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'''John Paul II''' was the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] [[Pope]] from 1978 to 2005.
'''Pope John Paul II''' or Pope John Paul II (The Great) ([[Latin]]: ''Ioannes Paulus PP. II'', [[Italian language|Italian]]: ''Giovanni Paolo II'', [[Polish language|Polish]]: ''Jan Paweł II'') born {{Audio|Pl-Karol-Jozef-Wojtyla.ogg|'''Karol Józef Wojtyła'''}} [{{IPA|ˈkaɾɔl ˈjuzεf vɔi̯ˈtɨwa}}] ([[May 18]], [[1920]], [[Wadowice]], [[Poland]] – [[April 2]], [[2005]], [[Vatican City]]) reigned as [[Pope]] of the [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic Church]] and Sovereign of the [[State of the Vatican City]] from [[October 16]], [[1978]], until his death more than 26 years later, making his the [[List of 10 longest-reigning popes|second-longest pontificate]] in modern times after [[Pope Pius IX|Pius IX]]'s 31-year reign. He is the only [[Poles|Polish]] pope, and was the first non-[[Italian people|Italian]] pope since the (Low) German [[Pope Adrian VI|Adrian VI]] in the 1520s. He is one of only four people to have been named to the [[Time 100]] for both the [[20th century]] and for a year in the 21st.
The official title of John Paul II was: Bishop of Rome, Vicar of [[Jesus Christ]], Successor of Saint Peter, Head of the College of Bishops, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Patriarch of the West (this title was recently removed from the papal list of titles by the reigning pope, Benedict XVI), Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the City State of the Vatican, Servant of the Servants of God Pope John Paul II.
His early reign was marked by his opposition to [[communism]], and he is often credited as one of the forces which contributed to its collapse in Eastern Europe.<ref>"[http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/04/02/world.reax/index.html World mourns Pope John Paul II]," ''CNN'', (accessed [[April 13]] [[2006]]).</ref> In the later part of his pontificate, he was notable for speaking against [[war]], [[fascism]], [[dictatorship]], [[materialism]], [[abortion]], [[birth control|contraception]], [[relativism]], unrestrained [[capitalism]], and what he deemed the "[[culture of death]]".
John Paul II was Pope during a period in which [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]]'s influence declined in [[developed country|developed countries]] but expanded in the [[Third World]]. During his reign, the pope traveled extensively, visiting over 100 countries, more than any of his predecessors. He remains one of the most-traveled world leaders in history. He was fluent in numerous languages: his native [[Polish language|Polish]] and also [[Italian language|Italian]], [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[English language|English]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Croatian language|Croatian]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Russian language|Russian]] and [[Latin]].<ref>http://www.robinsonlibrary.com/philosophy/denominations/catholic/history/johnpaul2.htm Pope John Paul II, ''The Robinson Library'']</ref> As part of his special emphasis on the [[universal call to holiness]], he [[canonization|canonized]] a great number of people.
In 1992, he was diagnosed with [[Parkinson's disease]]. On [[April 2]] [[2005]] at 9:37 p.m. local time, Pope John Paul II died in the [[Papal Apartments]] while a vast crowd kept vigil in [[Saint Peter's Square]] below. Millions of people flocked to Rome to pay their respects to the body and for his funeral. The last years of his reign had been marked by his fight against the various diseases ailing him, provoking some concerns as to leadership should he become severely incapacitated/vegetative, and speculation as to whether he should abdicate. On [[May 9]] [[2005]], [[Pope Benedict XVI]], John Paul II's successor, waived the five year waiting period for a cause for [[beatification]] to be opened.<ref>[http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/csaints/documents/rc_con_csaints_doc_20050509_rescritto-gpii_en.html RESPONSE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE CAUSE FOR BEATIFICATION AND CANONIZATION OF THE SERVANT OF GOD JOHN PAUL II]</ref>
==Relations with the Eastern Orthodox Church==
