On October 16th, 1978  Cardinal Karol Wojtyla was elected successor to Pope 
John Paul I, becoming the 264th Pope of the Catholic Church. He is the first 
non-Italian Pope since Adrian VI (1522-23), the first Polish Pope, and the 
youngest Pope since Pius IX (1846-78). He took the name John Paul II.
His pontificate was solemnly inaugurated on October 22nd 1978.

During his twenty-five year pontificate the Pope has made a total of 102 
trips outside Italy, issued 14 Encyclical Letters, 14 Apostolic Exhortations,
42 Apostolic Letters and countless other messages and homilies. 

Click here for a full set of statistics 

This web feature is an attempt to mark the Pope's Silver Jubilee and to capture
some of the essence of the Pope's twenty-five year papacy. 

As we celebrate with our Holy Father we recall part of his homily at the
beginning of his Pastoral Ministry on 22nd October 1978:

	'Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome
	Christ and accept his power. Help the Pope and all those
	who wish to serve Christ and with Christ's power to 
	serve the human person and the whole of humanity. Do
	not be afraid. Open wide the doors to Christ.'


ends
October 2003