PROFILE OF POPE JOHN PAUL II
Born near Krakow in Poland in 1920, the young Karol Wojtyla showed immense 
talent in the academy and in the field of sport, especially football and skiing. 
Language, literature, poetry and drama were among his interests. His love of 
theatre prompted many to predict for him a brilliant career in acting. At one 
stage he seriously considered a career in theatre, but the call of the priesthood 
was stronger. He began his studies in theology at the age of nineteen. World 
War II and the Nazi occupation of Poland compelled him to pursue some of his 
theological studies in secret. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1946.

An enthusiastic priest, he served in many parishes in his native Poland just 
recovering from the effects of the Second World War. In 1964 he was appointed 
as Archbishop of Krakow, and was created Cardinal in 1967. On the death of 
Pope John Paul in 1978, a two-day Consistory of the College of Cardinals 
declared  Karol Wojtyla  to be the new Pope. He was an outside candidate, 
tipped by few, and the first Polish Pope in the history of the Catholic 
Church. Besides, at 58, he was the youngest Pope of the twentieth century. 
He took the name of John Paul II.

A Dynamic Approach 
From the beginning, John Paul II demonstrated a dynamic and ecumenical 
approach to his ministry as ‘Servant of the People of God’. He refused 
to remain shrouded within the walls of the Vatican, and travelled around 
the globe, addressing national and international gatherings, encouraging, 
challenging, presenting the Good News in ways that captivated peoples of 
all ages, especially the young. As leader of the world’s largest Christian 
community, he circled the world at least thirty times and spoke in ten 
languages. He established positive and trusting relations with peoples 
of all faiths and of none.

A brush with death
His desire to reach out to all people and to ignore security regulations 
nearly led to his death in St Peter’s Square in 1981, when he became the 
victim of an assassin’s bullet . After a lengthy recovery in hospital, he 
went to visit his would-be assassin in prison, to offer him his forgiveness.
In October 2003 St Peter’s Square was filled with pilgrims from around the 
world as Pope John Paul II celebrated the Silver Jubilee of his Pontificate. 
Later that year, the remarkable life of the Pontiff reached another milestone 
when his Papacy became the third longest in the history of the Catholic 
Church. Despite deteriorating health in recent years, he has refused to 
drop his gruelling schedule of appearances and foreign trips.

Phenomenal legacy of Audiences, Writings, Addresses and Messages
More than any Pope in history, Pope John Paul will be remembered for 
hundreds of thousands of teachings, addresses, pastoral letters, and 
writings. Among his most recent messages are his address to priests 
on Holy Thursday of this year 2005, which echoes with one of his 
favourite Biblical texts: ‘To me, to live is Christ’.   His Easter 
Message, proclaimed on Easter Sunday, is suitably entitled ‘Mane 
nobiscum, Domine’(Stay with us Lord), which is also the opening 
words of his Letter proclaiming the Year of the Eucharist.