Karol Jyzef Wojtyla was known as John Paul II from his election in October 1978 to the papacy, he was born in Wadowice, a small city 50 kms from Cracow, Poland on May 18, 1920. He was the second of two sons born to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Kaczorowska.

He made his First Holy Communion at the age of 9 and was confirmed at 18. On graduation from Marcin Wadowita high school in Wadowice, he enrolled in Cracow's Jagiellonian University in 1938 and also in a drama school.

The German occupation forces closed the university in 1939 and Karol had to work with many others in a quarry for 4 years, later he toiled in the Solvay chemical factory to earn a living and avoid being deported to Germany.

In 1942, aware of his call to the priesthood, he began courses in the clandestine seminary of Cracow, run by Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Cracow. At this time, Karol Wojtyla was one of the pioneers of the Rhapsodic Theatre, also clandestine.

After the Second World War, he continued his studies in the major seminary of Cracow, once it had been re-opened, and in the faculty of theology of the Jagiellonian University, until his priestly ordination in Cracow on November 1, 1946.

Soon after, Cardinal Sapieha sent him to Rome where he worked under the guidance of the French Dominican, Garrigou-Lagrange. He finished his doctorate in theology in 1948 with a thesis on the topic of faith in the works of St. John of the Cross. At that time, during his vacations, he exercised his pastoral ministry among the Polish immigrants of France, Belgium and Holland.

In 1948 he returned to Poland and was the vicar of various parishes in Cracow as well as chaplain for the university students until 1951, when he continued his studies on philosophy and theology. In 1953 he defended a thesis on Evaluation of the possibility of founding a Catholic ethic on the ethical system of Max Scheler at Lublin Catholic University. Later he became professor of moral theology and social ethics in the major seminary of Cracow and in the Faculty of Theology of Lublin.

On July 4, 1958, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Cracow by Pope Pius XII, and was consecrated on September 28th 1958 in Wawel Cathedral in Cracow, by Archbishop Baziak.

On January 13, 1964, he was nominated Archbishop of Cracow by Pope Paul VI, who made him a cardinal June 26, 1967.

No other Pope has encountered so many individuals to date, over 17,600,000 pilgrims have participated in the General Audiences held on Wednesdays. This figure is in addition to many other special audiences and religious ceremonies held, more than 8 million pilgrims during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone, and the millions of faithful he met during pastoral visits made in Italy and also throughout the world.

He met numerous government personalities during 38 official visits and in the 738 audiences and meetings held with Heads of State, additionally he held 246 audiences and meetings with Prime Ministers.

On May 13, 1981 the Pope was shot by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca in St Peter's Square. Mehmet Ali Agca first claimed he was commissioned by Bulgaria on the orders of Soviet KGB. Agca later recanted but suspicions continued, despite the fact that an Italian court acquitted the Bulgarian and Turkish suspects for lack of evidence.

The Pontiff himself dismissed the speculation that Bulgaria was behind a 1981 attempt on his life during his visit to Bulgaria May 2002, saying he had never believed that the Turkish gunman who shot him on May 13, 1981 in St Peter's Square was working for the Bulgarian secret services.

On May 12, 1982 the Pope survived unhurt after another attack by a rebel Spanish traditionalist priest, Juan Fernandez Krohn, who tried to stab the Pope at the Marian shrine in Fatima, Portugal.

On July 15, 1992 the Pope underwent major surgery to remove a big intestinal tumour.

Two years later on October 17, 1994 the Pope was a best selling author with publication of the book "Crossing the Threshold of Faith".

In one of the most significant acts of his papacy, the Pope asked forgiveness for the past sins of his Church, including its treatment of Jews, heretics, women and minorities, this happened on March 13, 2000.

In 1993 the Vatican and Israel forged full diplomatic ties in the most important move towards ending nearly 2,000 years of distrust and hostility between Christians and Jews. In one of his major speeches in October, 1997 the Pope said that Christians failed during the Holocaust.

From January-March 2003 the Pope headed an international church campaign to avert war in Iraq.

Pope John Paul condemned same sex marriage as an attack on the fabric of society at the end of 2004.

On February 1, 2005 the Pope was taken to a hospital in Rome with acute respiratory infection.He certainly was the most widely travelled of all the Popes and the most ecumenical Pope, he was also the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years.

He stood up firmly against the communist giants, materialistic culture and the many dissidents in the Roman Catholic Church which he ruled with a firm hand.

The Vatican stated the Pope died on Saturday at 9:37 p.m. local time in Rome.