Pope John Paul II (Karol Józef Wojtyła, 1920–2005), the former head of the Catholic Church, served from October 16, 1978, until his death on April 2, 2005. Born on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland, he was the first Polish pope, the first non-Italian pontiff since the 16th century, and the first from a Slavic country. Ordained a priest in 1946 after studying secretly during the Nazi occupation, he rose to become Archbishop of Kraków in 1964 and a cardinal in 1967. His 26-year papacy, the third-longest in history, was marked by an emphasis on orthodox theology, evangelization, and opposition to communism and secularism. He played a key role in the fall of the Iron Curtain and supported Poland's Solidarity movement. A prolific traveler, he visited over 129 countries, canonized more saints than any predecessor, and fostered interfaith dialogue, significantly improving Catholic-Jewish relations and acknowledging the Holocaust. He promoted human dignity, peace, youth engagement through World Youth Days, and moral teachings against abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty, while advocating for family values and social justice. He survived a 1981 assassination attempt, forgiving his would-be assassin as an example of mercy. A prolific writer and poet, he authored 14 encyclicals and numerous books, blending intellectual theology with personal spirituality shaped by his experiences under totalitarianism. His later years were marked by declining health due to Parkinson's disease, but he remained a symbol of resilience. Posthumously beatified in 2011 and canonized in 2014, his legacy includes strengthening the global Catholic Church, though he faced criticism for the Church's handling of sexual abuse scandals and conservative stances on women's ordination and contraception.