Pope John Paul II Facts
Pope John Paul II was considered a vocal advocate for human rights. Find out some interesting facts about “Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Christ”.
- Pope John Paul II was born Karol Józef Wojtyla on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland.
- In 1978, John Paul made history by becoming the first non-Italian pope.
- He was a vocal advocate for human rights and used his influence to effect political change.
“Darkness can only be scattered by light, hatred can only be conquered by love. ” – John Paul II
- John Paul held strong positions on many topics, including his opposition to capital punishment.
- He played a decisive role in the downfall of communism in eastern Europe.
- He has spoke out against abortion, artificial birth conrol, and euthanasia several times.
- John Paul was the f irst pope to visit the White House.
- He re-established diplomatic relations with Great Britain after a 450-year break.
- In January 1984, re-established diplomatic relations with the United States which had been broken since 1867.
- If you put together everything he wrote, it would equal the length of 20 Bibles.
- He was one of the most-traveled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate.
- He was named Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” in 1994.
- He kept a map in which he marked every diocese in the world, and knew each bishop by heart.
- John Paul II died on April 2, 2005, at the age of 84.
- He was canonized (made a “saint” in the Catholic Church) on April 27, 2014.
