Born as Karol Jozef Wojtyla, St. John Paul II was the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years. He was the bishop and head of the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005, making his pontificate the third longest in history.
He travelled to many countries as part of his efforts to promote understanding among different nations and religions. He campaigned against political oppression. He also criticized the materialism of the West. He issued to groups that had been wronged by Catholics and emphasized nonviolent activism.
In the last years of his life, he was forced to reduce his activities as Pope due to his illness, Parkinson’s disease.
