Skip to content
John Paul II

File:ADAMELLO_-_PAPA_-_Giovanni_Paolo_II_-_panoramio_(cropped).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ989· pop 203· linked from 12,237 articles

John Paul II

Sign in to save

Also known as Karol Wojtyła, Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, Saint John Paul II, Pope Saint John Paul II the Great, JPII, JP II, PP Ioannes Paulus II

264th pope of the Catholic Church (1978–2005)

OverviewAI-generated

John Paul II, born Karol Józef Wojtyła in Wadowice, was a Polish and Vatican City citizen who served as a pope, bishop, and priest within the Catholic Church. He was educated at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas and the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. His notable works include the encyclicals *Laborem Exercens*, *Redemptor Hominis*, and *Dives in Misericordia*, as well as *Walk according to the spirit*. He was a member of the Pontifical Academia Mariana Internationalis and Polskie Towarzystwo Turystyczno-Krajoznawcze.

He died in the Apostolic Palace, Rome, on April 2, 2005, due to senility, sepsis, Parkinson's disease, and myocardial infarction. He is buried in St. Peter's Basilica. His canonization status includes being a Servant of God, Venerable, and blessed, with a feast day on October 22. He is recognized in the Popes collection and is referenced by 12,237 other encyclopedia articles. His native language was Polish.

Synthesized by Vinony from 42 facts across 9 sources: Wikidata, Last.fm, TMDb, Crossref, Europeana Sparql, MusicBrainz, Open Library, Vinony collections, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Works
18

Top works

  • Encyclical Letter
  • Walk according to the spirit
  • Laborem Exercens
  • Redemptor Hominis
  • Dives in Misericordia

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Acting · Wadowice, Poland

Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła [ˈkarɔl ˈjuzɛv vɔjˈtɨwa]; 18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his death in 2005. He was elected pope by the second papal conclave of 1978, which was called after Pope John Paul I, who had been elected in August to succeed Pope Paul VI, died after 33 days. Cardinal…

Known for

  • The Polish Pope: Nation's Farewell — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)2025
  • A Farewell to Francis — Self (archive footage)2025
  • Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War — Self (archive footage)2024
  • Favela do Papa — Self (archive footage)2023
  • Nothing Compares — Self (archive footage)2022
  • Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror — Self (archive footage)2021
  • Don Stanislao — Himself (archive footage)2020
  • Tylko nie mów nikomu — Self (archive footage)2019
  • Hesburgh — Self (archive footage)2019
  • Solidarność: How Solidarity Changed Europe — Self (archive footage)2019

via TMDB

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
121
Total plays
1,437

Similar artists

Pope John Paul IITGDJan Paweł IIMarcin RozynekMietek Szcześniak

Karol Wojtyła <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/John+Paul+II">Read more on Last.fm</a>

via Last.fm · John Paul II

Quotes

  • If the religious and Christian foundation of this continent in its role as the inspiration of ethics and in its social effectiveness is ever marginalized, not only will the heritage of the European past be denied, but also a future worthy of the individual European-and, indeed, all Europeans, believers and non‑believers alike-will be seriously compromised.
  • Young people have a special place in the heart of the Holy Father, who often repeats that the whole Church looks to them with particular hope for a new beginning of evangelization.
  • Resurrection of the body is to be preceded by a judgment passed upon the works of charity, fulfilled or neglected. As a result of this judgement, the just are destined to eternal life. There is a destination to eternal damnation as well, which consists in the ultimate rejection of God, the ultimate break of the communion with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Here, it is not so much God who rejects man, but man who rejects God.
  • [T]he religiosity of Muslims deserves respect. It is impossible not to admire, for example, their fidelity to prayer. The image of believers in Allah who, without caring about time or place, fall to their knees and immerse themselves in prayer remains a model for all those who invoke the true God, in particular for those Christians who, having deserted their magnificent cathedrals, pray only a little or not at all.
  • Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.
  • Born and nurtured when the human being first asked questions about the reason for things and their purpose, philosophy shows in different modes and forms that the desire for truth is part of human nature itself.

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Works in European collections

2 objects attributed to John Paul II, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana

~40 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Early life and church career

Early life

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “John Paul II” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (13)