart of the Catholic Church'' (London: Penguin, 2014), 147–49. {{ISBN|9780143124535}}</ref>

The ],<ref name="Assisi4" /> with a meeting in Assisi, Italy, in 1986, in which the pope prayed only with the Christians,<ref name="SanRufino" /> was criticised for giving the impression that ] and ]<!--Don't change it back to "syncretism and/or indifferentism" as "and" gives the same ambiguity, e.g., that the event embraced or syncretism or indifferentism or both; see ]--> were openly embraced by the Papal ]. When a second Day of Prayer for Peace in the World was held in 2002,<ref name="DayOfPrayer" /> it was condemned as confusing the laity and compromising to false religions. Likewise criticised was his kissing of the Qur'an in Damascus, Syria, on one of his travels on 6 May 2001.<ref name="Qu'ran" />{{Unreliable source?|date=August 2022}} His call for religious freedom was not always supported; bishops like ] promoted ] but at the same time rejected the Vatican II principle of religious liberty as being liberalist and already condemned by ] in his '']'' (1864) and at the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu8E8GNnTIc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/vu8E8GNnTIc| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=Jan Paweł II Live at Vatican 1999 |publisher=YouTube |date=28 August 2011 |access-date=17 February 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

=== Religion and AIDS ===
{{Main|Catholic Church and HIV/AIDS}}
John Paul II continued the tradition of advocating for the ]. In solidarity with ]'s '']'', he rejected artificial birth control, even in the use of condoms to prevent the spread of ].<ref name="Condom" /> Critics have said that large families are caused by lack of contraception and exacerbate ] poverty and problems, such as street children in South America. John Paul II argued that the proper way to prevent the spread of AIDS was not condoms but rather "correct practice of sexuality, which presupposes chastity and fidelity".<ref name="Condom" /> The focus of John Paul II's point is that the need for artificial birth control is itself artificial, and that principle of respecting the sacredness of life ought not be rent asunder in order to achieve the good of preventing AIDS.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

=== Social programmes ===
There was strong criticism of the pope for the controversy surrounding the alleged use of charitable social programmes as a means of converting people in the Third World to Catholicism.<ref name="AsiaNews2" /><ref name="IndiaStar" /> The pope created an uproar in the ] when he suggested that a great harvest of faith would be witnessed on the subcontinent in the third Christian millennium.<ref name="NCR2" />

=== Argentine military regime ===
John Paul II endorsed Cardinal ], who critics say supported the ] in Argentina and was on friendly terms with the Argentine generals of the ], playing regular tennis matches with the Navy's representative in the junta, Admiral ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Argentine military dictator confirms Catholic Church hierarchy was well aware of the 'disappeared' |url=https://en.mercopress.com/2012/07/24/argentine-military-dictator-confirms-catholic-church-hierarchy-was-well-aware-of-the-disappeared |work=MercoPress |date=24 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Vatican says its ex-envoy is innocent |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1997/05/23/vatican-says-its-ex-envoy-is-innocent/dfe0ea8f-ee44-4999-85d2-e96e0aa9c694/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=23 May 1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Former Argentinian dictator says he told Catholic Church of disappeared |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/former-argentinian-dictator-says-he-told-catholic-church-of-disappeared-1.542154 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=24 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Pio Laghi, Papal Envoy, Dies at 86 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/world/europe/13laghi.html |work=The New York Times |date=13 January 2009}}</ref>

=== Ian Paisley ===
In 1988, when John Paul II was delivering a speech to the ], ], the leader of the ] and ] of the ], shouted "I denounce you as the ]!"<ref name="Paisley makes point">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-29179048 |title=Ian Paisley dies: How Paisley made his point |location=Belfast |publisher=] |date=1988 |access-date=12 September 2014 }}</ref><ref name=LATimes>{{cite news |title=Ian Paisley and politics of peace|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-mar-24-la-ed-paisley24-2010mar24-story.html |access-date=16 February 2012 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=24 March 2010}} from 1:45&nbsp;m into video</ref> He held up a red banner reading "Pope John Paul II ANTICHRIST". ] (the last ]), a ] (MEP) for Germany, snatched Paisley's banner, tore it up, and along with other MEPs helped eject him from the chamber.<ref name="Paisley makes point" /><ref name="BBCIreland" /><ref name="Paisley" /><ref name="NYT5" /><ref name="Cloud" /> The pope continued with his address after Paisley had been ejected.<ref name="BBCIreland" /><ref name="MacDonald" /><ref name="Angelique" />

=== Međugorje apparitions ===
{{see also|Our Lady of Međugorje}}
A number of quotes about the ], in ], have been attributed to John Paul II.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.medjugorje.org/pope.htm |title=Quotes From Pope John Paul II On Međugorje |publisher=Medjugorje.org |access-date=4 August 2012}}</ref> In 1998, when a certain German gathered various statements that were supposedly made by the pope and Cardinal Ratzinger, and then forwarded them to the Vatican in the form of a memorandum, Ratzinger responded in writing on 22 July 1998: "The only thing I can say regarding statements on ] ascribed to the Holy Father and myself is that they are complete invention".{{sfn|Kutleša|2001|p=283}} Similar claims were also rebuked by the Vatican's Secretariate of State.{{sfn|Kutleša|2001|p=256}}

=== Beatification controversy ===
Some Catholic theologians disagreed with the call for the beatification of John Paul&nbsp;II. Eleven dissident theologians, including ] professor José María Castillo and Italian theologian ], said that his stance against contraception and the ordination of women as well as the church scandals during his pontificate presented "facts which according to their consciences and convictions should be an obstacle to beatification".<ref>{{cite web |title=Dissident theologians participate in the canonization process of Pope John Paul II |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/5583/dissident-theologians-participate-in-the-canonization-process-of-pope-john-paul-ii |website=] |publisher=CNA |access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref> Some traditionalist Catholics opposed his beatification and canonisation for his views on liturgy and participation in prayer with enemies of the church, heretics and non-Christians.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Statement of Reservations Concerning the Impending Beatification of Pope John Paul II |date=21 March 2011 |author=Michael J. Matt |newspaper=] |access-date=2 May 2011|url=http://www.remnantnewspaper.com/2011-0331-statement-of-reservations-beatification.htm}}</ref>

After the 2020 report about the handling of the sexual misconduct complaints against ], some called for John Paul II's sainthood to be revoked.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2020/11/12/pope-francis-theodore-mccarrick-clergy-sex-abuse-eileen-mcnamara| title = 'The Halo Is Hopelessly Tarnished': Why The Sainthood Of John Paul II Should Be Rescinded| date = 12 November 2020}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
], maintained a thirty-year friendship with Pope John Paul II.]]
{{external media| float = right| video1 = , ]}}
Wojtyła was a ] football team supporter, and the club retired number 1 in his honour.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cracovia is about the people – John Paul II|url=https://en.cracovia.pl/football/club/historia/jan_pawel_ii|access-date=4 April 2019|publisher=en.cracovia.pl|date=9 September 2010}}</ref> Having played the game himself as a goalkeeper, John Paul II was a fan of English football team ], where his compatriot ] played in the same position.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pope supports Liverpool|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/3242602.stm|access-date=16 March 2016|work=BBC Sport|date=27 November 2003}}</ref>

In 1973, while still the archbishop of Kraków, Wojtyła befriended a Polish-born, later American philosopher, ]. The thirty-two-year friendship (and occasional academic collaboration) lasted until his death.<ref name="Stourton" /><ref name="Guardian-letters" /><ref name="Telegraph 2016" /> She served as his host when he visited New England in 1976, and photos show them together on skiing and camping trips.<ref name="Telegraph 2016" /> Letters that he wrote to her were part of a collection of documents sold by Tymieniecka's estate in 2008 to the ].<ref name="Telegraph 2016" /> According to the ] the library had initially kept the letters from public view, partly because of John Paul's path to sainthood, but a library official announced in February 2016 the letters would be made public.<ref name="Telegraph 2016" /><ref name="NYT-letters-show-deep">{{cite news|last1=Berendt|first1=Joanna|last2=Chan|first2=Sewell|title=Letters From Pope John Paul II Show Deep Friendship With Woman|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/16/world/europe/letters-from-pope-john-paul-ii-show-deep-friendship-with-woman.html|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=16 February 2016|date=15 February 2016}}</ref> In February 2016, the BBC documentary program '']'' reported that John Paul II had apparently had a close relationship with the Polish-born philosopher.<ref name="Telegraph 2016" /><ref name="Panarama"> by ], 15 February 2016</ref> The pair exchanged personal letters over 30 years, and Stourton believes that Tymieniecka had confessed her love for Wojtyła.<ref name="Stourton"/><ref name="Guardian2016"> by Stephanie Kirchgaessner, Rome, 15 February 2016</ref> The Vatican described the documentary as "more smoke than fire", and Tymieniecka denied being involved with John Paul II.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215094249/http://www.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/240672,Vatican-denies-JPII-letter-loveaffair-report |date=15 February 2016 }} 14 February 2016, The Vatican</ref><ref> by John Kelly, Mirror.co.uk News</ref>

Writers ], the veteran investigative journalist of the ], and Vatican expert ], were the first journalists to talk to Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka in the 1990s about her importance in John Paul's life. They interviewed her and dedicated 20 pages to her in their 1996 book ''His Holiness''.<ref name="Stourton" /><ref name="Bernstein/Politi"> by Barbi Latzu Nadeau, 15 February 2016</ref><ref>''His Holiness: John Paul II & the History of Our Time''—Carl Bernstein, Marco Politi (1996)</ref> Bernstein and Politi even asked her if she had ever developed any romantic relationship with John Paul II, "however one-sided it might have been". She responded, "No, I never fell in love with the cardinal. How could I fall in love with a middle-aged clergyman? Besides, I'm a married woman."<ref name="Stourton" /><ref name="Bernstein/Politi" />


== See also == == See also ==
{{Portal|Biography|Christianity|History|Judaism|Poland|Vatican City}}
*]
*] * ]
*] * ]
*] * ]
* ]
*]
* ]
*]
* ]
*]
*] * ]
* ]
*]
* ]
*] - Personal secretary
*] * ]
* ]
* ]

===People===
* ]
* ]


== References == == References ==
{{sisterlinks|Pope John Paul II}}
<div class="references-small">
*Szulc, Tad. ''Pope John Paul II: The Biography'', (ISBN 0-671-00047-0)
*The Pope Blog (2005). . Retrieved ] ]. (])
*''The Message of Fatima Tarcisio Bertone'' with introduction by ]. ''''
*""
*""
*""
* (] ]). '']''.
*D'Emilio, Frances (] ]). . ''The Associated Press'', published on ''Yahoo! News''.
*Domínguez, J. (no date). "". ''World Religions and 101 Cults''. Retrieved ] ].
* (] ]). ''BBC News''.
*Sean Gannon ] ])] Haaretz, Israel
* "" (] ]). '']''.
*Address of Bishop Stanislaw Dziwisz On Sunday, ] ] to the Catholic University of Lublin on the 20th anniversary of the assassination attempt, published by Catholic Culture:
*Time Magazine, ] ]:
*The Pope Blog (2005). . Retrieved ] ].
*Lorenzi, Rossella (] ]). . ''Discovery News''.
*Navarro-Valls, Joaquin (2005). . Retrieved ] ]. (''The Holy Father passed away at 9:37 this evening in his private apartment.'')
* (] ]). ''BBC News''.
* (] ]). ''The Associated Press'', republished on ''MSNBC''.
*St Anthony Messenger Press (2005). . Retrieved ] ].
*Interview with AM Programme, ''ABC Radio'' (Australia). ], ]. Subject: Death of Pope John Paul II; helicopter crash in Indonesia.
* (] ]). ''CNN''.
*Wojtyla, Karol (2005). . ]. Retrieved ] ].
* (] ]). ''CNN''.
*
*
* de Montfort, St. Louis-Marie Grignion. True Devotion to Mary. translated by Mark L. Jacobson, Aventine Press, 2007, (ISBN 1593304706).
</div>
=== Notes === === Notes ===
{{reflist|2}} {{notelist}}


==External links== === Citations ===
{{reflist|refs=
*
*
* http://www.ratzingerfanclub.com/JPII/tributes.html Link to collected tributes, writings and commentary on John Paul II
* ] ], the pictures]
*
* : text, concordances and frequency list
*
*
*
* Serapis Bey announced on May 1, 2005: "''John Paul II has entered into the Oneness of the Eternal Life with his own God Presence.''"
*
*{{dmoz|Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Christianity/Denominations/Catholicism/Popes/J/John_Paul_II/}}


<ref name="A&E">{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/people/john-paul-ii-9355652 |title=John Paul II Biography (1920–2005) |publisher=] |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>
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<ref name="ADL2006">{{cite web |url=http://www.adl.org/interfaith/JohnPaul_II_Visit.pdf |title=Pope John Paul II's Visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority: A Pilgrimage of Prayer, Hope and Reconciliation |last=Klenicki |first=Rabbi Leon |date=13 April 2006 |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |access-date=1 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081128213732/http://www.adl.org/Interfaith/JohnPaul_II_Visit.pdf |archive-date=28 November 2008 }}</ref>
{{s-bef|before=]}}

{{s-ttl|title=]|years=1963 &ndash; 1978}}
<ref name="AIJAC">{{cite web |url=http://www.aijac.org.au/?id=articles&_action=showArticleDetails&articleID=526 |title=AIJAC expresses sorrow at Pope's passing |date=4 April 2005 |publisher=] |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>
{{s-aft|after=]}}

{{s-bef|before=]}}
<ref name="ADL2">{{cite web |title=Pope John Paul II: 'An Appreciation: A Visionary Remembered' |last=Jacobson |first=Kenneth |date=2 April 2005 |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |access-date=22 December 2011 |url=http://www.adl.org/main_Interfaith/int_johnpaul_remembered.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119052309/http://www.adl.org/main_Interfaith/int_johnpaul_remembered.htm |archive-date=19 January 2012 }}</ref>
{{s-ttl|title=]|years=1978 &ndash; 2005}}

<ref name="Adherents">{{cite web |url=http://www.adherents.com/people/pg/Galileo_Galilei.html |title=The Religion of Galileo Galilei, Astronomer and Scientist |publisher=Adherents |year=2011 |access-date=12 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629080248/http://www.adherents.com/people/pg/Galileo_Galilei.html |archive-date=29 June 2011 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

<ref name="ABC">{{cite news |url=http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200601/s1558425.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011084853/http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200601/s1558425.htm |archive-date=11 October 2007 |title=Vatican May Have Found Pope John Paul's 'Miracle' |date=31 January 2006|agency=Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, CNN, BBC World Service |publisher= ] |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="abcNews">{{cite news |url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/theworldnewser/2009/11/pope-john-paul-iis-sainthood-on-fast-track.html |title=Pope John Paul II's Sainthood on Fast Track—The World Newser |work=ABC News |access-date=18 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091119103108/http://blogs.abcnews.com/theworldnewser/2009/11/pope-john-paul-iis-sainthood-on-fast-track.html |archive-date=19 November 2009 }}</ref>

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<ref name="Akin">{{cite web |url=http://www.jimmyakin.org/2006/04/jp2_and_the_qur.html |title=John Paul II Kisses The Qur'an |last=Akin |first=Jimmy |date=6 April 2006 |publisher=JimmyAkin.org |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>
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<ref name="Angelique">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2004/sep/16/northernireland.northernireland |last=Chrisafis |first=Angelique |title=The Return of Dr No |work=The Guardian |date=16 September 2004 |location=London |access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref>

<ref name="archive">Roberts, Genevieve. {{cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20050403/ai_n13509294 |title=The Death of Pope John Paul II: 'He Saved My Life—with Tea & Bread' |access-date=1 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215035053/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20050403/ai_n13509294 |archive-date=15 December 2007}}, '']'', 3 April 2005. Retrieved 17 June 2007.</ref>

<ref name="AsiaNews">{{cite news |url=http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=2947&dos=48&size=A |title=The Philippines, 1995: Pope Dreams of "The Third Millennium of Asia" |date=4 April 2005 |publisher=AsiaNews |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="Atonement">{{cite web|url=http://www.atonementonline.com/intro.php |title=An Introduction to the Parish Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church |publisher=Our Lady of the Atonement |access-date=1 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226025813/http://www.atonementonline.com/intro.php |archive-date=26 December 2008 }}</ref>

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<ref name="Catholic">{{cite news|url=http://www.archive.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000522.shtml |title=Child 'Able to Walk Again' After Praying at Pope's Tomb |work=Catholic Herald |access-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117035241/http://www.archive.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000522.shtml |archive-date=17 January 2012 }}</ref>

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<ref name="Kuhiwczak">{{cite news |url=http://www.thenews.pl/news/artykul21561.html |title=A Literary Pope |last=Kuhiwczak |first=Piotr |date=1 January 2007 |publisher=] |access-date=1 May 2011}}</ref>

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<ref name="ItalianPanel">{{cite news | title=Soviets 'had Pope shot for backing Solidarity' | newspaper=] | date=3 March 2006 | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/1512012/Soviets-had-Pope-shot-for-backing-Solidarity.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/1512012/Soviets-had-Pope-shot-for-backing-Solidarity.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

<ref name="Memory">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/pope/stories/legacy/index.html |title=John Paul II: A Strong Moral Vision |date=11 February 2005 |work=CNN|access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="Krohn">{{cite news |title=Pope John Paul 'Wounded' in 1982 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7673443.stm |work=BBC News |access-date=1 January 2009 |date=16 October 2008}}</ref>

<ref name="Mexico">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/30/world/pope-to-visit-a-mexico-divided-over-his-teachings.html |title=Pope to Visit a Mexico Divided Over His Teachings |last=Thompson |first=Ginger |date=30 July 2002 |work=The New York Times |access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref>

<ref name="FirstSpeech">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4462443.stm |title=Text: Benedict XVI's first speech |date=19 April 2005 |work=BBC News |access-date=1 January 2009|quote=Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble worker in the Lord's vineyard. The fact that the Lord can work and act even with insufficient means consoles me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers. In the joy of the resurrected Lord, we go on with his help. He is going to help us and Mary will be on our side. Thank you.}}</ref>

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<ref name="OnThisDay">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/2/newsid_3972000/3972361.stm |title=1979: Millions Cheer as the Pope Comes Home |work=BBC News |access-date=1 January 2009 |date=2 June 1979}}</ref>

<ref name="JohnJay">{{cite book<!--gives italic title--> |author=Terry, Karen |title=The Nature and Scope of the Problem of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests and Deacons |publisher=John Jay College of Criminal Justice |year=2004 |url=http://www.usccb.org/nrb/johnjaystudy/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050425210409/http://www.usccb.org/nrb/johnjaystudy/ |archive-date=25 April 2005|display-authors=etal}}</ref>

<ref name="Online News">{{cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/religion/jan-june00/apology_3-13.html |title=Online News Hour—A Papal Apology |access-date=1 January 2009 |publisher=MacNeil/Lehrer Productions |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706000218/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/religion/jan-june00/apology_3-13.html |archive-date=6 July 2008 }}</ref>

<ref name="LastWords">{{cite news |url=http://www.catholicculture.org/news/features/index.cfm?recnum=39699 |title=Final Days, Last Words of Pope John Paul II |date=20 September 2005 |publisher=Catholic World News (CWN) |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="Pace preventiva">]. ''La Pace Preventiva.'' ]: San Paolo 2004.</ref>

<ref name="Last Will">{{cite web|url=http://www.zenit.org/article-12691?l=english |title=ZENIT: ''John Paul II's Last Will and Testament'' |access-date=1 January 2009 |publisher=Innovative Media, Inc |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917184838/http://www.zenit.org/article-12691?l=english |archive-date=17 September 2008 }}</ref>

<ref name="pbs"> Synopsis "Pope John Paul II-The Millennial Pope" ''Frontline''</ref>

<ref name="Moore1">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2009919/Pope-John-Paul-II-on-course-to-become-saint-in-record-time.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2009919/Pope-John-Paul-II-on-course-to-become-saint-in-record-time.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Pope John Paul II on Course to Become Saint in Record Time |last=Moore |first=Malcolm |date=22 May 2008 |work=Daily Telegraph |location=UK |access-date=1 January 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

<ref name="Philharmonic">{{cite web|url=http://www.lpc.org.uk/tour_200401_rome.html |title=Papal Concert of Reconciliation |date=11 January 2005 |publisher=London Philharmonic Choir |access-date=1 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120125830/http://www.lpc.org.uk/tour_200401_rome.html |archive-date=20 November 2008 }}</ref>

<ref name="MacDonald">{{cite news |last=MacDonald |first=Susan |title=Paisley Ejected for Insulting Pope |work=The Times |date=2 October 1988}}</ref>

<ref name="Ökumenisches Treffen mit der evangelisch-lutherischen Gemeinde von Rom">{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1983/december/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19831211_incontro-ecumenico_ge.html |title=Ökumenisches Treffen mit der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Gemeinde von Rom |publisher=Vatican.va |access-date=3 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729082347/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1983/december/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19831211_incontro-ecumenico_ge.html |archive-date=29 July 2013 }}</ref>

<ref name="Pope John Paul II Visits the US, 1977 Year in Review">{{cite news |url=http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1979/Pope-John-Paul-II-Visits-the-U.S./12311692377023-6/ |title=Pope John Paul II Visits the U.S., 1977 Year in Review |publisher=UPI |access-date=12 September 2010}}</ref>

<ref name="Metro">{{cite news|url=http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/homepage/x1864535984 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121209091254/http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/homepage/x1864535984 |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 December 2012 |title=John Paul II on Fast Track for Canonisation—Framingham, Massachusetts—The MetroWest Daily News |newspaper=Metrowest Daily News |access-date=1 January 2009 }}</ref>

<ref name="PopeEgypt">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/654651.stm |title=Pope Pleads for Harmony between Faiths |date=24 February 2000 |work=BBC News |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="Miracle-americancatholic">{{cite news|url=http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/JohnPaulII/JPIInun.asp |title=French nun says life has changed since she was healed thanks to JPII |access-date=1 January 2009 |publisher=Catholic News Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090407012845/http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/JohnPaulII/JPIInun.asp |archive-date=7 April 2009 }}</ref>

<ref name="Pope phones Bono">{{cite web |url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news-article/eno-lets-bono-speak-to-the-pope |title=U2—Eno Lets Bono Speak to the Pope |publisher=Contact Music |year=2010 |access-date=22 December 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="Miracle-catholicnews">{{cite news|url=http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0901522.htm |title=CNS STORY: For Pope John Paul II, Beatification Process may be on Final Lap |publisher=] |access-date=1 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20091005064512/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0901522.htm |archive-date=5 October 2009 }}</ref>`

<ref name="PTWF">{{cite web |url=http://www.pavethewayfoundation.org/Projects/MissionToVatican/PhotoPage2.htm |title=Largest Gathering of Jewish Leaders to Ever Meet With a Sitting Pope |work=PTWF |publisher=2004–2009 ], Inc |access-date=1 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408114431/http://www.pavethewayfoundation.org/Projects/MissionToVatican/PhotoPage2.htm |archive-date=8 April 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="MMoore">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1564061/Clamour-for-free-Pope-John-Paul-II-relics.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1564061/Clamour-for-free-Pope-John-Paul-II-relics.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Clamour for free Pope John Paul II relics |last=Moore |first=Malcolm |date=25 September 2007 |newspaper=The Telegraph |access-date=1 January 2009 |location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

<ref name="Religion: Berating Marxism's False Hopes">{{cite magazine |last=Ostling |first=Richard N. |author2=Roberto Suro |title=Religion: Berating Marxism's False Hopes |magazine=] |date=10 September 1984 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,952528,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101029142510/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,952528,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 October 2010 |access-date=27 July 2011}}{{Subscription required}}</ref>

<ref name="Murphy-Brian">{{cite news |last=Murphy |first=Brian |title=Faithful hold key to 'the Great' honour for John Paul |agency=Associated Press |date=5 April 2005}}</ref>

<ref name="Quotes">{{cite web |url=http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/pope_john_paul_ii.html |title=Pope John Paul II Quotes |publisher=brainymedia.com |year=2007 |access-date=11 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="ncregister">{{cite web |url=http://catholic.net/index.php?size=mas&id=2673&option=dedestaca |title=Blessed John Paul II? |publisher=ncregister.com |access-date=7 March 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="Rise">{{cite book|first1=Pope |last1=John Paul II |title=Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way |publisher=Warner Books |isbn=978-0-446-57781-6 |year=2004 |url=https://archive.org/details/riseletusbeonour00john }}</ref>

<ref name="NCR2">{{cite news |url=http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/update/conclave/jp_obit_main.htm |title=The Death of the Pope: Analysis of Pope John Paul II's reign |last=Allen |first=John L. Jr. |newspaper=National Catholic Reporter |access-date=12 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="Salinger2005">{{cite book |author=Lawrence M. Salinger |title=Encyclopedia of White-Collar & Corporate Crime |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AXS6jz6AeQ0C |access-date=25 January 2012 |year=2005 |publisher=Sage |isbn=978-0-7619-3004-4}}</ref>

<ref name="PopeApologises">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1671540.stm |title=Pope sends first e-mail apology |work=BBC News |date=23 November 2001 |quote=from a laptop in the Vatican's frescoed Clementine Hall the 81-year-old pontiff transmitted the message, his first 'virtual' apology. |access-date=30 January 2012}}</ref>

<ref name="SanFrancisco">{{cite news |title=The 1981 Assassination Attempt of Pope John Paul II, The Grey Wolves, and Turkish & U.S. Government Intelligence Agencies |last=Lee |first=Martin A. |date=14 May 2001 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Guardian |pages=23, 25}}</ref>

<ref name="Noonan">{{cite news |url=http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110002074 |title=John Paul the Great: What the 12 Million Know—and I Found Out Too |last=Noonan |first=Peggy |author-link=Peggy Noonan |date=2 August 2002 |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="scapolare">{{cite book |title=Lo Scapolare del Carmelo |language=it |trans-title=The Scapular of Carmel |publisher=Shalom |year=2005 |isbn=978-88-8404-081-7 |page=6}}</ref>

<ref name="Noonan2">{{cite book|last=Noonan |first=Peggy |author-link=Peggy Noonan |title=John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father |publisher=Penguin Group (USA) |date=November 2005 |isbn=978-0-670-03748-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/johnpaulgreatrem00noon |access-date=1 January 2009 }}</ref>

<ref name="Shoah Speech">{{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1994/april/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19940407_shoah_en.html |title=Address of His Holiness John Paul II to a Group of Jewish Leaders and Persons Responsible for the Organization of the Concert in Commemoration of the Shoah |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="NYT5">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/16/weekinreview/headliners-papal-audience.html |title=Headliners; Papal Audience |work=The New York Times |date=16 October 1988 |access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref>

<ref name="ShortBio">{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_breve_en.html |title=His Holiness John Paul II : Short Biography |date=30 June 2005 |work=] |access-date=1 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081230180529/https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_breve_en.html |archive-date=30 December 2008 }}</ref>

<ref name="OReilly-David">{{cite news |last=O'Reilly |first=David |title=Papal Legacy: Will History use the name John Paul the Great? |publisher=Knight Ridder Newspapers |newspaper=Detroit Free Press |date=4 April 2005 |quote=Pope John Paul the Great was a name suggested by many for Karol Józef Wojtyła. Through all its long history, the Catholic Church has conferred the posthumous title of "Great" on just two popes: Leo I and Gregory I, both of whom reigned in the first thousand years of Christianity}}</ref>

<ref name="Spiegel2">{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,348471,00.html |title=The Pope's Contradictions |last=Küng |first=Hans |date=26 March 2005 |work=Der Spiegel |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="Opus2">{{cite web |url=http://www.americamagazine.org/content/articles/martin-opusdei.cfm |title=Opus Dei in The United States |last=Martin, S.J. |first=James |date=25 February 1995 |publisher=America Press Inc. |access-date=10 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116173841/http://www.americamagazine.org/content/articles/martin-opusdei.cfm |archive-date=16 January 2009 }}</ref>

<ref name="Tagliabue">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/25/world/pope-bolsters-church-s-support-for-scientific-view-of-evolution.html |title=Pope Bolsters Church Support for Evolution |last=Tagliabue |first=John |date=25 October 1996 |work=The New York Times |access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref>

<ref name="Paisley">{{cite web |url=http://www.ianpaisley.org/article.asp?ArtKey=docs |title=Historical Documents Reveal Former Pope's Plans |first=Ian R.K. |last=Paisley |work=ianpaisley.org |year=2012 |access-date=28 January 2012}}</ref>

<ref name="Parkinsons2001">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1944464.stm |title=Profile: Pope John Paul II |work=BBC News |date=February 2005 |access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref>

<ref name="Time1978">{{cite news |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,912229,00.html |title=A "Foreign" Pope |date=30 October 1978 |work=Time magazine |page=1 |access-date=1 January 2009}} {{Subscription required}}</ref>

<ref name="Pisa">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/1513421/Vatican-hid-Popes-Parkinsons-disease-diagnosis-for-12-years.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/1513421/Vatican-hid-Popes-Parkinsons-disease-diagnosis-for-12-years.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Vatican hid Pope's Parkinson's Disease Diagnosis for 12 Years |last=Pisa |first=Nick |date=18 March 2006 |work=Daily Telegraph |access-date=1 January 2009 |location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

<ref name="Time1978b">{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,912229-4,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071104001716/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,912229-4,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 November 2007 |title=A Foreign Pope |date=30 October 1978 |work=Time magazine |page=4 |access-date=1 January 2009}} {{Subscription required}}</ref>

<ref name="Poland2006">{{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2006/may/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060525_poland-clergy_en.html |title=Pastoral Visit by Pope Benedict XVI to Poland 2006: Address by the Holy Father |date=25 May 2006 |publisher=Libreria Editrice Vaticana |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="Pope John Paul II's body exhumed ahead of beatification">{{cite news |title=Pope John Paul II's Body Exhumed ahead of Beatification Mass|url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2011-04-29/pope-john-paul-iis-body-exhumed-ahead-beatification-mass |website=Public Radio International|date=29 April 2011|access-date=15 June 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="Teoctist">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/obituaries/02teoctist.html |title=Patriarch Teoctist, 92, Romanian Who Held Out Hand to John Paul II, Dies |last=Brunwasser |first=Matthew |date=2 August 2007 |work=The New York Times |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="Retire2">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6288165.stm |title=Late Pope 'Thought of Retiring' |date=22 January 2007 |work=BBC News |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="upi">{{cite news |url=http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1978/The-Election-of-Pope-John-Paul-II/12309251197005-5/ |title=1978 Year in Review: The Election of Pope John Paul II |publisher=UPI |date=6 December 1978 |access-date=17 February 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="Qu'ran">{{cite web |url=http://www.traditioninaction.org/RevolutionPhotos/A055rcKoran.htm |title=John Paul II kisses the Koran |date=14 May 1999 |publisher=Tradition in Action |access-date=12 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="Ukraine">{{cite web |url=http://irs.ucu.edu.ua/en/projects/visit-of-pope-john-paul-ii/ |title=Visit of Pope John Paul II to Ukraine |publisher=The Institute of Religion and Society |location=Lviv |access-date=1 May 2011 |archive-date=9 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209180453/http://irs.ucu.edu.ua/en/projects/visit-of-pope-john-paul-ii/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name="Ratti">{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D02EED61130EE3ABC4F53DFB4668389639EDE |title=Cardinal Ratti New Pope as Pius XI |date=7 February 1922 |work=The New York Times |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="Timeline">{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_pontificato_en.html#1994 |title=Events in the Pontificate of John Paul II |access-date=12 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028195940/https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_pontificato_en.html |archive-date=28 October 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="Ratti2">{{cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/02/07/98979971.pdf |title=Cardinal Ratti New Pope as Pius XI, Full Article|date=7 February 1922 |work=The New York Times |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="Travels – Federal Republic of Germany 1980 – John Paul II – The Holy Father – The Holy See">{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/travels/sub_index1980/trav_germania_en.htm |title=Travels—Federal Republic of Germany 1980—John Paul II |publisher=Vatican.va |access-date=3 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505133555/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/travels/sub_index1980/trav_germania_en.htm |archive-date=5 May 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="Reuters3">{{cite news |title=John Paul was Wounded in 1982 Stabbing, Aide Reveals |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSTRE49E5RM20081015 |work=Reuters |access-date=1 January 2009 |date=15 October 2008}}</ref>

<ref name="upi2">{{cite news |url=http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1981/Pope-John-Paul-II-Assasination-Attempt/12311754163167-6/ |title=1981 Year in Review: Pope John Paul II Assassination Attempt |publisher=UPI |date=20 June 1981 |access-date=17 February 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="Saints2">{{cite news |url=http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5603 |publisher=Catholic Online |title=St. Josemaría Escriva de Balaguer |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="Thomas2000">{{cite book |author=Gordon Thomas |title=Gideon's Spies—Mossad's Secret Warriors|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p1ylPwAACAAJ |access-date=15 December 2011|year=2000 |publisher=Pan Books|isbn=978-0-330-37537-5}}</ref>

<ref name="sexabusereport">{{cite news |last=Filteau |first=Jerry |title=Report says Clergy Sexual Abuse Brought 'Smoke of Satan' into Church |publisher=Catholic News Service |year=2004 |url=http://www.catholicnews.com/data/abuse/abuse08.htm |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20091004222624/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/abuse/abuse08.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 October 2009 |access-date=10 March 2008}}</ref>

<ref name="ThePlot">{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/specials/911/la-na-plot-1sep01.story|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030412091134/http://www.latimes.com/news/specials/911/la-na-plot-1sep01.story|archive-date=12 April 2003 |title=The Plot |last=McDermott |first=Terry |date=1 September 2002 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="SanRufino">{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1986/october/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19861027_san-rufino-assisi_en.html |title=Address to the Representatives of the other Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities |date=27 October 1986 |publisher=Libreria Editrice Vaticana |access-date=12 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417143557/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1986/october/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19861027_san-rufino-assisi_en.html |archive-date=17 April 2009 }}</ref>

<ref name="Southern">{{cite web |url=http://www.scross.co.za/?s=John+Paul+the+Great |title=The Southern Cross: John Paul the Great |access-date=1 January 2009 |publisher=The Southern Cross 2008 by Posmay Media}}</ref>

<ref name="sexabuse">{{cite news |last=Owen |first=Richard |title=Pope Calls for Continuous Prayer to Rid Priesthood of Paedophilia |work=Times Online UK edition |date=7 January 2008 |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3142511.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109190530/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3142511.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 January 2008 |access-date=31 March 2008|location=London}}</ref>

<ref name="Trinity">{{cite news |url=http://www.catholicculture.org/news/features/index.cfm?recnum=42131 |title=Miracle attributed to John Paul II involved Parkinson's disease |date=30 January 2006 |work=Catholic World News (CWN) |publisher=2009 Trinity Communications |access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref>

<ref name="Shame">{{cite news |url=http://www.thenation.com/article/160242/shame-john-paul-ii-how-sex-abuse-scandal-stained-his-papacy |title=The Shame of John Paul II: How the Sex Abuse Scandal Stained His Papacy |work=The Nation |first=Jason |last=Berry |date=16 May 2011 |access-date=24 January 2012}}</ref>

<ref name="TimesOnline">{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article575133.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070326231543/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article575133.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 March 2007 |title=Plea to Pope from 'God's banker' Revealed as Murder Trial Begins |work=The Times |date=6 October 2005|location=London |first=Sadie |last=Gray}}</ref>

<ref name="Vatican2">{{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_prepontificato_en.html#1946 |title=His Holiness John Paul II, Biography, Pre-Pontificate |publisher=Holy See |access-date=1 January 2008}}</ref>

<ref name="Vatican3">{{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/travels/2000/travels/documents/trav_holyland-2000.html |title=Jubilee Pilgrimage to the Holy Land |publisher=Holy See |access-date=19 November 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="Vatican5">{{cite web |url=http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/2000/jan-mar/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20000321_wadi-al-kharrar.html |title=Visit to Wadi Al-Kharrar, Prayer of the Holy Father |publisher=Holy See |access-date=19 November 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="Vatican6">{{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/travels/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20000322_bethlehem.html |title=Homily of John Paul II, Mass in the Manger Square |publisher=Holy See |access-date=19 November 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="Vatican7">{{cite web |url=http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/travels/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20000326_holy-sepulchre.html |title=Homily of John Paul II, Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre |publisher=Holy See |access-date=19 November 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="USCCB_Bio">{{cite web |url=http://www.usccb.org/comm/popejohnpaulii/biography.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707163440/http://www.usccb.org/comm/popejohnpaulii/biography.shtml |archive-date=7 July 2011 |title=Pope John Paul II: A Light for the World |access-date=1 January 2009 |publisher=United States Council of Catholic Bishops |year=2003}}</ref>

<ref name="Zenit5">{{cite web|url=http://www.zenit.org/article-6191?l=english |title=John Paul II to Publish First Poetic Work as Pope |date=7 January 2003 |publisher=ZENIT Innovative Media, Inc |access-date=1 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529201813/http://www.zenit.org/article-6191?l=english |archive-date=29 May 2008 }}</ref>

<ref name="VaticanNewsService">{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_breve_en.html |title=Short biography |publisher=vatican.va |access-date=25 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081230180529/https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_breve_en.html |archive-date=30 December 2008 }}</ref>

<ref name="Vatican-bio-en">{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_pontificato_en.html |title=Events in the Pontificate of John Paul II |publisher=vatican.va |access-date=1 January 2009 |date=30 June 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028195940/https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_pontificato_en.html |archive-date=28 October 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="VaticanOrdinatio">{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_22051994_ordinatio-sacerdotalis_en.html |title=Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis of John Paul II to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Reserving Priestly Ordination to Men Alone |publisher=Libreria Editrice Vaticana |access-date=24 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118205206/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_22051994_ordinatio-sacerdotalis_en.html |archive-date=18 January 2012 }}</ref>

<ref name="vatican1">{{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/2004/june/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20040604_president-usa_en.html |title=Address of Pope John Paul II to the Honorable George W. Bush President of the United States of America |date=4 June 2004 |publisher=Vatican.va |access-date=19 August 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="WQED">{{cite press release|url=http://www.wqed.org/press/papal_concert.shtml |title=WQED/PBS Present 'A Celebration of Faiths: the Papal Concert of Reconciliaton' A 90 Minute Television Special |publisher=WQED |access-date=1 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090308093721/http://www.wqed.org/press/papal_concert.shtml |archive-date=8 March 2009 }}</ref>

<ref name="www">{{cite web |url=http://www.bc.edu/research/cjl/meta-elements/texts/cjrelations/resources/documents/catholic/johnpaulii/romesynagogue.htm |title=Address at the Great Synagogue of Rome |date=13 April 1986 |access-date=1 January 2009 |publisher=Boston College |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708235855/http://www.bc.edu/research/cjl/meta-elements/texts/cjrelations/resources/documents/catholic/johnpaulii/romesynagogue.htm |archive-date=8 July 2008 }}</ref>

<ref name="vatican">{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/travels/sub_index1989/trav_nord-europa_en.htm |title=Apostolic pilgrimage to Norway, Iceland, Finland, Denmark and Sweden (June 1–10, 1989) |publisher=Vatican.va |access-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207174740/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/travels/sub_index1989/trav_nord-europa_en.htm |archive-date=7 February 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="Zenit3">{{cite web |url=http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/john-paul-ii-s-cause-for-beatification-opens |title=John Paul II's Cause for Beatification Opens |date=28 June 2005 |publisher=ZENIT |access-date=22 October 2012}}</ref>

<ref name="Vicariato">]:A nun tells her story.... 2009</ref>

<ref name="Willan">{{cite news|url=http://www.sundayherald.com/international/shinternational/display.var.1329693.0.no_more_shortcuts_on_pope_john_pauls_road_to_sainthood.php |title=No More Shortcuts on Pope John Paul II's Road to Sainthood |last=Willan |first=Philip |work=Sunday Herald |access-date=1 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080210075702/http://www.sundayherald.com/international/shinternational/display.var.1329693.0.no_more_shortcuts_on_pope_john_pauls_road_to_sainthood.php |archive-date=10 February 2008 }}</ref>

<ref name="Westcott">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6504233.stm |title=Vatican Under Pressure in Pope John Paul II Push |last=Westcott |first=Kathryn |date=2 April 2007 |work=BBC News |access-date=22 October 2012}}</ref>

<ref name="yahoo">{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2011/03/30/gold_coin_marks_beatification_of_john_paul_ii/ |title=Gold Coin Marks Beatification of John Paul II |work=The Boston Globe |date=30 March 2011 |issn=0743-1791 |access-date=22 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106021948/http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2011/03/30/gold_coin_marks_beatification_of_john_paul_ii/ |archive-date=6 November 2013 }}</ref>

<ref name="Walsh">{{cite book |last=Walsh |title=John Paul II: A Light for the World |url=https://archive.org/details/johnpaulii00mary |url-access=registration |year=2003 |page=|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9781580511421 }}</ref>

<ref name="vatdocord">{{cite news|url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20051104_istruzione_en.html |author=Pope Benedict XVI |publisher=Vatican |year=2005 |title=Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders |access-date=9 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225072042/https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20051104_istruzione_en.html |archive-date=25 February 2008 }}</ref>

<ref name="VaticanStudy">{{cite web|url=http://www.zenit.org/article-9560?l=english |title=Vatican Study on Sex Abuse |first=Delia |last=Gallagher |publisher=Zenit |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316160509/http://www.zenit.org/article-9560?l=english |archive-date=16 March 2012 }}</ref>
}}

=== Sources ===
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{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last=Kutleša |first=Dražen |author-link=Dražen Kutleša |date=2001 |title=Ogledalo pravde |trans-title=Mirror of Justice |language=hr |location=Mostar |publisher=Biskupski ordinarijat Mostar }}
* {{cite web |first=Tarcisio |last=Bertone |author-link=Tarcisio Bertone |url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000626_message-fatima_en.html |title=The Message of Fátima |access-date=1 January 2009 |publisher=The Holy See |ref={{sfnRef|Bertone|2000–2009}} |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821235203/https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000626_message-fatima_en.html |archive-date=21 August 2014 }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.vicariatusurbis.org/Beatificazione/English/HomePage.htm |title=Cause for Beatification and Canonization of The Servant of God: ''John Paul II'' |publisher=Vicariato di Roma |access-date=1 January 2009 |ref=Vicariato70 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091230032224/http://www.vicariatusurbis.org/beatificazione/English/HomePage.htm |archive-date=30 December 2009 }}
* {{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4253415.stm |title='Cured' Pope Returns to Vatican |date=10 February 2005 |work=BBC News |access-date=22 October 2014 |ref=BBC71 }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.religion-cults.com/pope/communism.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040406114902/http://www.religion-cults.com/pope/communism.htm |archive-date=6 April 2004 |title=Pope John Paul II and Communism |last=Domínguez |first=Juan |date=4 April 2005 |publisher=religion-cults.com |access-date=1 January 2009 }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3699&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=441440 |title=13 May 1981 Conference of Bishop Stanisław Dziwisz For Honorary Doctorate |date=13 May 2001 |last=Dziwisz |first=Bishop Stanisław |publisher=CatholicCulture.org |access-date=1 January 2009 |author-link=Stanisław Dziwisz }}
* {{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4399189.stm |title=Frail Pope Suffers Heart Failure |date=1 April 2005 |work=BBC News |access-date=22 October 2014 |ref={{sfnRef|BBC 2005-04-01}} }}
* {{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,925231,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050210002720/http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,925231,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 February 2005 |title=Half Alive: The Pope Vs. His Doctors |access-date=1 January 2009 |date=25 January 1982 |work=Time magazine |ref={{sfnRef|Time Magazine 1982-01-25}} }}{{Subscription required}}
* {{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7022618 |title=Pope Back at Vatican by Easter? It's Possible |access-date=1 January 2009 |date=3 March 2005 |agency=Associated Press |work=NBC News }}
* {{cite news |url=http://www1.voanews.com/policy/editorials/a-41-2005-04-06-voa7-83104472.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140201171824/http://www1.voanews.com/policy/editorials/a-41-2005-04-06-voa7-83104472.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 February 2014 |title=Pope John Paul II |author=Editorial |publisher=Voice Of America |date=5 April 2005 |access-date=2 February 2014 }}
* {{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4344923.stm |title=Pope Returns to Vatican after op |access-date=22 October 2014 |date=13 March 2005 |work=BBC News }}
* {{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/papal-fallibility-1.184795 |title=Papal Fallibility |author=Sean Gannon |date=7 April 2006 |newspaper=] |access-date=22 October 2014 }}
* {{cite news |url=http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1538173,00.html |title=Stasi Files Implicate KGB in Pope Shooting |publisher=Deutsche Welle |access-date=22 October 2014 }}
* {{cite news |title=Pope John Paul II's Final Days |url=http://www.americancatholic.org/news/pope/popehospitalized/ |work=St Anthony Messenger Press |publisher=AmericanCatholic.org |access-date=1 January 2009 |archive-date=20 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120040029/http://www.americancatholic.org/news/pope/popehospitalized |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article376429.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601012557/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article376429.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 June 2010 |title=Kracow Lights a Candle for its Favourite Son's Last Fight |last=Tchorek |first=Kamil |author2=Roger Boyes |date=2 April 2005 |newspaper=] |access-date=1 January 2009 |location=London }}{{Subscription required}}
* {{cite news |first=Alessio |last=Vinci |title=Vatican source: Pope Given Last Rites |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/03/31/pope1/index.html |work=CNN |access-date=1 January 2009 |date=1 April 2005 }}
* {{cite news |author=Alessio Vinci |author2=Chris Burns |author3=Jim Bittermann |author4=Miguel Marquez |author5=Walter Rodgers |author6=Christiane Amanpour |author7=John Allen |title=World Awaits Word on Pope's Condition |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/04/01/pope1/index.html |work=CNN |access-date=22 October 2014 |date=2 April 2005 }}
{{Refend}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{See also|Pope John Paul II bibliography}}
<!-- Please order books alphabetically by the author's last name -->
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last=Berry |first=Jason |author-link=Jason Berry |author2=Gerald Renner |title=Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II |publisher=Free Press |location=New York, London, Toronto, Sydney |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7432-4441-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/vowsofsilenceabu00berr }}
* {{cite book |last=Davies |first=Norman |author-link=Norman Davies |title=Rising '44: The Battle for Warsaw |publisher=Viking Penguin |location=London |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-670-03284-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/rising44battlefo00norm }}
* {{cite book |last=de Montfort |first=St. Louis-Marie Grignion|others=Mark L. Jacobson (Translator) |title=True Devotion to Mary |publisher=Avetine Press |location=San Diego, California |date=27 March 2007 |isbn=978-1-59330-470-6 |ref=de Montfort73 |author-link=Louis de Montfort}}
* {{cite book |last=Duffy |first=Eamon |author-link=Eamon Duffy |title=Saints and Sinners, a History of the Popes |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2006 |edition=Third |isbn=978-0-300-11597-0 |ref=Yale06 |url=https://archive.org/details/00book1593273669 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Hebblethwaite |first1=Peter |author-link1=Peter Hebblethwaite |title=Pope John Paul II and the Church |publisher=1995 Rowman & Littlefield |location=London |isbn=978-1-55612-814-1 |year=1995 }}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Mannion |editor-first=Gerard |url=http://www.litpress.org/Detail.aspx?ISBN=9780814653098 |title=The Vision of John Paul II: Assessing His Thought and Influence |publisher=Liturgical Press |location=Collegeville, Mn. |isbn=978-0-8146-5309-8 |year=2008 }}
* {{cite book |last=Maxwell-Stuart |first=P.G. |title=Chronicle of the Popes: Trying to Come Full Circle |publisher=Thames & Hudson |location=London |year=2006 |orig-year=1997 |isbn=978-0-500-28608-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/chronicleofpopes0000maxw }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.indianchristianity.com/html/menachery/html/GeorgeMenachery.htm |title=John Paul II Election Surprises |last=Menachery |first=Prof. George |date=11 November 1978 }}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.indianchristianity.com/html/Books8.htm |title=Last days of Pope John Paul II |last=Menachery |first=Prof. George |date=11 April 2005 }}{{dead link|date=November 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* {{cite book |last=Meissen |first=Randall |title=Living Miracles: The Spiritual Sons of John Paul the Great|publisher=Mission Network |location=Alpharetta, Ga. |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-933271-27-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Noonan |first=Peggy |author-link=Peggy Noonan |title=John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father |publisher=Penguin Group (USA) |location=New York |date=November 2005 |isbn=978-0-670-03748-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/johnpaulgreatrem00noon |access-date=1 January 2009 }}
* {{cite book |url=https://www.vatican.va/gpII/bulletin/B0183-XX.01.pdf |title=Il Santo Padre è deceduto questa sera alle ore 21.37 nel Suo appartamento privato |last=Navarro-Valls |first=Joaquin |date=2 April 2005 |publisher=The Holy See |language=it |ref={{sfnRef|Navarro-Valls 2 April 2005}} |trans-title=The Holy Father passed away at 9:37 this evening in his private apartment. }}
* {{cite book |last=O'Connor |first=Garry |title=Universal Father: A Life of Pope John Paul II |publisher=2005 ] |location=London |isbn=978-0-7475-8241-0 |url=http://www.bloomsbury.com/garryoconnor |access-date=1 January 2009 |year=2006 |archive-date=14 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214121842/http://www.bloomsbury.com/garryoconnor |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book |author=Pope John Paul II |title=''Memory and Identity''—Personal Reflections |publisher=2006 Weidenfeld & Nicolson |location=London |isbn=978-0-297-85075-5 |year=2005 |title-link=Memory and Identity }}
* {{cite book |last1=Renehan |first1=Edward |author-link1=Edward J. Renehan Jr. |last2=Schlesinger |first2=Arthur Meier (INT) |title=Pope John Paul II |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OT1oHAAACAAJ |access-date=25 February 2010 |date=November 2006 |publisher=Chelsea House |isbn=978-0-7910-9227-9 |ref=Renehan69 }}
* {{cite book |first1=Pope |last1=John Paul II |title=Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way |publisher=2004 Warner Books |isbn=978-0-446-57781-6 |year=2004 |url=https://archive.org/details/riseletusbeonour00john }}
* {{cite book |last=Stanley |first=George E |title=Pope John Paul II: Young Man of the Church |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SD1OPgAACAAJ |access-date=25 February 2010 |date=January 2007 |publisher=Fitzgerald Books |isbn=978-1-4242-1732-8 |ref=Stanley69 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Stourton |first1=Edward |author-link1=Edward Stourton (journalist) |title=John Paul II: Man of History |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |location=London |isbn=978-0-340-90816-7 |year=2006}}
* {{cite book |last=Szulc |first=Tadeusz |author-link=Tad Szulc |title=Pope John Paul II: The Biography |date=5 December 2007 |publisher=2007 Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group |location=London |isbn=978-1-4165-8886-3}}
* {{cite book |author=The Poynter Institute |author-link=Poynter Institute |title=Pope John Paul II: 18 May 1920&nbsp;- 2 April 2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pXGMNrE015IC |access-date=25 February 2010 |edition=First |date=1 May 2005 |publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing |location=], Florida |isbn=978-0-7407-5110-3 |ref=Poynter69 }}
* {{cite book |last=Weigel |first=George |author-link=George Weigel |title=Witness to Hope |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |year=2001b |isbn=978-0-06-018793-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/witnesstohopebio00weig }}
* {{cite book |last=Wojtyła |first=Karol |year=1981 |title=Love and Responsibility |publisher=] |location=London |isbn=978-0-89870-445-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/loveresponsibili00john |access-date=1 January 2009 }}
* {{cite book |last=Yallop |first=David |title=The Power and the Glory |publisher=Constable & Robinson Ltd |location=London |isbn=978-1-84529-673-5 |url=http://www.constablerobinson.com/ |access-date=1 January 2009 |year=2007 }}
{{Refend}}

== Further reading ==
* For a comprehensive list of books written by and about Pope John Paul II, please see ]
* For other references see ]
* Shaw, Tamsin, "Ethical Espionage" (review of Calder Walton, ''Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West'', Simon and Schuster, 2023, 672 pp.; and ], ''Spying Through a Glass Darkly: The Ethics of Espionage and Counter-Intelligence'', Oxford University Press, 251 pp., 2024), '']'', vol. LXXI, no. 2 (8 February 2024), pp.&nbsp;32, 34–35. "n Walton's view, there was scarcely a US ] that was a long-term strategic success, with the possible exception of intervention in the ] (a disastrous military fiasco for the ]) and perhaps support for the anti-Soviet ] in ]." (p.&nbsp;34.)

== External links ==
*
*
* from the US ]
* on ]
* , ]
*
*
* , on the promulgation of the ''editio typica'' of the .
* {{C-SPAN|32010}}
* Liturgical texts for the optional Memorial of St. John Paul II, Pope: Celebration of the Eucharist (, ); Liturgy of the Hours (, ) from .
* {{imdb name|0937552}}
* {{discogs artist|His Holiness Pope John Paul II}}

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Head of the Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005 Several terms redirect here. For other uses, see John Paul II (disambiguation), Pope John Paul II (disambiguation), Saint John Paul II (disambiguation), JP2 (disambiguation), and Karol Wojtyla (disambiguation).

Pope Saint
John Paul II
Bishop of Rome
John Paul II in 1988
ChurchCatholic Church
Papacy began16 October 1978
Papacy ended2 April 2005
PredecessorJohn Paul I
SuccessorBenedict XVI
Previous post(s)
Orders
Ordination1 November 1946
by Adam Stefan Sapieha
Consecration28 September 1958
by Eugeniusz Baziak
Created cardinal26 June 1967
by Paul VI
RankCardinal priest (1967‍–‍1978)
Personal details
BornKarol Józef Wojtyła
(1920-05-18)18 May 1920
Wadowice, Second Polish Republic
Died2 April 2005(2005-04-02) (aged 84)
Apostolic Palace, Vatican City
DenominationCatholic
Education
MottoTotus tuus
(Latin for 'Totally yours')
SignatureJohn Paul II's signature
Coat of armsJohn Paul II's coat of arms
Sainthood
Feast day22 October
Venerated inCatholic Church
Beatified1 May 2011
St. Peter's Square, Vatican City
by Benedict XVI
Canonized27 April 2014
St. Peter's Square, Vatican City
by Pope Francis
Attributes
Patronage
Philosophy career
Notable work
Era20th-century philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy
School
Notable ideas
Ordination history
History
Diaconal ordination
Ordained byAdam Stefan Sapieha (Kraków)
Date20 October 1946
Priestly ordination
Ordained byAdam Stefan Sapieha (Kraków)
Date1 November 1946
PlaceChapel of the Kraków Archbishop's residence
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecratorEugeniusz Baziak (Kraków AA)
Co-consecrators
Date28 September 1958
PlaceWawel Cathedral, Kraków
Cardinalate
Elevated byPope Paul VI
Date26 June 1967
Source(s):
Papal styles of
Pope John Paul II
Reference styleHis Holiness
Spoken styleYour Holiness
Posthumous stylePope Saint
Pope Saint
John Paul II
Patriarch of Rome
Painting of Saint John Paul II painted by Zbigniew Kotyłło, 2012
Pope and Confessor
Born18 May 1920
Wadowice, Poland
Died2 April 2005 (aged 84)
Apostolic Palace, Vatican City
Venerated inCatholic Church
Beatified1 May 2011, Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope Benedict XVI
Canonized27 April 2014, Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope Francis
Feast22 October
AttributesPapal ferula, Papal vestments
PatronageKraków, Poland, World Youth Day, young Catholics, Świdnica, families, World Meeting of Families 2015

Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus II; Polish: Jan Paweł II; Italian: Giovanni Paolo II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła, Polish: [ˈkarɔl ˈjuzɛv vɔjˈtɨwa]; 18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his death in 2005.

In his youth, Wojtyła dabbled in stage acting. He graduated with excellent grades from an all-boys high school in Wadowice, Poland, in 1938, soon after which World War II broke out. During the war, to avoid being kidnapped and sent off to a German forced labour camp, he signed up for work in harsh conditions in a quarry. Wojtyła eventually took up acting and developed a love for the profession and participated at a local theatre. The linguistically skilled Wojtyła wanted to study Polish at university. Encouraged by a conversation with Adam Stefan Sapieha, he decided to study theology and become a priest. Eventually, Wojtyła rose to the position of Archbishop of Kraków and then a cardinal, both positions held by his mentor. Wojtyła was elected pope on the third day of the second papal conclave of 1978, and became one of the youngest popes in history. The conclave was called after the death of John Paul I, who served only 33 days as pope. Wojtyła adopted the name of his predecessor in tribute to him.

John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI in the 16th century, as well as the third-longest-serving pope in history after Pius IX and St. Peter. John Paul II attempted to improve the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the spirit of ecumenism, holding atheism as the greatest threat. He maintained the Church's previous positions on such matters as abortion, artificial contraception, the ordination of women, and a celibate clergy, and although he supported the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, he was seen as generally conservative in their interpretation. He put emphasis on family and identity, while questioning consumerism, hedonism and the pursuit of wealth. He was one of the most-travelled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, John Paul II beatified 1,344 people, and canonised 483 saints, more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the preceding five centuries. By the time of his death, he had named most of the College of Cardinals, consecrated or co-consecrated many of the world's bishops, and ordained many priests.

He has been credited with fighting against dictatorships for democracy and with helping to end communist rule in his native Poland and the rest of Europe. Under John Paul II, the Catholic Church greatly expanded its influence in Africa and Latin America and retained its influence in Europe and the rest of the world. On 19 December 2009, John Paul II was proclaimed venerable by his successor, Benedict XVI, and on 1 May 2011 (Divine Mercy Sunday) he was beatified. On 27 April 2014, he was canonised together with John XXIII. He has been criticised for allegedly, as archbishop, having been insufficiently harsh in acting against the sexual abuse of children by priests in Poland, though the allegations themselves have been criticised. Posthumously he has been referred to by some Catholics as Pope St. John Paul the Great, though that title has no official recognition.

Under John Paul II, two of the most important documents of the contemporary Catholic Church were drafted and promulgated: the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which revised and updated the 1917 Code of Canon Law, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the first universal catechism to be issued since the Roman Catechism.

Early life

Main article: Early life of Pope John Paul II
The wedding portrait of John Paul II's parents, Emilia and Karol Wojtyła Sr.

Karol Józef Wojtyła was born in the Polish town of Wadowice. He was the youngest of three children born to Karol Wojtyła (1879–1941), an ethnic Pole, and Emilia Kaczorowska (1884–1929), who was of distant Lithuanian heritage. Emilia, who was a schoolteacher, died from a heart attack and kidney failure in 1929 when Wojtyła was eight years old. His elder sister Olga had died before his birth, but he was close to his brother Edmund, nicknamed Mundek, who was 13 years his senior. Edmund's work as a physician eventually led to his death from scarlet fever, a loss that affected Wojtyła deeply.

Wojtyła on the day of his first communion

Wojtyła was baptized a month after his birth, made his First Communion at the age of 9, and was confirmed at the age of 18. As a boy, Wojtyła was athletic, often playing association football as goalkeeper. During his childhood, Wojtyła had contact with the large Jewish community of Wadowice. School football games were often organised between teams of Jews and Catholics, and Wojtyła often played on the Jewish side. In 2005, he recalled: "I remember that at least a third of my classmates at elementary school in Wadowice were Jews. At secondary school there were fewer. With some I was on very friendly terms. And what struck me about some of them was their Polish patriotism." It was around this time that the young Karol had his first serious relationship with a girl. He became close to a girl called Ginka Beer, described as "a Jewish beauty, with stupendous eyes and jet black hair, slender, a superb actress."

In mid-1938, Wojtyła and his father left Wadowice and moved to Kraków, where he enrolled at the Jagiellonian University. While studying such topics as philology and various languages, he worked as a volunteer librarian and though required to participate in compulsory military training in the Academic Legion, he refused to fire a weapon. He performed with various theatrical groups and worked as a playwright. During this time, his talent for language blossomed, and he learned as many as 15 languages — Polish, Latin, Italian, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Luxembourgish, Dutch, Ukrainian, Serbo-Croatian, Czech, Slovak, and Esperanto, nine of which he used extensively as pope.

In 1939, after invading Poland, Nazi Germany's occupation forces closed the university. Able-bodied males were required to work, so from 1940 to 1944 Wojtyła variously worked as a messenger for a restaurant, a manual labourer in a limestone quarry and for the Solvay chemical factory, in order to avoid deportation to Germany. In February 1940, he met Jan Tyranowski who introduced him to the Carmelite spirituality and the "Living Rosary" youth groups. In that same year he had two major accidents, suffering a fractured skull after being struck by a tram and sustaining injuries which left him with one shoulder higher than the other and a permanent stoop after being hit by a lorry in a quarry. His father, a former Austro-Hungarian non-commissioned officer and later officer in the Polish Army, died of a heart attack in 1941, leaving the young adult Wojtyła an orphan and the immediate family's only surviving member. Reflecting on these times of his life, nearly 40 years later he said: "I was not at my mother's death, I was not at my brother's death, I was not at my father's death. At twenty, I had already lost all the people I loved."

Wojtyła (second from right) in a Baudienst forced labour work crew during the occupation of Poland (1939–1945), circa 1941

After his father's death, he started thinking seriously about the priesthood. In October 1942, while World War II continued, he knocked on the door of the Bishop's Palace, and asked to study for the priesthood. Soon after, he began courses in the clandestine underground seminary run by the Archbishop of Kraków, the future Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha. On 29 February 1944, Wojtyła was hit by a German truck. German Wehrmacht officers tended to him and sent him to a hospital. He spent two weeks there recovering from a severe concussion and a shoulder injury. It seemed to him that this accident and his survival was a confirmation of his vocation. On 6 August 1944, a day known as "Black Sunday", the Gestapo rounded up young men in Kraków to curtail the uprising there, similar to the recent uprising in Warsaw. Wojtyła escaped by hiding in the basement of his uncle's house at 10 Tyniecka Street, while the German troops searched above. More than 8,000 men and boys were taken that day, while Wojtyła escaped to the Archbishop's residence, where he remained until after the Germans had left.

On the night of 17 January 1945, the Germans fled the city, and the students reclaimed the ruined seminary. Wojtyła and another seminarian volunteered for the task of clearing away piles of frozen excrement from the toilets. Wojtyła also helped a 14-year-old Jewish refugee girl named Edith Zierer, who had escaped from a Nazi labour camp in Częstochowa. Edith had collapsed on a railway platform, so Wojtyła carried her to a train and stayed with her throughout the journey to Kraków. She later credited Wojtyła with saving her life that day. B'nai B'rith and other authorities have said that Wojtyła helped protect many other Polish Jews from the Nazis. During the Nazi occupation of Poland, a Jewish family sent their son, Stanley Berger, to be hidden by a Gentile Polish family. Berger's biological Jewish parents were killed in the Holocaust, and after the war Berger's new Christian parents asked Karol Wojtyła to baptise the boy. Wojtyła refused, saying that the child should be raised in the Jewish faith of his birth parents and nation, not as a Catholic. He did everything he could to ensure that Berger leave Poland to be raised by his Jewish relatives in the United States. In April 2005, shortly after John Paul II's death, the Israeli government created a commission to honour the legacy of John Paul II. One of the honorifics proposed by a head of Italy's Jewish community, Emmanuele Pacifici was the medal of the Righteous Among the Nations. In Wojtyła's last book, Memory and Identity, he described the 12 years of the Nazi régime as "bestiality", quoting from the Polish theologian and philosopher Konstanty Michalski.

Priesthood

Wojtyła (centre) in 1949
Wojtyła in 1958

After finishing his studies at the seminary in Kraków, Wojtyła was ordained as a priest on All Saints' Day, 1 November 1946, by the Archbishop of Kraków, Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha. Sapieha sent Wojtyła to Rome's Pontifical International Athenaeum Angelicum, the future Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, to study under the French Dominican friar Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange beginning on 26 November 1946. He resided in the Belgian Pontifical College during this time, under rectorship of Maximilien de Furstenberg. Wojtyła earned a licence in July 1947, passed his doctoral exam on 14 June 1948, and successfully defended his doctoral thesis titled Doctrina de fide apud S. Ioannem a Cruce (The Doctrine of Faith in St. John of the Cross) in philosophy on 19 June 1948. The Angelicum preserves the original copy of Wojtyła's typewritten thesis. Among other courses at the Angelicum, Wojtyła studied Hebrew with the Dutch Dominican Peter G. Duncker, author of the Compendium grammaticae linguae hebraicae biblicae.

The Pontifical International Athenaeum Angelicum in Rome, Italy

According to Wojtyła's fellow student, the future Austrian cardinal Alfons Stickler, in 1947 during his sojourn at the Angelicum, Wojtyła visited Padre Pio, who heard his confession and told him that one day he would ascend to "the highest post in the Church". Stickler added that Wojtyła believed that the prophecy was fulfilled when he became a cardinal.

Wojtyła returned to Poland in the summer of 1948 for his first pastoral assignment in the village of Niegowić, 24 kilometres (15 miles) from Kraków, at the Church of the Assumption. He arrived at Niegowić at harvest time, where his first action was to kneel and kiss the ground. He repeated this gesture, which he adopted from John Vianney, throughout his papacy.

In March 1949, Wojtyła was transferred to the parish of Saint Florian in Kraków. He taught ethics at Jagiellonian University and subsequently at the Catholic University of Lublin. While teaching, he gathered a group of about 20 young people, who began to call themselves Rodzinka, the "little family". They met for prayer, philosophical discussion, and to help the blind and the sick. The group eventually grew to approximately 200 participants, and their activities expanded to include annual skiing and kayaking trips.

In 1953, Wojtyła's habilitation thesis was accepted by the Faculty of Theology at the Jagiellonian University. In 1954, he earned a Doctorate in Sacred Theology, writing a dissertation titled "Reevaluation of the possibility of founding a Catholic ethic on the ethical system of Max Scheler" (Polish: Ocena możliwości zbudowania etyki chrześcijańskiej przy założeniach systemu Maksa Schelera). Scheler was a German philosopher who founded a broad philosophical movement that emphasised the study of conscious experience. The Polish Communist authorities abolished the Faculty of Theology at the Jagiellonian University, thereby preventing him from receiving the degree until 1957. Wojtyła developed a theological approach, called phenomenological Thomism, that combined traditional Catholic Thomism with the ideas of personalism, a philosophical approach deriving from phenomenology, which was popular among Catholic intellectuals in Kraków during Wojtyła's intellectual development. He translated Scheler's Formalism and the Ethics of Substantive Values. In 1961, he coined "Thomistic Personalism" to describe Aquinas's philosophy.

Wojtyła pictured during a kayaking trip to the countryside with a group of students, circa 1960

During this period, Wojtyła wrote a series of articles in Kraków's Catholic newspaper, Tygodnik Powszechny (Universal Weekly), dealing with contemporary church issues. He focused on creating original literary work during his first dozen years as a priest. War, life in the Polish People's Republic, and his pastoral responsibilities all fed his poetry and plays. Wojtyła published his work under two pseudonyms, Andrzej Jawień and Stanisław Andrzej Gruda, to distinguish his literary from his religious writings (issued under his own name), and also so that his literary works would be considered on their own merits. In 1960, Wojtyła published the influential theological book Love and Responsibility, a defence of traditional church teachings on marriage from a new philosophical standpoint.

The aforementioned students regularly joined Wojtyła for hiking, skiing, bicycling, camping and kayaking, accompanied by prayer, outdoor Masses and theological discussions. In Stalinist-era Poland, it was not permitted for priests to travel with groups of students. Wojtyła asked his younger companions to call him "Wujek" (Polish for "Uncle") to prevent outsiders from deducing he was a priest. The nickname gained popularity among his followers. In 1958, when Wojtyła was named auxiliary bishop of Kraków, his acquaintances expressed concern that this would cause him to change. Wojtyła responded to his friends, "Wujek will remain Wujek," and he continued to live a simple life, shunning the trappings that came with his position as bishop. This beloved nickname stayed with Wojtyła for his entire life and continues to be affectionately used, particularly by the Polish people.

Episcopate and cardinalate

Call to the episcopate

19 Kanonicza Street in Kraków, Poland, where John Paul II lived as a priest and bishop (now an Archdiocese Museum)

On 4 July 1958, while Wojtyła was on a kayaking holiday in the lakes region of northern Poland, Pope Pius XII appointed him as an auxiliary bishop of Kraków. He was consequently summoned to Warsaw to meet the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, who informed him of his appointment. Wojtyła accepted the appointment as auxiliary bishop to Kraków's Archbishop Eugeniusz Baziak, and he received episcopal consecration (as titular bishop of Ombi) on 28 September 1958, with Baziak as the principal consecrator and as co-consecrators Bishop Bolesław Kominek (titular bishop of Sophene), auxiliary of the Catholic Archdiocese of Wrocław, and Franciszek Jop, Auxiliary Bishop of Sandomierz (Titular Bishop of Daulia). Kominek was to become Cardinal Archbishop of Wrocław and Jop was later Auxiliary Bishop of Wrocław and then Bishop of Opole. At the age of 38, Wojtyła became the youngest bishop in Poland.

In 1959, Wojtyła began an annual tradition of saying a Midnight Mass on Christmas Day in an open field at Nowa Huta, the so-called model workers' town outside Kraków that was without a church building. Baziak died in June 1962 and on 16 July, Wojtyła was selected as Vicar Capitular (temporary administrator) of the Archdiocese until an archbishop could be appointed.

Participation in Vatican II and subsequent events

From October 1962, Wojtyła took part in the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), where he made contributions to two of its most historic and influential products, the Decree on Religious Freedom (in Latin, Dignitatis humanae) and the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et spes). Wojtyła and the Polish bishops contributed a draft text to the Council for Gaudium et spes. According to the Jesuit historian John W. O'Malley, the draft text Gaudium et spes that Wojtyła and the Polish delegation sent "had some influence on the version that was sent to the council fathers that summer but was not accepted as the base text". According to John F. Crosby, as pope, John Paul II used the words of Gaudium et spes later to introduce his own views on the nature of the human person in relation to God: man is "the only creature on earth that God has wanted for its own sake", but man "can fully discover his true self only in a sincere giving of himself".

He also participated in the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops. On 13 January 1964, Pope Paul VI appointed him Archbishop of Kraków. On 26 June 1967, Paul VI announced Wojtyła's promotion to the College of Cardinals. Wojtyła was named cardinal priest of the titular church of San Cesareo in Palatio.

Pope Paul VI imposing the cardinal biretta on Wojtyła in 1967

In 1967, he was instrumental in formulating the encyclical Humanae vitae, which dealt with the same issues that forbid abortion and artificial birth control.

According to a contemporary witness, Wojtyła was against the distribution of a letter around Kraków in 1970, stating that the Polish Episcopate was preparing for the 50th anniversary of the Polish–Soviet War.

In 1973, Wojtyła met philosopher Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka, the wife of Hendrik S. Houthakker, professor of economics at Stanford University and Harvard University, and member of President Richard Nixon's Council of Economic Advisers Tymieniecka collaborated with Wojtyła on a number of projects including an English translation of Wojtyła's book Osoba i czyn (Person and Act). Person and Act, one of John Paul II's foremost literary works, was initially written in Polish. Tymieniecka produced the English-language version. They corresponded over the years, and grew to be good friends. When Wojtyła visited New England in the summer of 1976, Tymieniecka put him up as a guest in her family home. Wojtyła enjoyed his holiday in Pomfret, Vermont, kayaking and enjoying the outdoors, as he had done in his beloved Poland.

During 1974–1975, Wojtyła served Pope Paul VI as consultor to the Pontifical Council for the Laity, as recording secretary for the 1974 synod on evangelism and by participating extensively in the original drafting of the 1975 apostolic exhortation, Evangelii nuntiandi.

Papacy

Election

Main article: October 1978 papal conclave
First appearance of Pope John Paul II following his election on 16 October 1978

In August 1978, following the death of Pope Paul VI, Wojtyła voted in the papal conclave, which elected John Paul I. John Paul I died after only 33 days as pope, triggering another conclave.

The second conclave of 1978 started on 14 October, ten days after the funeral. It was split between two strong candidates for the papacy: Cardinal Giuseppe Siri, the conservative Archbishop of Genoa, and Cardinal Giovanni Benelli, the liberal Archbishop of Florence and a close friend of John Paul I.

The coat of arms of John Paul II displaying the Marian Cross with the letter M signifying the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus

Supporters of Benelli were confident that he would be elected, and in early ballots, Benelli came within nine votes of success. However, both men faced sufficient opposition for neither to be likely to prevail. Giovanni Colombo, the Archbishop of Milan, was considered as a compromise candidate among the Italian cardinal-electors, but when he started to receive votes, he announced that, if elected, he would decline to accept the papacy. Cardinal Franz König, Archbishop of Vienna, suggested Wojtyła as another compromise candidate to his fellow electors. Wojtyła won on the eighth ballot on the third day (16 October).

Among those cardinals who rallied behind Wojtyła were supporters of Giuseppe Siri, Stefan Wyszyński, most of the American cardinals (led by John Krol), and other moderate cardinals. He accepted his election with the words: "With obedience in faith to Christ, my Lord, and with trust in the Mother of Christ and the Church, in spite of great difficulties, I accept". The pope, in tribute to his immediate predecessor, then took the regnal name of John Paul II, also in honour of the late Popes Paul VI and John XXIII, and the traditional white smoke informed the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square that a pope had been chosen. There had been rumours that the new pope wished to be known as Pope Stanislaus in honour of the Polish saint of the name, but was convinced by the cardinals that it was not a Roman name. When the new pontiff appeared on the balcony, he broke tradition by addressing the gathered crowd:

"Dear brothers and sisters, we are saddened at the death of our beloved Pope John Paul I, and so the cardinals have called for a new bishop of Rome. They called him from a faraway land—far and yet always close because of our communion in faith and Christian traditions. I was afraid to accept that responsibility, yet I do so in a spirit of obedience to the Lord and total faithfulness to Mary, our most Holy Mother. I am speaking to you in your—no, our Italian language. If I make a mistake, please corrict [sic] me."

Wojtyła became the 264th pope according to the chronological list of popes, the first non-Italian in 455 years. At only 58 years of age, he was the youngest pope since Pope Pius IX in 1846, who was 54. Like his predecessor, John Paul II dispensed with the traditional papal coronation and instead received ecclesiastical investiture with a simplified papal inauguration on 22 October 1978. During his inauguration, when the cardinals were to kneel before him to take their vows and kiss his ring, he stood up as the Polish prelate, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński knelt down, stopped him from kissing the ring, and simply embraced him.

Pastoral journeys

Main article: List of pastoral visits of Pope John Paul II outside Italy
John Paul's first papal trip to Poland in June 1979

During his pontificate, John Paul II made journeys to 129 countries, travelling more than 1,100,000 kilometres (680,000 mi) while doing so. He consistently attracted large crowds, some among the largest ever assembled in human history, such as the Manila World Youth Day 1995, which gathered up to four million people, the largest papal gathering ever, according to the Vatican. John Paul II's earliest official visits were to the Dominican Republic and Mexico in January 1979. While some of his journeys (such as to the United States and the Holy Land) were to places previously visited by Pope Paul VI, John Paul II became the first pope to visit the White House in October 1979, where he was greeted warmly by President Jimmy Carter. He was the first pope ever to visit several countries in one year, starting in 1979 with Mexico and Ireland. He was the first reigning pope to travel to the United Kingdom, in 1982, where he met Queen Elizabeth II, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. While in Britain he also visited Canterbury Cathedral and knelt in prayer with Robert Runcie, the Archbishop of Canterbury, at the spot where Thomas Becket had been killed, as well as holding several large-scale open air masses, including one at Wembley Stadium, which was attended by some 80,000 people.

John Paul II with the president of Italy Sandro Pertini in 1984

He travelled to Haiti in 1983, where he spoke in Creole to thousands of impoverished Catholics gathered to greet him at the airport. His message, "things must change in Haiti," referring to the disparity between the wealthy and the poor, was met with thunderous applause. In 2000, he was the first modern pope to visit Egypt, where he met with the Coptic pope, Pope Shenouda III and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria. He was the first Catholic pope to visit and pray in an Islamic mosque, in Damascus, Syria, in 2001. He visited the Umayyad Mosque, a former Christian church where John the Baptist is believed to be interred, where he made a speech calling for Muslims, Christians and Jews to live together.

On 15 January 1995, during the X World Youth Day, he offered Mass to an estimated crowd of between five and seven million in Luneta Park, Manila, Philippines, which was considered to be the largest single gathering in Christian history. In March 2000, while visiting Jerusalem, John Paul became the first pope in history to visit and pray at the Western Wall. In September 2001, amid post-11 September concerns, he travelled to Kazakhstan, with an audience largely consisting of Muslims, and to Armenia, to participate in the celebration of 1,700 years of Armenian Christianity.

In June 1979, John Paul II travelled to Poland, where ecstatic crowds constantly surrounded him. This first papal trip to Poland uplifted the nation's spirit and sparked the formation of the Solidarity movement in 1980, which later brought freedom and human rights to his troubled homeland. Leaders of the Polish United Workers' Party intended to use the pope's visit to show the people that although the pope was Polish, it did not alter their capacity to govern, oppress, and distribute the goods of society. They also hoped that if the pope abided by the rules they set, the Polish people would see his example and follow them as well. If the pope's visit inspired a riot, the Communist leaders of Poland were prepared to crush the uprising and blame the suffering on the pope.

"The pope won that struggle by transcending politics. His was what Joseph Nye calls 'soft power' — the power of attraction and repulsion. He began with an enormous advantage, and exploited it to the utmost: He headed the one institution that stood for the polar opposite of the Communist way of life that the Polish people hated. He was a Pole, but beyond the regime's reach. By identifying with him, Poles would have the chance to cleanse themselves of the compromises they had to make to live under the regime. And so they came to him by the millions. They listened. He told them to be good, not to compromise themselves, to stick by one another, to be fearless, and that God is the only source of goodness, the only standard of conduct. 'Be not afraid,' he said. Millions shouted in response, 'We want God! We want God! We want God!' The regime cowered. Had the Pope chosen to turn his soft power into the hard variety, the regime might have been drowned in blood. Instead, the Pope simply led the Polish people to desert their rulers by affirming solidarity with one another. The Communists managed to hold on as despots a decade longer. But as political leaders, they were finished. Visiting his native Poland in 1979, Pope John Paul II struck what turned out to be a mortal blow to its Communist regime, to the Soviet Empire, ultimately to Communism."

"When Pope John Paul II kissed the ground at the Warsaw airport he began the process by which Communism in Poland — and ultimately elsewhere in Europe — would come to an end."

On later trips to Poland, he gave tacit support to the Solidarity organisation. These visits reinforced this message and contributed to the collapse of East European Communism that took place between 1989 and 1990 with the reintroduction of democracy in Poland, and which then spread through Eastern Europe (1990–1991) and South-Eastern Europe (1990–1992).

World Youth Days

Pope John Paul II (right) with Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jaime Sin (left) addressing the crowd attending the closing mass of the tenth World Youth Day at Luneta Park, 1995

As an extension of his successful work with youth as a young priest, John Paul II pioneered the international World Youth Days. John Paul II presided over nine of them: Rome (1985 and 2000), Buenos Aires (1987), Santiago de Compostela (1989), Częstochowa (1991), Denver (1993), Manila (1995), Paris (1997), and Toronto (2002). Total attendance at these signature events of the pontificate was in the tens of millions.

Dedicated Years

Keenly aware of the rhythms of time and the importance of anniversaries in the Catholic Church's life, John Paul II led nine "dedicated years" during the twenty-six and a half years of his pontificate: the Holy Year of the Redemption in 1983–84, the Marian Year in 1987–88, the Year of the Family in 1993–94, the three Trinitarian years of preparation for the Great Jubilee of 2000, the Great Jubilee itself, the Year of the Rosary in 2002–3, and the Year of the Eucharist, which began on 17 October 2004, and concluded six months after the Pope's death.

Music albums

John Paul II recorded music albums. In 1979, his album Pope John Paul II sings at the Festival of Sacrosong was recorded by Infinity Records. In 1994 he released a music album title The Rosary. In 1999, John Paul II released another music album titled Abba Pater.

Great Jubilee of 2000

The Great Jubilee of 2000 was a call to the church to become more aware and to embrace her missionary task for the work of evangelization.

"From the beginning of my Pontificate, my thoughts had been on this Holy Year 2000 as an important appointment. I thought of its celebration as a providential opportunity during which the Church, thirty-five years after the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, would examine how far she had renewed herself, in order to be able to take up her evangelising mission with fresh enthusiasm."

John Paul II also made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land for the Great Jubilee of 2000. During his visit to the Holy Land, John Paul II visited many sites of the Rosary, including the following locations: Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Al-Maghtas), at the Jordan River, where John the Baptist baptized Jesus; Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity in the town of Bethlehem, the location of Jesus' birth; and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the site of Jesus' burial and resurrection.

Teachings

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As pope, John Paul II wrote 14 papal encyclicals and taught about sexuality in what is referred as the "Theology of the Body". Some key elements of his strategy to "reposition the Catholic Church" were encyclicals such as Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Reconciliatio et paenitentia and Redemptoris Mater. In his At the beginning of the new millennium (Novo Millennio Ineunte), he emphasised the importance of "starting afresh from Christ": "No, we shall not be saved by a formula but by a Person." In The Splendour of the Truth (Veritatis Splendor), he emphasised the dependence of man on God and His Law ("Without the Creator, the creature disappears") and the "dependence of freedom on the truth". He warned that man "giving himself over to relativism and scepticism, goes off in search of an illusory freedom apart from truth itself". In Fides et Ratio (On the Relationship between Faith and Reason) John Paul promoted a renewed interest in philosophy and an autonomous pursuit of truth in theological matters. Drawing on many different sources (such as Thomism), he described the mutually supporting relationship between faith and reason, and emphasised that theologians should focus on that relationship. John Paul II wrote extensively about workers and the social doctrine of the church, which he discussed in three encyclicals: Laborem exercens, Sollicitudo rei socialis, and Centesimus annus. Through his encyclicals and many Apostolic Letters and Exhortations, John Paul II talked about the dignity and the equality of women. He argued for the importance of the family for the future of humanity.

Other encyclicals include The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae) and Ut unum sint (That They May Be One). Though critics accused him of inflexibility in explicitly re-asserting Catholic moral teachings against abortion and euthanasia that have been in place for well over a thousand years, he urged a more nuanced view of capital punishment. In his second encyclical Dives in misericordia he stressed that divine mercy is the greatest feature of God, needed especially in modern times.

Social and political stances

Main article: Social and political stances of Pope John Paul II

John Paul II was considered a conservative on doctrine and issues relating to human sexual reproduction and the ordination of women. While he was visiting the United States in 1977, the year before becoming pope, Wojtyła said: "All human life, from the moments of conception and through all subsequent stages, is sacred."

A series of 129 lectures given by John Paul II during his Wednesday audiences in Rome between September 1979 and November 1984 were later compiled and published as a single work titled Theology of the Body, an extended meditation on human sexuality. He extended it to the condemnation of abortion, euthanasia, and virtually all capital punishment, calling them all a part of a struggle between a "culture of life" and a "culture of death". He campaigned for world debt forgiveness and social justice. He coined the term "social mortgage", which related that all private property had a social dimension, namely that "the goods of this are originally meant for all." In 2000, he publicly endorsed the Jubilee 2000 campaign on African debt relief fronted by Irish rock stars Bob Geldof and Bono, once famously interrupting a U2 recording session by telephoning the studio and asking to speak to Bono.

John Paul II, who was present and very influential at the 1962–65 Second Vatican Council, affirmed the teachings of that Council and did much to implement them. Nevertheless, his critics often wished that he would embrace what has been called a progressive agenda that some hoped would evolve as a result of the Council. In fact, the Council did not advocate progressive changes in these areas; for example, they still condemned abortion as an unspeakable crime. John Paul II continued to declare that contraception, abortion, and homosexual acts were gravely sinful, and, along with Joseph Ratzinger (future Pope Benedict XVI), initially opposed liberation theology.

Following the church's exaltation of the marital act of sexual intercourse between a baptised man and woman within sacramental marriage as proper and exclusive to the sacrament of marriage, John Paul II believed that it was, in every instance, profaned by contraception, abortion, divorce followed by a 'second' marriage, and by homosexual acts. In 1994, John Paul II asserted the church's lack of authority to ordain women to the priesthood, stating that without such authority ordination is not legitimately compatible with fidelity to Christ. This was also deemed a repudiation of calls to break with the constant tradition of the church by ordaining women to the priesthood. In addition, John Paul II chose not to end the discipline of mandatory priestly celibacy, although in a small number of unusual circumstances, he did allow certain married clergymen of other Christian traditions who later became Catholic to be ordained as Catholic priests.

Apartheid in South Africa

John Paul II was an outspoken opponent of apartheid in South Africa. In 1985, while visiting the Netherlands, he gave an impassioned speech condemning apartheid at the International Court of Justice, proclaiming that "No system of apartheid or separate development will ever be acceptable as a model for the relations between peoples or races." In September 1988, John Paul II made a pilgrimage to ten Southern African countries, including those bordering South Africa, while demonstratively avoiding South Africa. During his visit to Zimbabwe, John Paul II called for economic sanctions against South Africa's government. After John Paul II's death, both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu praised the pope for defending human rights and condemning economic injustice.

Capital punishment

John Paul II was an outspoken opponent of the death penalty, which was a break from previous popes regarding the practise. At a papal mass in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States he said:

"A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. Modern society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform. I renew the appeal I made most recently at Christmas for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary."

During that visit, John Paul II convinced the then governor of Missouri, Mel Carnahan, to reduce the death sentence of convicted murderer Darrell J. Mease to life imprisonment without parole. John Paul II's other attempts to reduce the sentence of death-row inmates were unsuccessful. In 1983, John Paul II visited Guatemala and unsuccessfully asked the country's president, Efraín Ríos Montt, to reduce the sentence for six left-wing guerrillas sentenced to death.

In 2002, John Paul II again travelled to Guatemala. At that time, Guatemala was one of only two countries in Latin America (the other being Cuba) to apply capital punishment. John Paul II asked the Guatemalan president, Alfonso Portillo, for a moratorium on executions.

Environment and ecology

Pope John Paul II on the peak of Mount Adamello in the Adamello-Presanella Alps

John Paul II taught on the environmental health of Earth that "humanity has disappointed God's expectations ... degrading that 'flowerbed' which is the earth, our dwelling-place". His phrase and exhortation, "ecological conversion", which was used in a general audience in The Vatican in 2001, has been widely adopted, for example in the Mandate for Catholic Earthcare Australia, and in the writings of Pope Francis.

European Union

John Paul II pushed for a reference to Europe's Christian cultural roots in the draft of the European Constitution. In his 2003 apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in Europa, John Paul II wrote that he "fully (respected) the secular nature of (European) institutions". However, he wanted the constitution to enshrine religious rights, including acknowledging the rights of religious groups to organise freely, recognise the specific identity of each denomination and allow for a "structured dialogue" between each religious community and the European Union (EU), and extend across the EU the legal status enjoyed by religious institutions in individual member states. John Paul II said: "I wish once more to appeal to those drawing up the future European Constitutional Treaty so that it will include a reference to the religion and in particular to the Christian heritage of Europe." The pope's desire for a reference to Europe's Christian identity in the EU Constitution was supported by non-Catholic representatives of the Church of England and Eastern Orthodox Churches from Russia, Romania, and Greece. John Paul II's demand to include a reference to Europe's Christian roots in the European Constitution was supported by some non-Christians, such as Joseph Weiler, a practising Orthodox Jew and renowned constitutional lawyer, who said that the EU Constitution's lack of a reference to Christianity was not a "demonstration of neutrality" but rather "a Jacobin attitude".

At the same time, John Paul II was an enthusiastic supporter of European integration; in particular, he supported his native Poland's entry into the bloc. On 19 May 2003, three weeks before a referendum was held in Poland on EU membership, the Polish pope addressed his compatriots and urged them to vote for Poland's EU membership at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City State. While some conservative, Catholic politicians in Poland opposed EU membership, John Paul II said:

"I know that there are many in opposition to integration. I appreciate their concern about maintaining the cultural and religious identity of our nation. However, I must emphasise that Poland has always been an important part of Europe. Europe needs Poland. The Church in Europe needs the Poles' testimony of faith. Poland needs Europe."

The Polish pope compared Poland's entry into the EU to the Union of Lublin, which was signed in 1569 and united the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania into one nation and created an elective monarchy.

Evolution

On 22 October 1996, in a speech to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences plenary session at the Vatican, John Paul II said of evolution that "this theory has been progressively accepted by researchers, following a series of discoveries in various fields of knowledge. The convergence, neither sought nor fabricated, of the results of work that was conducted independently is in itself a significant argument in favour of this theory." John Paul II's embrace of evolution was enthusiastically praised by American palaeontologist and evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould, with whom he had an audience in 1984.

Although generally accepting the theory of evolution, John Paul II made one major exception—the human soul, saying: "If the human body has its origin in living material which pre-exists it, the spiritual soul is immediately created by God."

Iraq War

In 2003 John Paul II criticised the 2003 United States-led invasion of Iraq, saying in his State of the World address "No to war! War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity." He sent Cardinal Pio Laghi, the former Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the United States, to talk with George W. Bush, the US president, to express opposition to the war. John Paul II said that it was up to the United Nations to solve the international conflict through diplomacy and that a unilateral aggression is a crime against peace and a violation of international law. The pope's opposition to the Iraq War led to him being a candidate to win the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, which was ultimately awarded to Iranian attorney/judge and noted human rights advocate Shirin Ebadi.

Liberation theology

In 1984 and 1986, through Cardinal Ratzinger (future Pope Benedict XVI) as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, John Paul II officially condemned aspects of liberation theology, which had many followers in Latin America.

Visiting Europe, Salvadoran Archbishop Óscar Romero unsuccessfully advocated for the Vatican to condemn the right-wing military regime of El Salvador, for violations of human rights during the Salvadoran Civil War and the support of death squads. Though Romero expressed his frustration at working with clergy who cooperated with the government, John Paul II encouraged him to maintain episcopal unity as a top priority.

In his travel to Managua, Nicaragua in 1983, John Paul II harshly condemned what he dubbed the "popular Church", referencing the ecclesial base communities supported by the Latin American Episcopal Conference, and the Nicaraguan clergy's tendencies to support the leftist Sandinistas, reminding the clergy of their duties of obedience to the Holy See. During that visit Ernesto Cardenal, a priest and minister in the Sandinista government, knelt to kiss his hand. John Paul withdrew it, wagged his finger in Cardenal's face, and told him, "You must straighten out your position with the church."

However, in March 1986, the Vatican published an Instruction on the subject in which, while warning against reducing "the salvific dimension of liberation to the socio-ethical dimension which is a consequence of it," it supported "the special option for the poor" favored by the liberation theologians, and described the Basic Christian Communities which they had promoted as "a source of great hope for the church." A few weeks later, the pope himself seemed to endorse the movement when he wrote to the Brazilian bishops that as long as it is in harmony with the teaching of the Church, "we are convinced, we and you, that the theology of liberation is not only timely but useful and necessary. It should constitute a new state-- in close connection with the former ones--of theological reflection."

Organised crime

John Paul II was the first pontiff to denounce Mafia violence in Southern Italy. In 1993, during a pilgrimage to Agrigento, Sicily, he appealed to the Mafiosi: "I say to those responsible: 'Convert! One day, the judgement of God will arrive!'" In 1994, John Paul II visited Catania and told victims of Mafia violence to "rise up and cloak yourself in light and justice!"

In 1995, the Mafia bombed two historical churches in Rome. Some believed that this was the mob's vendetta against the pope for his denunciations of organised crime.

Persian Gulf War

Between 1990 and 1991, a 34-nation coalition led by the United States waged a war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq, which had invaded and annexed Kuwait. John Paul II was a staunch opponent of the Gulf War. Throughout the conflict, he appealed to the international community to stop the war, and after it was over led diplomatic initiatives to negotiate peace in the Middle East. In his 1991 encyclical Centesimus annus, John Paul II harshly condemned the conflict:

"No, never again war, which destroys the lives of innocent people, teaches how to kill, throws into upheaval even the lives of those who do the killing and leaves behind a trail of resentment and hatred, thus making it all the more difficult to find a just solution of the very problems which provoked the war."

In April 1991, during his Urbi et Orbi Sunday message at St. Peter's Basilica, John Paul II called for the international community to "lend an ear" to "the long-ignored aspirations of oppressed peoples". He specifically named the Kurds, a people who were fighting a civil war against Saddam Hussein's troops in Iraq, as one such people, and referred to the war as a "darkness menacing the earth". During this time, the Vatican had expressed its frustration with the international ignoring of the pope's calls for peace in the Middle East.

Rwandan genocide

Further information: Rwandan genocide

In 1990, during the civil war between Tutsis and Hutus in the mostly Catholic country of Rwanda, John Paul II called for a ceasefire and condemned the persecution of the Tutsis. In 1994, he was the first world leader to condemn the massacre of the Tutsis as a genocide. In 1995, during his third visit to Kenya before an audience of 300,000, John Paul II pleaded for an end to the violence in Rwanda and Burundi, urging forgiveness and reconciliation as a solution to the genocide. He told Rwandan and Burundian refugees that he "was close to them and shared their immense pain". He said:

"What is happening in your countries is a terrible tragedy that must end. During the African Synod, we, the pastors of the church, felt the duty to express our consternation and to launch an appeal for forgiveness and reconciliation. This is the only way to dissipate the threats of ethnocentrism that are hovering over Africa these days and that have so brutally touched Rwanda and Burundi."

Views on sexuality

Main article: Theology of the Body

John Paul II issued a series of addresses on human sexuality between 1979 and 1984 entitled Theology of the Body, analyzing the theological significance of the body, sexuality, marriage, celibacy, and virginity.

In 1986, the Pope approved the release of a document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith entitled Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons. This document reaffirms the historical teaching of the Catholic Church on homosexuality with instructions for pastoral care.

In his book Memory and Identity, he referred to the "strong pressures" by the European Parliament to recognise homosexual unions as an alternative type of family, with the right to adopt children. In the book, as quoted by Reuters, he wrote: "It is legitimate and necessary to ask oneself if this is not perhaps part of a new ideology of evil, more subtle and hidden, perhaps, intent upon exploiting human rights themselves against man and against the family."

Reform of canon law

Main article: Canon law (Catholic Church)

John Paul II completed a full-scale reform of the Catholic Church's legal system, Latin and Eastern, and a reform of the Roman Curia.

On 18 October 1990, when promulgating the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, John Paul II stated

By the publication of this Code, the canonical ordering of the whole Church is thus at length completed, following as it does...the "Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia" of 1988, which is added to both Codes as the primary instrument of the Roman Pontiff for 'the communion that binds together, as it were, the whole Church'

In 1998, John Paul II issued the motu proprio Ad tuendam fidem, which amended two canons (750 and 1371) of the 1983 Code of Canon Law and two canons (598 and 1436) of the 1990 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

1983 Code of Canon Law

Main article: 1983 Code of Canon Law

On 25 January 1983, with the apostolic constitution Sacrae disciplinae leges John Paul II promulgated the current code of canon law for all members of the Catholic Church who belonged to the Latin Church. It entered into force the first Sunday of the following Advent, which was 27 November 1983. John Paul II described the new code as "the last document of Vatican II". Edward N. Peters has referred to the 1983 Code as the "Johanno-Pauline Code" (Johannes Paulus is Latin for "John Paul"), parallelling the "Pio-Benedictine" 1917 code that it replaced.

Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches

Main article: Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches

John Paul II promulgated the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO) on 18 October 1990, by the document Sacri Canones. The CCEO came into force of law on 1 October 1991. It is the codification of the common portions of the canon law for the 23 of the 24 sui iuris churches in the Catholic Church that are the Eastern Catholic Churches. It is divided into 30 titles and has a total of 1540 canons.

Pastor bonus

Main article: Pastor bonus

John Paul II promulgated the apostolic constitution Pastor bonus on 28 June 1988. It instituted a number of reforms in the process of running the Roman Curia. Pastor bonus laid out in considerable detail the organisation of the Roman Curia, specifying precisely the names and composition of each dicastery, and enumerating the competencies of each dicastery. It replaced the previous special law, Regimini Ecclesiæ universæ, which was promulgated by Paul VI in 1967.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

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Main article: Catechism of the Catholic Church

On 11 October 1992, in his apostolic constitution Fidei depositum (The Deposit of Faith), John Paul ordered the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

He declared the publication to be "a sure norm for teaching the faith … a sure and authentic reference text for teaching Catholic doctrine and particularly for preparing local catechisms". It was "meant to encourage and assist in the writing of new local catechisms " rather than replacing them.

South American and Caribbean dictatorships

According to Joaquín Navarro-Valls, John Paul II's press secretary:

"The single fact of John Paul II's election in 1978 changed everything. In Poland, everything began. Not in East Germany or Czechoslovakia. Then the whole thing spread. Why in 1980 did they lead the way in Gdansk? Why did they decide, now or never? Only because there was a Polish pope. He was in Chile and Pinochet was out. He was in Haiti and Duvalier was out. He was in the Philippines and Marcos was out. On many of those occasions, people would come here to the Vatican thanking the Holy Father for changing things."

Chile

Before John Paul II's pilgrimage to Latin America, during a meeting with reporters, he criticised Augusto Pinochet's regime as "dictatorial". In the words of The New York Times, he used "unusually strong language" to criticise Pinochet and asserted to journalists that the Catholic Church in Chile must not only pray, but actively fight for the restoration of democracy in Chile.

During his visit to Chile in 1987, John Paul II asked Chile's 31 Catholic bishops to campaign for free elections in the country. According to George Weigel and Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, he encouraged Pinochet to accept a democratic opening of the regime, and may even have called for his resignation. According to Monsignor Sławomir Oder, the postulator of John Paul II's beatification cause, John Paul's words to Pinochet had a profound impact on the Chilean dictator. The pope confided to a friend: "I received a letter from Pinochet in which he told me that as a Catholic he had listened to my words, he had accepted them, and he had decided to begin the process to change the leadership of his country."

During his visit to Chile, John Paul II supported the Vicariate of Solidarity, the church-led pro-democracy, anti-Pinochet organisation. John Paul II visited the Vicariate of Solidarity's offices, spoke with its workers, and "called upon them to continue their work, emphasizing that the Gospel consistently urges respect for human rights". While in Chile, John Paul II made gestures of public support of Chile's anti-Pinochet democratic opposition. For instance, he hugged and kissed Carmen Gloria Quintana, a young student who had been nearly burned to death by Chilean police and told her that "We must pray for peace and justice in Chile." Later, he met with several opposition groups, including those that had been declared illegal by Pinochet's government. The opposition praised John Paul II for denouncing Pinochet as a dictator, for many members of Chile's opposition were persecuted for much milder statements. Bishop Carlos Camus, one of the harshest critics of Pinochet's dictatorship within the Chilean Church, praised John Paul II's stance during the papal visit, saying: "I am quite moved, because our pastor supports us totally. Never again will anyone be able to say that we are interfering in politics when we defend human dignity." He added: "No country the Pope has visited has remained the same after his departure. The Pope's visit is a mission, an extraordinary social catechism, and his stay here will be a watershed in Chilean history."

Some have erroneously accused John Paul II of affirming Pinochet's regime by appearing with the Chilean ruler in public. Cardinal Roberto Tucci, the organiser of John Paul II's visits, revealed that Pinochet tricked the pontiff by telling him he would take him to his living room, while in reality he took him to his balcony. Tucci says that the pontiff was "furious".

Haiti

John Paul II visited Haiti on 9 March 1983, when the country was ruled by Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier. He bluntly criticised the poverty of the country, directly addressing Baby Doc and his wife, Michèle Bennett in front of a large crowd of Haitians:

"Yours is a beautiful country, rich in human resources, but Christians cannot be unaware of the injustice, the excessive inequality, the degradation of the quality of life, the misery, the hunger, the fear suffered by the majority of the people."

John Paul II spoke in French and occasionally in Creole, and in the homily outlined the basic human rights that most Haitians lacked: "the opportunity to eat enough, to be cared for when ill, to find housing, to study, to overcome illiteracy, to find worthwhile and properly paid work; all that provides a truly human life for men and women, for young and old." Following John Paul II's pilgrimage, the Haitian opposition to Duvalier frequently reproduced and quoted the pope's message. Shortly before leaving Haiti, John Paul II called for social change in Haiti by saying: "Lift up your heads, be conscious of your dignity of men created in God's image...."

John Paul II's visit inspired massive protests against the Duvalier dictatorship. In response to the visit, 860 Catholic priests and church workers signed a statement committing the church to work on behalf of the poor. In 1986, Duvalier was deposed in an uprising.

Paraguay

The collapse of the dictatorship of General Alfredo Stroessner of Paraguay was linked, among other things, to John Paul II's visit to the South American country in May 1988. Since Stroessner's taking power through a coup d'état in 1954, Paraguay's bishops increasingly criticised the regime for human rights abuses, rigged elections, and the country's feudal economy. During his private meeting with Stroessner, John Paul II told the dictator:

"Politics has a fundamental ethical dimension because it is first and foremost a service to man. The Church can and must remind men—and in particular those who govern—of their ethical duties for the good of the whole of society. The Church cannot be isolated inside its temples just as men's consciences cannot be isolated from God."

Later, during a Mass, John Paul II criticised the regime for impoverishing the peasants and the unemployed, saying that the government must give people greater access to the land. Although Stroessner tried to prevent him from doing so, John Paul II met opposition leaders in the one-party state.

Role in the fall of Communism

Main article: Holy See–Soviet Union relations
US President Ronald Reagan meeting with Pope John Paul II during a visit to the Vatican City, 1982

Role as spiritual inspiration and catalyst

By the late 1970s, the dissolution of the Soviet Union had been predicted by some observers. John Paul II has been credited with being instrumental in bringing down Communism in Central and Eastern Europe, by being the spiritual inspiration behind its downfall and catalyst for "a peaceful revolution" in Poland. Lech Wałęsa, the founder of Solidarity and the first post-Communist President of Poland, credited John Paul II with giving Poles the courage to demand change. According to Wałęsa, "Before his pontificate, the world was divided into blocs. Nobody knew how to get rid of Communism. In Warsaw, in 1979, he simply said: 'Do not be afraid', and later prayed: 'Let your Spirit descend and change the image of the land ... this land'." It has also been widely alleged that the Vatican Bank covertly funded Solidarity.

In 1984, the foreign policy of the Ronald Reagan administration saw opened diplomatic relations with the Vatican for the first time since 1870. In sharp contrast to the long history of strong domestic opposition, this time there was very little opposition from Congress, the courts, and Protestant groups. Relations between Reagan and John Paul II were close, especially because of their shared anti-communism and keen interest in forcing the Soviets out of Poland. Reagan's correspondence with the pope reveals "a continuous scurrying to shore up Vatican support for U.S. policies. Perhaps most surprisingly, the papers show that, as late as 1984, the pope did not believe the Communist Polish government could be changed."

"No one can prove conclusively that he was a primary cause of the end of communism. However, the major figures on all sides—not just Lech Wałęsa, the Polish Solidarity leader, but also Solidarity's arch-opponent, General Wojciech Jaruzelski; not just the former American president George Bush Senior but also the former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev—now agree that he was. I would argue the historical case in three steps: without the Polish Pope, no Solidarity revolution in Poland in 1980; without Solidarity, no dramatic change in Soviet policy towards eastern Europe under Gorbachev; without that change, no velvet revolutions in 1989."

In December 1989, John Paul II met with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at the Vatican and each expressed his respect and admiration for the other. Gorbachev once said: "The collapse of the Iron Curtain would have been impossible without John Paul II." On John Paul II's death, Gorbachev said: "Pope John Paul II's devotion to his followers is a remarkable example to all of us."

Pope John Paul II, given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by US President George W. Bush in 2004

On 4 June 2004, U.S. president George W. Bush presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honour, to John Paul II during a ceremony at the Apostolic Palace. The president read the citation that accompanied the medal, which recognised "this son of Poland" whose "principled stand for peace and freedom has inspired millions and helped to topple communism and tyranny". After receiving the award, John Paul II said, "May the desire for freedom, peace, a more humane world symbolised by this medal inspire men and women of goodwill in every time and place."

Communist attempt to compromise John Paul II

Graffiti showing John Paul II with quote "Do not be afraid" in Rijeka, Croatia

In 1983, Poland's Communist government unsuccessfully tried to humiliate John Paul II by falsely saying he had fathered an illegitimate child. Section D of Służba Bezpieczeństwa (SB), the security service, had an action named "Triangolo" to carry out criminal operations against the Catholic Church in Poland; the operation encompassed all Polish hostile actions against the pope. Captain Grzegorz Piotrowski, one of the murderers of beatified Jerzy Popiełuszko, was the leader of section D. They drugged Irena Kinaszewska, the secretary of the Kraków-based weekly Catholic magazine Tygodnik Powszechny where Wojtyła had worked, and unsuccessfully attempted to make her admit to having had sexual relations with him.

The SB then attempted to compromise Kraków priest Andrzej Bardecki, an editor of Tygodnik Powszechny and one of the closest friends of Cardinal Wojtyła before he became pope, by planting false memoirs in his dwelling; Piotrowski was exposed and the forgeries were found and destroyed before the SB could say to have discovered them.

Relations with other Christian denominations

John Paul II travelled extensively and met with believers from many divergent faiths. At the World Day of Prayer for Peace, held in Assisi on 27 October 1986, more than 120 representatives of different religions and denominations spent a day of fasting and prayer.

Churches of the East

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Although the contact between the Holy See and many Christians of the East had never totally ceased, communion had been interrupted since ancient times. Again, the history of conflict in Central Europe was a complex part of John Paul II's personal cultural heritage which made him all the more determined to react so as to attempt to overcome abiding difficulties, given that relatively speaking the Holy See and the non-Catholic Eastern Churches are close in many points of faith.

Eastern Orthodox Church

Main article: Pope John Paul II's relations with the Eastern Orthodox Church
Pope John Paul II and Vladimir Putin in 2000

In May 1999, John Paul II visited Romania on the invitation from Patriarch Teoctist Arăpaşu of the Romanian Orthodox Church. This was the first time a pope had visited a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country since the Great Schism in 1054. On his arrival, the Patriarch and the President of Romania, Emil Constantinescu, greeted the pope. The Patriarch stated, "The second millennium of Christian history began with a painful wounding of the unity of the Church; the end of this millennium has seen a real commitment to restoring Christian unity."

On 23–27 June 2001, John Paul II visited Ukraine, another heavily Orthodox nation, at the invitation of the President of Ukraine and bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The Pope spoke to leaders of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, pleading for "open, tolerant and honest dialogue". About 200 thousand people attended the liturgies celebrated by the Pope in Kyiv, and the liturgy in Lviv gathered nearly one and a half million faithful. John Paul II said that an end to the Great Schism was one of his fondest wishes. Healing divisions between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches regarding Latin and Byzantine traditions was clearly of great personal interest. For many years, John Paul II sought to facilitate dialogue and unity stating as early as 1988 in Euntes in mundum, "Europe has two lungs, it will never breathe easily until it uses both of them."

During his 2001 travels, John Paul II became the first pope to visit Greece in 1291 years. In Athens, the pope met with Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens, the head of the Church of Greece. After a private 30-minute meeting, the two spoke publicly. Christodoulos read a list of "13 offences" of the Catholic Church against the Eastern Orthodox Church since the Great Schism, including the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, and bemoaned the lack of apology from the Catholic Church, saying "Until now, there has not been heard a single request for pardon" for the "maniacal crusaders of the 13th century".

The pope responded by saying "For the occasions past and present, when sons and daughters of the Catholic Church have sinned by action or omission against their Orthodox brothers and sisters, may the Lord grant us forgiveness", to which Christodoulos immediately applauded. John Paul II said that the sacking of Constantinople was a source of "profound regret" for Catholics. Later John Paul II and Christodoulos met on a spot where Paul of Tarsus had once preached to Athenian Christians. They issued a common declaration saying, "We shall do everything in our power, so that the Christian roots of Europe and its Christian soul may be preserved.... We condemn all recourse to violence, proselytism and fanaticism, in the name of religion." The two leaders then said the Lord's Prayer together, breaking an Orthodox taboo against praying with Catholics.

The pope had said throughout his pontificate that one of his greatest dreams was to visit Russia, but this never occurred. He attempted to solve the problems that had arisen over centuries between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches, and in 2004 gave them a 1730 copy of the lost icon of Our Lady of Kazan.

Armenian Apostolic Church

John Paul II was determined to maintain good relations with the Armenian Apostolic Church, whose separation from the Holy See dated to Christian antiquity. In 1996, he brought the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church closer by agreeing with Armenian Archbishop Karekin II on Christ's nature. During an audience in 2000, John Paul II and Karekin II, by then the Catholicos of All Armenians, issued a joint statement condemning the Armenian genocide. Meanwhile, the pope gave Karekin the relics of St. Gregory the Illuminator, the first head of the Armenian Church that had been kept in Naples, Italy, for 500 years. In September 2001, John Paul II went on a three-day pilgrimage to Armenia to take part in an ecumenical celebration with Karekin II in the newly consecrated Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, Yerevan. The two Church leaders signed a declaration remembering the victims of the Armenian genocide.

Protestantism

Like his successors after him, John Paul II took a large number of initiatives to promote friendly relations, practical humanitarian cooperation and theological dialogue with a range of Protestant bodies. Of these the first in importance had to be with Lutheranism, given that the contention with Martin Luther and his followers was the most significant historical split in Western Christianity.

Lutheranism

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From 15 to 19 November 1980, John Paul II visited West Germany on his first trip to a country with a large Lutheran Protestant population. In Mainz, he met with leaders of the Protestant Church in Germany, and with representatives of other Christian denominations.

On 11 December 1983, John Paul II participated in an ecumenical service in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rome, the first papal visit ever to a Lutheran church. The visit took place 500 years after the birth of the German Martin Luther, who was first an Augustinian friar and subsequently a leading Protestant Reformer.

In his apostolic pilgrimage to Norway, Iceland, Finland, Denmark and Sweden of June 1989, John Paul II became the first pope to visit countries with Lutheran majorities. In addition to celebrating Mass with Catholic believers, he participated in ecumenical services at places that had been Catholic shrines before the Reformation: Nidaros Cathedral in Norway; near St. Olav's Church at Thingvellir in Iceland; Turku Cathedral in Finland; Roskilde Cathedral in Denmark; and Uppsala Cathedral in Sweden.

On 31 October 1999, (the 482nd anniversary of Reformation Day, Martin Luther's posting of the Ninety-five Theses), representatives of the Catholic Church's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Lutheran World Federation signed a Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, as a gesture of unity. The signing was a fruit of a theological dialogue that had been going on between the Lutheran World Federation and the Holy See since 1965.

Anglicanism

John Paul II had good relations with the Church of England, as also with other parts of the Anglican Communion. He was the first reigning pope to travel to the United Kingdom, in 1982, where he met Queen Elizabeth II, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. He preached in Canterbury Cathedral and received Robert Runcie, the Archbishop of Canterbury. He said that he was disappointed by the Church of England's decision to ordain women and saw it as a step away from unity between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church.

In 1980, John Paul II issued a Pastoral Provision allowing married former Episcopal priests to become Catholic priests, and for the acceptance of former Episcopal Church parishes into the Catholic Church. He allowed the creation of a form of the Roman Rite, known informally by some as the Anglican Use, which incorporates selected elements of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer that are compatible with Catholic doctrine. He permitted Archbishop Patrick Flores of San Antonio, Texas, to establish Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church, together as the inaugural parish for the use of this hybrid liturgy.

Relations with Judaism

Main article: Pope John Paul II and Judaism

Relations between Catholicism and Judaism improved dramatically during the pontificate of John Paul II. He spoke frequently about the Catholic Church's relationship with the Jewish faith. It is likely that his attitude was shaped in part by his own experience of the terrible fate of the Jews in Poland and the rest of Central Europe in the 1930s and 1940s.

In 1979, John Paul II visited the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, where many of his compatriots (mostly Jews) had perished during the German occupation there in World War II, the first pope to do so. In 1998, he issued We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah, which outlined his thinking on the Holocaust. He became the first pope known to have made an official papal visit to a synagogue, when he visited the Great Synagogue of Rome on 13 April 1986.

On 30 December 1993, John Paul II established formal diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the State of Israel, acknowledging its centrality in Jewish life and faith.

On 7 April 1994, he hosted the Papal Concert to Commemorate the Holocaust. It was the first-ever Vatican event dedicated to the memory of the six million Jews murdered in World War II. This concert, which was conceived and conducted by US conductor Gilbert Levine, was attended by the Chief Rabbi of Rome Elio Toaff, the President of Italy Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, and survivors of the Holocaust from around the world. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, actor Richard Dreyfuss and cellist Lynn Harrell performed on this occasion under Levine's direction. On the morning of the concert, the pope received the attending members of survivor community in a special audience in the Apostolic Palace.

In March 2000, John Paul II visited Yad Vashem, the national Holocaust memorial in Israel, and later made history by touching one of the holiest sites in Judaism, the Western Wall in Jerusalem, placing a letter inside it (in which he prayed for forgiveness for the actions against Jews). In part of his address he said: "I assure the Jewish people the Catholic Church ... is deeply saddened by the hatred, acts of persecution and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews by Christians at any time and in any place." He added that there were "no words strong enough to deplore the terrible tragedy of the Holocaust." He added: "We are deeply saddened by the behaviour of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking your forgiveness we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant." Israeli cabinet minister Rabbi Michael Melchior, who hosted the pope's visit, said he was "very moved" by the pope's gesture. He said: "It was beyond history, beyond memory."

In October 2003, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a statement congratulating John Paul II on entering the 25th year of his papacy. In January 2005, John Paul II became the first pope known to receive a priestly blessing from a rabbi, when Rabbis Benjamin Blech, Barry Dov Schwartz, and Jack Bemporad visited the Pontiff at Clementine Hall in the Apostolic Palace.

Immediately after John Paul II's death, the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement that he had revolutionised Catholic-Jewish relations, saying that "more change for the better took place in his 27-year Papacy than in the nearly 2,000 years before." In another statement issued by the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, Director Colin Rubenstein said, "The Pope will be remembered for his inspiring spiritual leadership in the cause of freedom and humanity. He achieved far more in terms of transforming relations with both the Jewish people and the State of Israel than any other figure in the history of the Catholic Church." In April 1986, John Paul II said: "With Judaism, therefore, we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers, and in a certain way, it could be said that you are our elder brothers."

In an interview with the Polish Press Agency, Michael Schudrich, chief rabbi of Poland, said that never in history did anyone do as much for Christian-Jewish dialogue as John Paul II, adding that many Jews had a greater respect for the late pope than for some rabbis. Schudrich praised John Paul II for condemning anti-Semitism as a sin, which no previous pope had done.

On John Paul II's beatification, the Chief Rabbi of Rome Riccardo Di Segni said in an interview with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that "John Paul II was revolutionary because he tore down a thousand-year wall of Catholic distrust of the Jewish world." Meanwhile, Elio Toaff, the former Chief Rabbi of Rome, said that:

"Remembrance of the Pope Karol Wojtyła will remain strong in the collective Jewish memory because of his appeals to fraternity and the spirit of tolerance, which excludes all violence. In the stormy history of relations between Roman popes and Jews in the ghetto in which they were closed for over three centuries in humiliating circumstances, John Paul II is a bright figure in his uniqueness. In relations between our two great religions in the new century that was stained with bloody wars and the plague of racism, the heritage of John Paul II remains one of the few spiritual islands guaranteeing survival and human progress."

Relations with other world religions

Animism

In his book-length interview Crossing the Threshold of Hope with the Italian journalist Vittorio Messori published in 1995, John Paul II draws parallels between animism and Christianity. He wrote:

"... it would be helpful to recall ... the animist religions which stress ancestor worship. It seems that those who practise them are particularly close to Christianity, and among them, the Church's missionaries also find it easier to speak a common language. Is there, perhaps, in this veneration of ancestors a kind of preparation for the Christian faith in the Communion of Saints, in which all believers—whether living or dead—form a single community, a single body? ... There is nothing strange, then, that the African and Asian animists would become believers in Christ more easily than followers of the great religions of the Far East."

In 1985, the pope visited the African country of Togo, where 60 per cent of the population espouses animist beliefs. To honour the pope, animist religious leaders met him at a Catholic Marian shrine in the forest, much to the pontiff's delight. John Paul II proceeded to call for the need for religious tolerance, praised nature, and emphasised common elements between animism and Christianity, saying:

"Nature, exuberant and splendid in this area of forests and lakes, impregnates spirits and hearts with its mystery and orients them spontaneously toward the mystery of He who is the author of life. It is this religious sentiment that animates you and one can say that animates all of your compatriots."

During the investiture of President Thomas Boni Yayi of Benin as a titled Yoruba chieftain on 20 December 2008, the reigning Ooni of Ile-Ife, Nigeria, Olubuse II, referred to John Paul II as a previous recipient of the same royal honour.

Buddhism

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, visited John Paul II eight times. The two men held many similar views and understood similar plights, both coming from nations affected by Communism and both serving as heads of major religious bodies. As Archbishop of Kraków, long before the 14th Dalai Lama was a world-famous figure, Wojtyła held special Masses to pray for the Tibetan people's non-violent struggle for freedom from Maoist China. In 1987, he welcomed participants of the East-West Spiritual Exchanges, an initiative by the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue (DIMMID) and the Institute for Zen Studies in which Buddhist and Christian monks or nuns take turns residing for one month in each other's monasteries. During his 1995 visit to Sri Lanka, a country where a majority of the population adheres to Theravada Buddhism, John Paul II expressed his admiration for Buddhism. He said:

"In particular I express my highest regard for the followers of Buddhism, the majority religion in Sri Lanka, with its ... four great values of … loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity; with its ten transcendental virtues and the joys of the Sangha expressed so beautifully in the Theragathas. I ardently hope that my visit will serve to strengthen the goodwill between us, and that it will reassure everyone of the Catholic Church's desire for interreligious dialogue and cooperation in building a more just and fraternal world. To everyone I extend the hand of friendship, recalling the splendid words of the Dhammapada: 'Better than a thousand useless words is one single word that gives peace' ... ."

Islam

John Paul II was the first Pope to enter and pray in a mosque, visiting the tomb of John the Baptist at Umayyad Mosque, Damascus.

John Paul II made considerable efforts to improve relations between Catholicism and Islam.

He officially supported the project of the Mosque of Rome and participated in the inauguration in 1995.

On 14 May 1999, at a meeting with Muslim leaders in Syria, he was gifted and then promptly kissed a Qur'an, an act that was controversial with some Catholics.

On 6 May 2001, he became the first Catholic pope to enter and pray in a mosque, namely the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria. Respectfully removing his shoes, he entered the former Byzantine-era Christian church dedicated to John the Baptist, who is also revered as a prophet of Islam. He gave a speech including the statement: "For all the times that Muslims and Christians have offended one another, we need to seek forgiveness from the Almighty and to offer each other forgiveness."

In 2004, John Paul II hosted the "Papal Concert of Reconciliation", which brought together leaders of Islam with leaders of the Jewish community and of the Catholic Church at the Vatican for a concert by the Kraków Philharmonic Choir from Poland, the London Philharmonic Choir from the United Kingdom, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from the United States, and the Ankara State Polyphonic Choir of Turkey. The event was conceived and conducted by Gilbert Levine, KCSG and was broadcast throughout the world.

John Paul II oversaw the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which makes a special provision for Muslims; therein, it is written, "together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day."

Jainism

In 1995, John Paul II held a meeting with 21 Jains, organised by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. He praised Mohandas Gandhi for his "unshakeable faith in God", assured the Jains that the Catholic Church will continue to engage in dialogue with their religion and spoke of the common need to aid the poor. The Jain leaders were impressed with the pope's "transparency and simplicity", and the meeting received much attention in the Gujarat state in western India, home to many Jains.

Assassination attempts and plots

Main articles: Attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II, Juan María Fernández y Krohn, and Bojinka Plot
John Paul II moments after being shot during an assassination attempt by Mehmet Ali Ağca in St. Peter's Square, 13 May 1981

As he entered St. Peter's Square to address an audience on 13 May 1981, John Paul II was shot and critically wounded by Mehmet Ali Ağca, an expert Turkish gunman who was a member of the militant fascist group Grey Wolves. The assassin used a Browning 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, shooting the pope in the abdomen and perforating his colon and small intestine multiple times. John Paul II was rushed into the Vatican complex and then to the Gemelli Hospital. On the way to the hospital, he lost consciousness. Even though the two bullets missed his superior mesenteric artery and abdominal aorta, he lost nearly three-quarters of his blood. He underwent five hours of surgery to treat his wounds. Surgeons performed a colostomy, temporarily rerouting the upper part of the large intestine to let the damaged lower part heal. When he briefly regained consciousness before being operated on, he instructed the doctors not to remove his Brown Scapular during the operation. One of the few people allowed in to see him at the Gemelli Clinic was one of his closest friends, philosopher Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka, who arrived on Saturday 16 May and kept him company while he recovered from emergency surgery. The pope later stated that the Blessed Virgin Mary helped keep him alive throughout his ordeal. He said:

"Could I forget that the event in St. Peter's Square took place on the day and at the hour when the first appearance of the Mother of Christ to the poor little peasants has been remembered for over sixty years at Fátima, Portugal? For in everything that happened to me on that very day, I felt that extraordinary motherly protection and care, which turned out to be stronger than the deadly bullet."

Ağca was caught and restrained by a nun and other bystanders until police arrived. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. Two days after Christmas in 1983, John Paul II visited Ağca in prison. John Paul II and Ağca spoke privately for about twenty minutes. John Paul II said, "What we talked about will have to remain a secret between him and me. I spoke to him as a brother whom I have pardoned and who has my complete trust."

Numerous other theories were advanced to explain the assassination attempt, some of them controversial. One such theory, advanced by Michael Ledeen and heavily pushed by the United States Central Intelligence Agency at the time of the assassination but never substantiated by evidence, was that the Soviet Union was behind the attempt on John Paul II's life in retaliation for the pope's support of Solidarity, the Catholic, pro-democratic Polish workers' movement. This theory was supported by the 2006 Mitrokhin Commission, set up by Silvio Berlusconi and headed by Forza Italia senator Paolo Guzzanti, which alleged that Communist Bulgarian security departments were utilised to prevent the Soviet Union's role from being uncovered, and concluded that Soviet military intelligence (Glavnoje Razvedyvatel'noje Upravlenije), not the KGB, were responsible. Russian Foreign Intelligence Service spokesman Boris Labusov called the accusation "absurd". The pope declared during a May 2002 visit to Bulgaria that the country's Soviet-bloc-era leadership had nothing to do with the assassination attempt. However, his secretary, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, alleged in his book A Life with Karol, that the pope was convinced privately that the former Soviet Union was behind the attack. It was later discovered that many of John Paul II's aides had foreign-government attachments; Bulgaria and Russia disputed the Italian commission's conclusions, pointing out that the pope had publicly denied the Bulgarian connection.

A second assassination attempt was made on 12 May 1982, just a day before the anniversary of the first attempt on his life, in Fátima, Portugal, when a man tried to stab John Paul II with a bayonet. He was stopped by security guards. Stanisław Dziwisz later said that John Paul II had been injured during the attempt but managed to hide a non-life-threatening wound. The assailant, a traditionalist Catholic Spanish priest named Juan María Fernández y Krohn, had been ordained as a priest by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre of the Society of St. Pius X and was opposed to the changes made by the Second Vatican Council, saying that the pope was an agent of Communist Moscow and of the Marxist Eastern Bloc. Fernández y Krohn subsequently left the priesthood and served three years of a six-year sentence. The ex-priest was treated for mental illness and then expelled from Portugal to become a solicitor in Belgium.

The Al-Qaeda-funded Bojinka plot planned to kill John Paul II during a visit to the Philippines during World Youth Day 1995 celebrations. On 15 January 1995 a suicide bomber was planning to dress as a priest and detonate a bomb when the pope passed in his motorcade on his way to the San Carlos Seminary in Makati. The assassination was supposed to divert attention from the next phase of the operation. However, a chemical fire inadvertently started by the cell alerted police to their whereabouts, and all were arrested a week before the pope's visit, and confessed to the plot.

In 2009 Jack Koehler, a journalist and former army intelligence officer, published Spies in the Vatican: The Soviet Union's Cold War Against the Catholic Church. Mining mostly East German and Polish secret police archives, Koehler claimed the assassination attempts were "KGB-backed".

Apologies

Main article: Apologies by Pope John Paul II

John Paul II apologised to many groups that had suffered at the hands of the Catholic Church through the years. Before becoming pope he had been a prominent editor and supporter of initiatives such as the Letter of Reconciliation of the Polish Bishops to the German Bishops from 1965. As pope, he officially made public apologies for over 100 wrongdoings, including:

The Great Jubilee of the year 2000 included a day of Prayer for Forgiveness of the Sins of the Church on 12 March 2000.

On 20 November 2001, from a laptop in the Vatican, John Paul II sent his first e-mail apologising for the Catholic sex abuse cases, the church-backed Stolen Generations of Aboriginal children in Australia, and to China for the behaviour of Catholic missionaries in colonial times.

Health

Main article: Pope John Paul II's health
An ailing John Paul II riding in the Popemobile in September 2004 in St. Peter's Square

When he became pope in 1978 at the age of 58, John Paul II was an avid sportsman. He was extremely healthy and active, jogging in the Vatican gardens, weight training, swimming, and hiking in the mountains. He was fond of football. The media contrasted the new pope's athleticism and trim figure to the poor health of John Paul I and Paul VI, the portliness of John XXIII and the constant claims of ailments of Pius XII. The only modern pope with a fitness regimen had been Pope Pius XI (1922–1939), who was an avid mountaineer. An Irish Independent article in the 1980s labelled John Paul II the keep-fit pope.

However, after over 26 years as pope, two assassination attempts, one of which injured him severely, and a number of cancer scares, John Paul's physical health declined. In 2001 he was diagnosed as suffering from Parkinson's disease. International observers had suspected this for some time, but it was only publicly acknowledged by the Vatican in 2003. Despite difficulty speaking more than a few sentences at a time, trouble hearing, and severe osteoarthrosis, he continued to tour the world although rarely walking in public.

Death and funeral

Main article: Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II

Final months

John Paul II was hospitalised with breathing problems caused by a bout of influenza on 1 February 2005. He left the hospital on 10 February, but was subsequently hospitalised again with breathing problems two weeks later and underwent a tracheotomy.

Final illness and death

The body of Pope John Paul II lying in state

On 31 March 2005, following a urinary tract infection, he developed septic shock, a form of infection with a high fever and low blood pressure, but was not hospitalised. Instead, he was monitored by a team of consultants at his private residence. This was taken as an indication by the pope, and those close to him, that he was nearing death; it would have been in accordance with his wishes to die in the Vatican. Later that day, Vatican sources announced that John Paul II had been given the Anointing of the Sick by his friend and secretary Stanisław Dziwisz. The day before his death, one of his closest personal friends, Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka, visited him at his bedside. During the final days of the pope's life, the lights were kept burning through the night where he lay in the Papal apartment on the top floor of the Apostolic Palace. Tens of thousands of people assembled and held vigil in St. Peter's Square and the surrounding streets for two days. Upon hearing of this, the dying pope was said to have stated: "I have searched for you, and now you have come to me, and I thank you."

On Saturday, 2 April 2005, at approximately 15:30 CEST, John Paul II spoke his final words in Polish, "Pozwólcie mi odejść do domu Ojca" ("Allow me to depart to the house of the Father"), to his aides, and fell into a coma about four hours later. The Mass of the vigil of the Second Sunday of Easter commemorating the canonisation of Faustina Kowalska on 30 April 2000, had just been celebrated at his bedside, presided over by Dziwisz and two Polish associates. Present at the bedside was Cardinal Lubomyr Husar from Ukraine, who served as a priest with John Paul in Poland, along with Polish nuns of the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, who ran the papal household. John Paul II died in his private apartment at 21:37 CEST (19:37 UTC) of heart failure from profound hypotension and complete circulatory collapse from septic shock. His death was verified when an electrocardiogram that ran for 20 minutes showed a flatline.

He had no close family by the time of his death; his feelings are reflected in his words written in 2000 at the end of his Last Will and Testament. Dziwisz later said he had not burned the pontiff's personal notes despite the request being part of the will.

(l-r) George W. Bush, Laura Bush, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, and Andrew Card, US dignitaries paying respects to John Paul II on 6 April 2005 at St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

Aftermath

The death of the pontiff set in motion rituals and traditions dating back to medieval times. The Rite of Visitation took place from 4 April 2005 to 7 April 2005 at St. Peter's Basilica. John Paul II's testament, published on 7 April 2005, revealed that he contemplated being buried in his native Poland but left the final decision to the College of Cardinals, which in passing, preferred burial beneath St. Peter's Basilica, honouring the pontiff's request to be placed "in bare earth".

The Requiem Mass held on 8 April 2005 was said to have set world records both for attendance and number of heads of state present at a funeral. (See: List of Dignitaries.) It was the single largest gathering of heads of state up to that time, surpassing the funerals of Winston Churchill (1965) and Josip Broz Tito (1980). Four kings, five queens, at least 70 presidents and prime ministers, and more than 14 leaders of other religions attended. An estimated four million mourners gathered in and around Vatican City. Between 250,000 and 300,000 watched the event from within the Vatican's walls. In a historical rarity, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox leaders, as well as representatives and heads from Judaism, Islam, Druze and Buddhism, offered their own memorials and prayers as a way of sympathising with the grief of Catholics.

The Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, conducted the ceremony. John Paul II was interred in the grottoes under the basilica, the Tomb of the Popes. He was lowered into a tomb created in the same alcove previously occupied by the remains of John XXIII. The alcove had been empty since John XXIII's remains had been moved into the main body of the basilica after his beatification.

Posthumous recognition

Title "the Great"

Old tomb of John Paul II in the Vatican Grottoes before his beatification

Upon the death of John Paul II, a number of clergy at the Vatican and laymen began referring to the late pontiff as "John Paul the Great" — in theory only the fourth pope to be so acclaimed. Cardinal Angelo Sodano specifically referred to John Paul as "the Great" in his published written homily for the pope's funeral Mass of Repose. The South African Catholic newspaper The Southern Cross has referred to him in print as "John Paul II the Great". Some Catholic educational institutions in the US have additionally changed their names to incorporate "the Great", including John Paul the Great Catholic University and schools called some variant of John Paul the Great High School.

The tomb of John Paul II in the Vatican Chapel of Saint Sebastian within St. Peter's Basilica where it has been since 2011

Scholars of canon law say that there is no official process for declaring a pope "Great"; the title simply establishes itself through popular and continued usage, as was the case with celebrated secular leaders (for example, Alexander III of Macedon became popularly known as Alexander the Great). The three popes who today commonly are known as "Great" are Leo I, who reigned from 440–461 and persuaded Attila the Hun to withdraw from Rome; Gregory I, 590–604, after whom the Gregorian chant is named; and Pope Nicholas I, 858–867, who consolidated the Catholic Church in the Western world in the Middle Ages.

John Paul's successor, Benedict XVI, did not use the term directly in public speeches, but made oblique references to "the great Pope John Paul II" in his first address from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, at the 20th World Youth Day 2005 in Germany when he said in Polish: "As the great Pope John Paul II would say: Keep the flame of faith alive in your lives and your people"; and in May 2006 during a visit to Poland where he repeatedly made references to "the great John Paul" and "my great predecessor".

The tomb of the parents of John Paul II at Rakowicki Cemetery in Kraków, Poland

Institutions named after John Paul II

Beatification

Main article: Beatification of Pope John Paul II
1.5 million St. Peter's Square attendees witness the beatification of John Paul II on 1 May 2011 in Vatican City.

Inspired by calls of "Santo Subito!" (" Saint Immediately!") from the crowds gathered during the funeral Mass that he celebrated, Benedict XVI began the beatification process for his predecessor, bypassing the normal restriction that five years must pass after a person's death before beginning the beatification process. In an audience with Pope Benedict XVI, Camillo Ruini, Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome, who was responsible for promoting the cause for canonisation of any person who died within that diocese, cited "exceptional circumstances", which suggested that the waiting period could be waived. This decision was announced on 13 May 2005, the Feast of Our Lady of Fátima and the 24th anniversary of the assassination attempt on John Paul II at St. Peter's Square.

In early 2006, it was reported that the Vatican was investigating a possible miracle associated with John Paul II. Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, a French nun and member of the Congregation of Little Sisters of Catholic Maternity Wards, confined to her bed by Parkinson's disease, was reported to have experienced a "complete and lasting cure after members of her community prayed for the intercession of Pope John Paul II". As of May 2008, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, then 46, was working again at a maternity hospital run by her religious institute.

"I was sick and now I am cured," she told reporter Gerry Shaw. "I am cured, but it is up to the church to say whether it was a miracle or not."

On 28 May 2006, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass before an estimated 900,000 people in John Paul II's native Poland. During his homily, he encouraged prayers for the early canonisation of John Paul II and stated that he hoped canonisation would happen "in the near future".

Statue of John Paul II outside the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Tepeyac, Mexico City

In January 2007, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz announced that the interview phase of the beatification process, in Italy and Poland, was nearing completion. In February 2007, second class relics of John Paul II—pieces of white papal cassocks he used to wear—were freely distributed with prayer cards for the cause, a typical pious practice after a saintly Catholic's death. On 8 March 2007, the Vicariate of Rome announced that the diocesan phase of John Paul's cause for beatification was at an end. Following a ceremony on 2 April 2007—the second anniversary of the Pontiff's death—the cause proceeded to the scrutiny of the committee of lay, clerical, and episcopal members of the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints, to conduct a separate investigation. On the fourth anniversary of John Paul II's death, 2 April 2009, Cardinal Dziwisz, told reporters of a presumed miracle that had recently occurred at the former pope's tomb in St. Peter's Basilica. A nine-year-old Polish boy from Gdańsk, who was suffering from kidney cancer and was completely unable to walk, had been visiting the tomb with his parents. On leaving St. Peter's Basilica, the boy told them, "I want to walk," and began walking normally. On 16 November 2009, a panel of reviewers at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints voted unanimously that John Paul II had lived a life of heroic virtue. On 19 December 2009, Pope Benedict XVI signed the first of two decrees needed for beatification and proclaimed John Paul II "Venerable", asserting that he had lived a heroic, virtuous life. The second vote and the second signed decree certifying the authenticity of the first miracle, the curing of Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, a French nun, from Parkinson's disease. Once the second decree is signed, the position (the report on the cause, with documentation about his life and writings and with information on the cause) is complete. He can then be beatified. Some speculated that he would be beatified sometime during (or soon after) the month of the 32nd anniversary of his 1978 election, in October 2010. As Monsignor Oder said, this course would have been possible if the second decree were signed in time by Benedict XVI, stating that a posthumous miracle directly attributable to his intercession had occurred, completing the positio.

Candles around monument to John Paul II in Zaspa, Gdańsk, at the time of his death

The Vatican announced on 14 January 2011 that Pope Benedict XVI had confirmed the miracle involving Sister Marie Simon-Pierre and that John Paul II was to be beatified on 1 May, the Feast of Divine Mercy. 1 May is commemorated in former Communist countries, such as Poland, and some Western European countries as May Day, and John Paul II was well known for his contributions to Communism's relatively peaceful demise. In March 2011 the Polish mint issued a gold 1,000 Polish złoty coin (equivalent to US$350), with the Pope's image to commemorate his beatification.

On 29 April 2011, John Paul II's coffin was disinterred from the grotto beneath St. Peter's Basilica ahead of his beatification, as tens of thousands of people arrived in Rome for one of the biggest events since his funeral. John Paul II's remains, which were not exposed, were placed in front of the Basilica's main altar, where believers could pay their respect before and after the beatification mass in St. Peter's Square on 1 May 2011. On 3 May 2011 his remains were interred in the marble altar in Pier Paolo Cristofari Chapel of St. Sebastian, where Pope Innocent XI was buried. This more prominent location, next to the Chapel of the Pietà, the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, and statues of Popes Pius XI and Pius XII was intended to allow more pilgrims to view his memorial. John Paul II's body is located near the bodies of Pope Pius X and Pope John XXIII, whose bodies were reinterred in the Basilica after their own beatifications and together are three of the five popes beatified in the last century. The two popes who were not exhumed and reinterred after becoming a blessed in the last century were Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul I, who both remain entombed in the papal grottos.

In July 2012, a Colombian man, Marco Fidel Rojas, the former mayor of Huila, Colombia, testified that he was "miraculously cured" of Parkinson's disease after a trip to Rome where he met John Paul II and prayed with him. Antonio Schlesinger Piedrahita, a renowned neurologist in Colombia, certified Fidel's healing. The documentation was then sent to the Vatican office for sainthood causes.

In September 2020, Poland unveiled a sculpture of him, designed by Jerzy Kalina [pl] and installed outside the National Museum, Warsaw, holding up a meteorite. In the same month, a relic containing his blood was stolen from the Spoleto Cathedral in Italy.

Canonisation

Main article: Canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II
The canonisation of John Paul II and John XXIII

To be eligible for canonisation (being declared a saint) by the Catholic Church, two miracles must be attributed to a candidate.

The first miracle attributed to John Paul was the above mentioned healing of a nun's Parkinson's disease, which was recognised during the beatification process. According to an article on the Catholic News Service (CNS) dated 23 April 2013, a Vatican commission of doctors concluded that a healing had no natural (medical) explanation, which is the first requirement for a claimed miracle to be officially documented.

The second miracle was deemed to have taken place shortly after the late pope's beatification on 1 May 2011; it was reported to be the healing of Costa Rican woman Floribeth Mora of an otherwise terminal brain aneurysm. A Vatican panel of expert theologians examined the evidence, determined that it was directly attributable to the intercession of John Paul II, and recognised it as miraculous. The next stage was for Cardinals who compose the membership of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to give their opinion to Pope Francis to decide whether to sign and promulgate the decree and set a date for canonisation.

On 4 July 2013, Pope Francis confirmed his approval of John Paul II's canonisation, formally recognising the second miracle attributed to his intercession. He was canonised together with John XXIII. The date of the canonisation was on 27 April 2014, Divine Mercy Sunday.

The canonisation Mass for Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII, was celebrated by Pope Francis (with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI), on 27 April 2014 in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican (John Paul II had died on vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday in 2005). About 150 cardinals and 700 bishops concelebrated the Mass, and at least 500,000 people attended the Mass, with an estimated 300,000 others watching from video screens placed around Rome.

The new saint's remains, considered to be holy relics, were exhumed from their place in the basilica's grotto, and a new tomb was established at the altar of St. Sebastian.

Beatification of the Pope's parents

On 10 October 2019, the Archdiocese of Kraków and the Polish Episcopal Conference approved nihil obstat the opening of the beatification cause of the parents of its patron saint John Paul II, Karol Wojtyła Sr. and Emilia Kaczorowska. It gained approval from the Holy See to open the diocesan phase of the cause on 7 May 2020.

Sexual abuse scandals

Main article: Catholic sex abuse cases

John Paul II was criticised by representatives of the victims of clergy sexual abuse for failing to respond quickly enough to the Catholic sex abuse crisis. After decades of inaction, the scandal came to a head when Sinéad O'Connor infamously tore up a photo of John Paul II on a 3 October 1992 episode of Saturday Night Live while performing an a capella rendition of Bob Marley's "War".

In response to mounting criticism over the next decade, John Paul II stated in 2002 that "there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young". The Catholic Church instituted reforms to prevent future abuse by requiring background checks for church employees and, because a significant majority of victims were boys, disallowing ordination of men with "deep-seated homosexual tendencies". They now require dioceses faced with an allegation to alert the authorities, conduct an investigation and remove the accused from duty. In 2008, the church asserted that the scandal was a very serious problem and estimated that it was "probably caused by 'no more than 1 per cent'", or 5,000, of the over 500,000 Catholic priests worldwide.

In April 2002, John Paul II, despite being frail from Parkinson's disease, summoned all the American cardinals to the Vatican to discuss possible solutions to the issue of sexual abuse in the American Church. He asked them to "diligently investigate accusations". John Paul II suggested that American bishops be more open and transparent in dealing with such scandals and emphasised the role of seminary training to prevent sexual deviance among future priests. In what The New York Times called "unusually direct language", John Paul condemned the arrogance of priests that led to the scandals:

"Priests and candidates for the priesthood often live at a level both materially and educationally superior to that of their families and the members of their own age group. It is therefore very easy for them to succumb to the temptation of thinking of themselves as better than others. When this happens, the ideal of priestly service and self-giving dedication can fade, leaving the priest dissatisfied and disheartened."

The pope read a statement intended for the American cardinals, calling the sex abuse "an appalling sin" and said the priesthood had no room for such men.

In 2002, Archbishop Juliusz Paetz, the Catholic Archbishop of Poznań, was accused of molesting seminarians. John Paul II accepted his resignation, and placed sanctions on him, prohibiting Paetz from exercising his ministry as bishop. It was reported that these restrictions were lifted, though Vatican spokesperson Federico Lombardi strenuously denied this saying "his rehabilitation was without foundation".

In 2003, John Paul II reiterated that "there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young". In April 2003, a three-day conference was held, titled "Abuse of Children and Young People by Catholic Priests and Religious", where eight non-Catholic psychiatric experts were invited to speak to near all Vatican dicasteries' representatives. The panel of experts overwhelmingly opposed implementation of policies of "zero-tolerance" such as was proposed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. One expert called such policies a "case of overkill" since they do not permit flexibility to allow for differences among individual cases.

In 2004, John Paul II recalled Bernard Francis Law to be Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Law had previously resigned as Archbishop of Boston in 2002 in response to the Catholic Church sexual abuse cases after church documents were revealed that suggested he had covered up sexual abuse committed by priests in his archdiocese. Law resigned from this position in November 2011.

John Paul II was a firm supporter of the Legion of Christ, and in 1998 discontinued investigations into sexual misconduct by its leader Marcial Maciel, who in 2005 resigned his leadership and was later requested by the Vatican to withdraw from his ministry. However, Maciel's trial began in 2004 during the pontificate of John Paul II, but the Pope died before it ended and the conclusions were known. In an interview with L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis said: "I am grateful to Pope Benedict, who dared to say this publicly (when more facts began to come to light after Degollado's death in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 launched another investigation and on 1 May 2010 announced a declaration about the crimes of the founder of the Legionaries), and to Pope John Paul II, who dared to give the green light to the Legionaries' case".

On 10 November 2020, the Vatican published a report which found that John Paul II learned of allegations of sexual impropriety against former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who at the time was serving as Archbishop of Newark, through a 1999 letter from Cardinal John O'Connor warning him that appointing McCarrick to be Archbishop of Washington D.C., a position which had recently been opened, would be a mistake. John Paul II ordered an investigation, which stalled when three of the four bishops tasked with investigating claims allegedly brought back "inaccurate or incomplete information". John Paul II planned on not giving McCarrick the appointment anyway, but relented and gave him the appointment after McCarrick wrote a letter of denial. He created McCarrick a cardinal in 2001. McCarrick would eventually be laicized after allegations surfaced that he abused minors. George Weigel, a biographer of John Paul II, defended the pope's actions as follows: "Theodore McCarrick fooled a lot of people ... and he deceived John Paul II in a way that is laid out in almost biblical fashion in report".

In a 2019 interview with Mexican television, Pope Francis defended John Paul II's legacy on protecting minors against clerical sexual abuse. He said that John Paul II was "often misled", as in the case of Hans Hermann Groër. Francis said that with respect to the case of Marcial Maciel:

"Ratzinger was courageous, and so was John Paul II. ... With respect to John Paul II, we have to understand certain attitudes because he came from a closed world, from behind the Iron Curtain, where communism was still in force. There was a defensive mentality. We have to understand this well, and no one can doubt the saintliness of this great man and his good will. He was great, he was great."

On March 6, 2023, an investigative report by the Polish television station TVN24 concluded that "there no doubt" that John Paul II "knew about sexual abuse of children by priests under his authority and sought to conceal it when he was an archbishop in his native Poland". The Dutch journalist Ekke Overbeek released a book on John Paul II with similar claims the following week. In response to the claims, Pope Francis stated: "You have to put things in the context of the era At that time everything was covered up. It was only when the Boston scandal broke that the church began to look at the problem." The Polish Episcopal Conference stated that "'further archival research' would be needed to arrive at a just evaluation of the decisions and actions" of Wojtyła. Furthermore, other journalists have criticised the report, especially the interpretation of the sources. Another point of contention is the use of materials from the communist secret police in the report.

Other criticism and controversy

Main articles: Criticism of Pope John Paul II and Criticism of the Catholic Church

John Paul II was widely criticised for a variety of his views. He was a target of criticism from progressives for his opposition to the ordination of women and use of contraception, and from traditional Catholics for his support for the Second Vatican Council and its reform of the liturgy. John Paul II's response to child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church has also come under heavy censure.

Opus Dei controversies

Main article: Controversies about Opus Dei

John Paul II was criticised for his support of the Opus Dei prelature and the 2002 canonisation of its founder, Josemaría Escrivá, whom he called "the saint of ordinary life". Other movements and religious organisations of the church went decidedly under his wing Legion of Christ, the Neocatechumenal Way, Schoenstatt, the charismatic movement, etc. And he was accused repeatedly of taking a soft hand with them, especially in the case of Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legionaries of Christ.

In 1984 John Paul II appointed Joaquín Navarro-Valls, a member of Opus Dei, as Director of the Vatican Press Office. An Opus Dei spokesman said that "the influence of Opus Dei in the Vatican has been exaggerated". Of the nearly 200 cardinals in the Catholic Church, only two are known to be members of Opus Dei.

Banco Ambrosiano scandal

Main article: Banco Ambrosiano

John Paul II was alleged to have links with Banco Ambrosiano, an Italian bank that collapsed in 1982. At the centre of the bank's failure was its chairman, Roberto Calvi, and his membership in the illegal Masonic Lodge Propaganda Due (aka P2). The Vatican Bank was Banco Ambrosiano's main shareholder, and the death of John Paul I in 1978 is rumoured to be linked to the Ambrosiano scandal.

Calvi, often referred to as "God's Banker", was also involved with the Vatican Bank, and was close to Bishop Paul Marcinkus, the bank's chairman. Ambrosiano also provided funds for political parties in Italy, and for both the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua and its Sandinista opposition. It has been widely alleged that the Vatican Bank provided money for Solidarity in Poland.

Calvi used his complex network of overseas banks and companies to move money out of Italy, to inflate share prices, and to arrange massive unsecured loans. In 1978, the Bank of Italy produced a report on Ambrosiano that predicted future disaster. On 5 June 1982, two weeks before the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano, Calvi had written a letter of warning to John Paul II, stating that such a forthcoming event would "provoke a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions in which the Church will suffer the gravest damage". On 18 June 1982 Calvi's body was found hanging from scaffolding beneath Blackfriars Bridge in the financial district of London. Calvi's clothing was stuffed with bricks, and contained cash valued at US$14,000, in three different currencies.

Problems with traditionalists

In addition to all the criticism from those demanding modernisation, some traditionalist Catholics denounced him as well. These issues included demanding a return to the Tridentine Mass, as well as the repudiation of reforms instituted after the Second Vatican Council, such as the use of the vernacular language in the formerly Latin-language Roman Rite, ecumenism, and the principle of religious liberty. In 1988, the controversial traditionalist Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, founder of the Society of Saint Pius X (1970), was excommunicated under John Paul II because of the unapproved ordination of four bishops, which Cardinal Ratzinger called a "schismatic act".

The World Day of Prayer for Peace, with a meeting in Assisi, Italy, in 1986, in which the pope prayed only with the Christians, was criticised for giving the impression that syncretism and indifferentism were openly embraced by the Papal Magisterium. When a second Day of Prayer for Peace in the World was held in 2002, it was condemned as confusing the laity and compromising to false religions. Likewise criticised was his kissing of the Qur'an in Damascus, Syria, on one of his travels on 6 May 2001. His call for religious freedom was not always supported; bishops like Antônio de Castro Mayer promoted religious tolerance but at the same time rejected the Vatican II principle of religious liberty as being liberalist and already condemned by Pope Pius IX in his Syllabus errorum (1864) and at the First Vatican Council.

Religion and AIDS

Main article: Catholic Church and HIV/AIDS

John Paul II continued the tradition of advocating for the culture of life. In solidarity with Pope Paul VI's Humanae vitae, he rejected artificial birth control, even in the use of condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS. Critics have said that large families are caused by lack of contraception and exacerbate Third World poverty and problems, such as street children in South America. John Paul II argued that the proper way to prevent the spread of AIDS was not condoms but rather "correct practice of sexuality, which presupposes chastity and fidelity". The focus of John Paul II's point is that the need for artificial birth control is itself artificial, and that principle of respecting the sacredness of life ought not be rent asunder in order to achieve the good of preventing AIDS.

Social programmes

There was strong criticism of the pope for the controversy surrounding the alleged use of charitable social programmes as a means of converting people in the Third World to Catholicism. The pope created an uproar in the Indian subcontinent when he suggested that a great harvest of faith would be witnessed on the subcontinent in the third Christian millennium.

Argentine military regime

John Paul II endorsed Cardinal Pio Laghi, who critics say supported the Dirty War in Argentina and was on friendly terms with the Argentine generals of the military dictatorship, playing regular tennis matches with the Navy's representative in the junta, Admiral Emilio Eduardo Massera.

Ian Paisley

In 1988, when John Paul II was delivering a speech to the European Parliament, Ian Paisley, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, shouted "I denounce you as the Antichrist!" He held up a red banner reading "Pope John Paul II ANTICHRIST". Otto von Habsburg (the last Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary), a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Germany, snatched Paisley's banner, tore it up, and along with other MEPs helped eject him from the chamber. The pope continued with his address after Paisley had been ejected.

Međugorje apparitions

See also: Our Lady of Međugorje

A number of quotes about the apparitions of Međugorje, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, have been attributed to John Paul II. In 1998, when a certain German gathered various statements that were supposedly made by the pope and Cardinal Ratzinger, and then forwarded them to the Vatican in the form of a memorandum, Ratzinger responded in writing on 22 July 1998: "The only thing I can say regarding statements on Međugorje ascribed to the Holy Father and myself is that they are complete invention". Similar claims were also rebuked by the Vatican's Secretariate of State.

Beatification controversy

Some Catholic theologians disagreed with the call for the beatification of John Paul II. Eleven dissident theologians, including Jesuit professor José María Castillo and Italian theologian Giovanni Franzoni, said that his stance against contraception and the ordination of women as well as the church scandals during his pontificate presented "facts which according to their consciences and convictions should be an obstacle to beatification". Some traditionalist Catholics opposed his beatification and canonisation for his views on liturgy and participation in prayer with enemies of the church, heretics and non-Christians.

After the 2020 report about the handling of the sexual misconduct complaints against Theodore McCarrick, some called for John Paul II's sainthood to be revoked.

Personal life

Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka, maintained a thirty-year friendship with Pope John Paul II.
External videos
video icon Presentation by Carl Bernstein on His Holiness: John Paul II and the Hidden History of Our Time, September 24, 1996, C-SPAN

Wojtyła was a Cracovia football team supporter, and the club retired number 1 in his honour. Having played the game himself as a goalkeeper, John Paul II was a fan of English football team Liverpool F.C., where his compatriot Jerzy Dudek played in the same position.

In 1973, while still the archbishop of Kraków, Wojtyła befriended a Polish-born, later American philosopher, Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka. The thirty-two-year friendship (and occasional academic collaboration) lasted until his death. She served as his host when he visited New England in 1976, and photos show them together on skiing and camping trips. Letters that he wrote to her were part of a collection of documents sold by Tymieniecka's estate in 2008 to the National Library of Poland. According to the BBC the library had initially kept the letters from public view, partly because of John Paul's path to sainthood, but a library official announced in February 2016 the letters would be made public. In February 2016, the BBC documentary program Panorama reported that John Paul II had apparently had a close relationship with the Polish-born philosopher. The pair exchanged personal letters over 30 years, and Stourton believes that Tymieniecka had confessed her love for Wojtyła. The Vatican described the documentary as "more smoke than fire", and Tymieniecka denied being involved with John Paul II.

Writers Carl Bernstein, the veteran investigative journalist of the Watergate scandal, and Vatican expert Marco Politi, were the first journalists to talk to Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka in the 1990s about her importance in John Paul's life. They interviewed her and dedicated 20 pages to her in their 1996 book His Holiness. Bernstein and Politi even asked her if she had ever developed any romantic relationship with John Paul II, "however one-sided it might have been". She responded, "No, I never fell in love with the cardinal. How could I fall in love with a middle-aged clergyman? Besides, I'm a married woman."

See also

People

References

Notes

  1. The luminous mysteries seem to have their origin (although in a slightly different form) in the writings of Saint George Preca
  2. In isolation, Józef is pronounced .
  3. In his speech, John Paul deliberately chose to mispronounce the Italian word for 'correct'.

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Sources

Bibliography

See also: Pope John Paul II bibliography

Further reading

  • For a comprehensive list of books written by and about Pope John Paul II, please see Pope John Paul II bibliography
  • For other references see Pope John Paul II in popular culture
  • Shaw, Tamsin, "Ethical Espionage" (review of Calder Walton, Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West, Simon and Schuster, 2023, 672 pp.; and Cécile Fabre, Spying Through a Glass Darkly: The Ethics of Espionage and Counter-Intelligence, Oxford University Press, 251 pp., 2024), The New York Review of Books, vol. LXXI, no. 2 (8 February 2024), pp. 32, 34–35. "n Walton's view, there was scarcely a US covert action that was a long-term strategic success, with the possible exception of intervention in the Soviet-Afghan War (a disastrous military fiasco for the Soviets) and perhaps support for the anti-Soviet Solidarity movement in Poland." (p. 34.)

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Preceded by---- Auxiliary Bishop of Kraków
4 July 1958 – 13 January 1964 		Succeeded by-------
Preceded byEugeniusz Baziak, as Apostolic administrator of Kraków Archbishop of Kraków
13 January 1964 – 16 October 1978 		Succeeded byFranciszek Macharski
Preceded byFrancesco Bracci Cardinal-Priest of San Cesareo in Palatio
26 June 1967 – 16 October 1978 		Succeeded byAndrzej Maria Deskur
Preceded byJohn Paul I Pope
16 October 1978 – 2 April 2005 		Succeeded byBenedict XVI
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Preceded byJohn Paul I Sovereign of the State of Vatican City
16 October 1978 – 2 April 2005 		Succeeded byBenedict XVI
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