Portal:1980s/Selected biography/31
Pope John Paul II on 12 August 1993 in Denver (Colorado)
Pope Saint John Paul II (18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005), served as Pope from 1978 to 2005. He is referred to by Catholics as St. John Paul the Great, especially in naming institutions.
He was elected by the
elected in August after the death of Pope Paul VI
, died after thirty-three days.
Cardinal Wojtyła was elected on the third day of the conclave and adopted his predecessor's name in tribute to him. In the years since his death, John Paul II has been canonised as a saint by the Catholic Church.
John Paul II is recognised as helping to end
Communist rule in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe.John Paul II significantly improved the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. He upheld the Church's teachings on such matters as artificial contraception and the ordination of women, but also supported the Church's Second Vatican Council
and its reforms.
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
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 a large number of the world's bishops, and ordained many priests. A key goal of his papacy was to transform and reposition the Catholic Church. His wish was "to place his Church at the heart of a new religious alliance that would bring together Jews, Muslims and Christians in a great religious armada". (Full article...
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