Pope John Paul the Great

The Catholic Church remembers Pope John Paul II, who led the institution from 1978 until his passing in 2005. His pontificate was notable for being the first headed by a non-Italian figure in over four centuries and marked him as the third longest-serving pontiff in history.

Before his leadership of the Church, Karol Wojtyła was an important 20th-century philosopher and theologian. His early life in Poland was shaped by his passion for stage acting, a pursuit he maintained even while enduring challenging work during the Second World War. He later pursued studies in Polish before dedicating himself to theology, ultimately rising through the Church's ranks to become Archbishop of Kraków and a cardinal, roles previously held by his mentor.