Pope John Paul II was the head of the
Catholic Church and sovereign of
Vatican City from October 16, 1978
until his death April 2, 2005.
He was the first non-Italian pope
since Adrian VI in the 16th century,
as well as the third longest pope in
history, after St. Peter and Pius IX.
**Born: May 18,1920, in Wadowice, Poland.
**Died: April 2, 2005 (84 years), at the
Apostolic Palace, Vatican City
**Languages: He could speak Polish,
Italian, Spanish, English, Latin, French,
German, Esperanto, Portuguese, Ukrainian,
Slovak, Serbo-Croatian.
**Date of burial: April 8, 2005
**Full name: Karol Jozef Wojtyla
**Parents: Emilia Kaczorowska, Karol Wojtyla
**Siblings: Olga Wojtyla, Edmund Wojtyla
**Pope John Paul II Feast Day is October 22
because it marks the anniversary of the
solemn Mass that inaugurated his pontificate
in 1978, rather than the date of his death.
**Pope John Paul II pursued an extensive
academic and theological education across
Poland and Rome
Early Studies and World War II
*Jagiellonian University (1928-1939) learning
up to 15 languages, literature, and philosophy.
*Interruption by War: His studies stopped when
Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939. He worked
in a stone quarry and a chemical factory while secretly
joining a clandestine (underground) seminary in Krakow
starting in 1942.
*Priestly Ordination (1946): After the war concluded, he
completed his seminary formation and was ordained
a priest on November 1, 1946.
*Pontifical International
University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum)
in Rome (1946-1948): Sent to Rome
immediately after ordination, he earned
his licentiate and doctorate in sacred Theology(STD)
ethics.
*Jagiellonian University/ University of Lublin:
He returned to Poland and earned a doctorate
in sacred theology (STD) and later a second doctorate
in moral philosophy from the Catholic University in Lublin.
*Academic Career: He later spent 25 years teaching moral
philosophy and social ethics as a professor at both the
University of Lublin and Jagiellonian University.
Major Health Complications and Timeline
*1981 Assassination Attempt: Shot in St. Peter's Square,
Requiring extensive emergency surgery and a long
recovery.
*Parkinson's Disease: Diagnosed in the early
1990's (confirmed around 2001), which progressively
impaired his mobility, posture, and ability to speak.
1992: Removal of a noncancerous colon tumor (surgery)
1993: Dislocated shoulder from a fall.
1994: Broken femur (thigh bone) from another fall.
1996: Appendectomy (removal of the appendix).
2005: Respiratory and Acute Illnesses:
Suffered from flu, acute laryngeal tracheitis, and
larynx.
spasm crises that caused severe breathing difficulties.
Underwent a tracheotomy in February 2005 to help
him breathe, which further impacted his ability to speak.
Developed a urinary tract infection that
escalated into a blood infection (sepsis), leading
to multi-system organ failure, septic shock,
and cardio-circulatory collapse.
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St. Pope John Paul II Feast Day (videos)
