On May 18, 1920, Karol Wojtyła was born. When he became Pope John Paul II, he played a crucial role in the fall of communism and the rise of the Solidarity movement.
Karol Wojtyła was born on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice. In 1929, his mother, Emilia née Kaczorowska, passed away. In 1938, after graduating from high school in Wadowice, he moved with his father, Karol, to Kraków, where he began studying Polish philology at the Faculty of Philosophy of Jagiellonian University.
After the outbreak of World War II and the closure of the university, he started working as a laborer in a quarry in Zakrzówek, Kraków, and later at a chemical plant in Borek Fałęcki near Kraków. Memories from this period can be found in one of his earliest literary works, the poem “Kamień i bezmiar” (“Stone and Vastness”), published under the pseudonym Andrzej Jawień. In 1941, Karol Wojtyła’s father died.
During the occupation, together with his friend from Wadowice, Mieczysław Kotlarczyk, he organized the underground Rhapsodic Theatre in Kraków; he was one of its first actors and directors. The repertoire included adaptations of works by renowned Polish classics.
In 1942, he entered the clandestine Archbishop’s Seminary in Kraków. Simultaneously, he studied philosophy at the underground Faculty of Theology of Jagiellonian University.
From August 1, 1944, to January 18, 1945 (until the Red Army entered Kraków), he hid with his fellow seminarians in the palace of the Kraków metropolitan, Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha.
On November 1, 1946, after completing his theological studies, he was ordained a priest. Later, for two years, he continued his philosophical studies in Rome. He also stayed in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, conducting pastoral work among the Polish diaspora. During this time, he maintained close ties with the Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne (Young Christian Workers) movement.
Return to Poland
After returning to Poland in 1948, he became a vicar in the parish of Niegowić, Bochnia County, and in 1949, in the parish of St. Florian in Kraków.
He prepared his doctoral thesis, “Problems of Faith in the Writings of St. John of the Cross,” which he defended in 1948 at the Faculty of Theology of Jagiellonian University. Five years later, he earned his habilitation at the same faculty with the dissertation “On the Possibility of Constructing Catholic Ethics Based on the System of Max Scheler” (published in 1959).
In 1953, he became a lecturer in moral theology and social ethics at the Kraków Seminary, and the following year, he began working at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Catholic University of Lublin as the head of the Department of Ethics. In 1956, he became an associate professor at the university, and a year later, he received his habilitation. From 1958 to 1978, he was a lecturer at KUL.
In July 1958, Pope Pius XII appointed him titular bishop—auxiliary bishop to Archbishop Eugeniusz Baziak of the Kraków Archdiocese. Karol Wojtyła was consecrated bishop on September 28 in Wawel Cathedral. At 38, he became the youngest member of the Polish Episcopate. After Archbishop Baziak’s death, the Metropolitan Chapter elected him in June 1962 as the capitular vicar of the Kraków Archdiocese. A year later, in December 1963, Pope Paul VI appointed him Archbishop and Metropolitan of Kraków, and in June 1967, he received the cardinal’s hat.
From 1969, he held various positions in the Polish Episcopate, including vice-president of the Episcopal Conference and chairman of the Scientific Council of the Episcopate. Simultaneously, he was a member of the Vatican’s Congregations for the Eastern Churches, for the Clergy, and for Divine Worship.
He also actively participated in the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), attending all four sessions, including as a member of the commission drafting the final version of Schema XIII—the constitution “Gaudium et Spes” (“The Church in the Modern World”). He also contributed to drafting the constitution “Lumen Gentium” (“Light of the Nations”), the declaration “Dignitatis Humanae” (“On Religious Freedom”), and the decree “Apostolicam Actuositatem” (“On the Apostolate of the Laity”).
In the fall of 1969, he undertook a six-week trip to Canada and the U.S., visiting Polish communities there and meeting with church hierarchs of both countries.
Appointed by Pope Paul VI, he became a member of the Council for the Laity. At the extraordinary Synod of Bishops in October 1969, he presented the draft document “The Second Extraordinary Synod of Bishops About Itself,” commonly referred to as the “Wojtyła Document.”
In 1973, he participated in the Eucharistic Congress in Melbourne and visited Polish missionaries in New Guinea and Polish communities in Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. Three years later, he attended the Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia. He was a member of the Permanent Council of the Secretariat of the World Synod of Bishops as a representative of Europe.
In March 1976, he was specially invited by Paul VI to lead the annual Lenten retreat in the Vatican. In September 1978, he was part of the Polish Episcopate’s delegation visiting the German Episcopate.
On October 16, 1978, the conclave elected the 58-year-old Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, Archbishop of Kraków, as Pope—the 264th leader of the Catholic Church. He took the name John Paul II in symbolic continuation of the 33-day pontificate of his predecessor, John Paul I, who died suddenly.
The election of the Kraków metropolitan as Pope surprised the world, as it was the first time in 455 years that a non-Italian bishop sat on the Apostolic Throne. The surprise was even greater because the new Bishop of Rome came from a Slavic country then part of the Soviet bloc.
First Pilgrimages
John Paul II’s first foreign pilgrimage was to Mexico. His first pilgrimage to his homeland took place on June 2–10, 1979. It was significant not only for the Church’s freedom in the oppressed country but also indirectly contributed to Poland’s democratic liberation. Many analysts believe his words influenced the rise of Solidarity. During the Mass in Warsaw’s Victory Square (June 2), he uttered the now-historic words:
“And I cry—I, a son of Polish soil, and yet also I, John Paul II, Pope—I cry from the depths of this millennium, I cry on the vigil of Pentecost: Let Your Spirit descend! Let Your Spirit descend and renew the face of the earth. The face of this land!”
John Paul II visited Poland nine times in total: June 16–23, 1983; June 8–14, 1987; June 1–9 and August 13–20, 1991; May 22, 1995; May 31–June 10, 1997; June 5–17, 1999; and August 16–19, 2002.
After nearly three intense years of pontificate, on May 13, 1981, the Pope was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt in St. Peter’s Square by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Ağca. John Paul II was taken to Gemelli Hospital in critical condition. He survived, despite doctors doubting his chances. In December 1983, the Pope visited Ağca in prison.
The Pope’s Great Legacy
During his 26-year pontificate, John Paul II issued 14 encyclicals. “Redemptor Hominis” (“The Redeemer of Man”), published in March 1979, was his first programmatic encyclical. He summarized his pontificate’s mission in the phrase: “Man is the primary and fundamental way for the Church.” The document emphasized “the inalienable dignity and worth of every human being, regardless of faith or culture.”
In 1980, he published “Dives in Misericordia” (“On Divine Mercy”), focusing on God’s mercy and Christian morality.
“Laborem Exercens” (“On Human Work”, 1981) analyzed labor in the modern world. “Slavorum Apostoli” (“Apostles of the Slavs”, 1985) addressed missionary work. “Dominum et Vivificantem” (“On the Holy Spirit”, 1986) reaffirmed the Church’s faith as defined at the Council of Constantinople (381).
“Redemptoris Mater” (“Mother of the Redeemer”, 1987) highlighted Mary’s role in the Church. “Sollicitudo Rei Socialis” (“On Social Concern”, 1987) addressed social issues. “Redemptoris Missio” (“Mission of the Redeemer”, 1990) discussed evangelization. “Centesimus Annus” (“The Hundredth Year”, 1991) analyzed the fall of Marxism and communism.
“Veritatis Splendor” (“The Splendor of Truth”, 1993) tackled moral issues. “Evangelium Vitae” (“The Gospel of Life”, 1995) defended the sanctity of life. “Ut Unum Sint” (“That They May Be One”, 1995) promoted ecumenism. “Fides et Ratio” (“Faith and Reason”, 1998) explored their relationship. His last encyclical, “Ecclesia de Eucharistia” (“On the Eucharist”), was published in 2003.
John Paul II issued 14 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions, and 43 apostolic letters. He convened nine consistories, appointed about 240 cardinals (including five Poles) and 2,500 bishops, ordained over 2,000 priests, canonized 482 saints (including 10 Poles), and beatified 1,318 individuals (including 154 Poles).
He led five plenary meetings of the College of Cardinals, six ordinary general assemblies of the Synod of Bishops, one extraordinary synod, and seven special synods. He met with around 1,400 political leaders and delivered about 4,000 speeches (2,500 abroad).
He made 104 apostolic trips to 132 countries, visiting 900 cities. His pilgrimages to the most distant lands—religiously and culturally—defined his pontificate’s rhythm and included historic gestures of dialogue and reconciliation.
He was the first pope to visit a Lutheran church (1983), a synagogue (1986), and a mosque (2001). In 1986, despite opposition, he invited leaders of all faiths to Assisi for a joint prayer for peace. His contributions to Catholic-Jewish dialogue and outreach to Orthodoxy were groundbreaking.
Though debates continue over how much his alliance with U.S. President Ronald Reagan contributed to communism’s fall, his words and actions undeniably inspired democratic opposition in Poland and beyond. A pivotal moment was his December 1, 1989, meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. His 1998 Cuba pilgrimage also carried political significance.
He united millions of young Catholics by establishing World Youth Day in 1985. His impassioned 1993 speech in Sicily, where he called on the Mafia to repent, became legendary. On March 12, 2000, he made an unprecedented “mea culpa,” asking forgiveness for wrongs committed by the Church.
John Paul II died on April 2, 2005. He was beatified by Benedict XVI on May 1, 2011, and canonized by Pope Francis on April 27, 2014.