After a dying French nun, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre Normand, prayed to Pope John Paul II for during her battle with Parkinson's disease—the same illness that killed the pope—she was cured. As part of his effort to promote greater understanding between nations and between religions, he undertook numerous trips abroad, traveling far greater distances than had all other popes combined, and he extended his influence beyond the church by campaigning against political oppression and criticizing the materialism of the West. John Paul II's cause for canonisation commenced in 2005 one month after his death with the traditional five-year waiting period waived. It was announced in July 2013 that he would be declared a saint in April of the following year. He also issued several unprecedented apologies to groups that historically had been wronged by Catholics, most notably Jews and Muslims. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1946. His mother died when he was nine years old, and his older brother Edmund died when he was 12. In taking the name John Paul II—which his predecessor, John Paul I, had said honoured the two popes of the Second Vatican Council—he signaled his intention to continue with the council’s reforms. He engaged in acts of interfaith reconciliation with Judaism and Islam, promulgated a new catechism (1992), and canonized nearly 500 saints. II Karol Wojtyla 16.X.1978 - 2.IV.2005. After graduating from secondary school as valedictorian, Wojtyła moved with his father to Kraków, where he attended the Jagiellonian University. © 2021 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC. Updates? Wojtyła was an outgoing youth, though always with a serious side. Pope John Paul II on Evolution It was reported on 24 October, 1996, that Pope John Paul II "broke new ground" in a statement to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in which he said that evolution was "more than a hypothesis". Wojtyła thus grew up experiencing national freedom but also understanding its vulnerability. He was canonized in 2014. His studies ended abruptly when Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Following the premature death of his mother, Karol Wojtyla is brought up by his father in the Polish city of Krakow during the first half of the 20th century. For two years, while still working at the chemical factory, he attended illegal seminary classes run by Kraków’s cardinal archbishop, Prince Adam Sapieha. He excelled in academics and dramatics, played football (soccer), and, under his father’s guidance, lived a disciplined life of routine religious observance. He returned to his native Poland in 1948 and served in several parishes in and around Krakow. We strive for accuracy and fairness. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. Considered one of the Catholic Church's leading thinkers, he participated in the Second Vatican Council—sometimes called Vatican II. John Paul became the bishop of Ombi in 1958 and then the archbishop of Krakow six years later. Karol J. Wojtyla, known as John Paul II since his October 1978 election to the papacy, was born in Wadowice, a small city 50 kilometres from Cracow, on May 18, 1920. Experiences with these friends contributed to the ideas in his first book of nonfiction, Love and Responsibility (1960), an exploration of the several graces available in conjugal sexual relationships. By the autumn of 1942 he had decided to enter the priesthood. As pope, Wojtyła recalled that witnessing Nazi horrors, including the murder of many priests, showed him the real meaning of the priesthood. Pope John Paul II was ordained in 1946, became the bishop of Ombi in 1958, and became the archbishop of Krakow in 1964. Growing up, John Paul was athletic and enjoyed skiing and swimming. Fortunately, he was able to recover from his injuries and later forgave his attacker. He chose to say his first mass, assisted by Figlewicz, in Wawel Cathedral’s crypt chapel amid the sarcophagi of Polish monarchs and heroes, including those who had defended national freedom and European Christendom. (AP) He arrived at 9:01 a.m. on Tuesday the 2nd of October 1979, 14 … Pope John Paul II Regional Catholic Elementary School is a co-educational parochial school for students in Preschool (3 years of age) through eighth grade located in West Brandywine Township, Chester County, Pa. Our childcare program, Little Saints Academy, serves infants and toddlers 3-36 months in age. Pope John Paul II was ordained in 1946, became the bishop of Ombi in 1958, and became the archbishop of Krakow in 1964. His mother, Emilia Kaczorowska, died when he was eight years old; his brother, Edmund, who had become a physician, died less than four years later. In his encyclical Centesimus Annus, Pope John Paul II wrote some controversial words on the subject o f capitalism, the interpretation of which has been the subject of much disagreement among Catholics interested in the economy. He then began two years of study in Rome, where he completed his first doctorate, an examination of the theology of St. John of the Cross. His poor handling of Bloody Sunday and Russia’s role in World War I led to his abdication and execution. The school was closed the next year by Nazi troops during the German occupation of Poland. American businessman J. Paul Getty built his fortune as president of the Getty Oil Company. His pontificate of more than 26 years was the third longest in history. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Back in Kraków, Wojtyła continued his studies in clandestine classes. Voight finally accepted the role for Pope John Paul II (2005), for which he received an Emmy nomination. Wojtyła was thus the only pope, at least in modern times, to have been a labourer. Although Wadowice, a town of about 8,000 Catholics and 2,000 Jews, lay only 15 miles (24 km) from the future site of Auschwitz, a Nazi death camp, there was apparently little anti-Semitism in the town before the war. During the next decade he completed a second doctorate, taught theology and ethics at the Jagiellonian University, and eventually was appointed to a full professorship at the Catholic University of Lublin. He was succeeded by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI. John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.He was pope for 26 years, making him the second longest serving pope after Pope Pius IX who held the office for 31 years and seven months. John Paul II was the first globally oriented pope, and he increased the global prestige of the papacy. 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