Pope John Paul II

==Papacy==

=== Election ===
{{Main|October 1978 papal conclave}}
[[File:Habemus papam Ioannes Paulus II.jpg|thumb|left|First appearance of Pope John Paul II following his election on 16 October 1978]]

In August 1978, following the death of Pope Paul VI, Wojtyła voted in [[August 1978 papal conclave|the papal conclave]], which elected [[Pope John Paul I|John Paul I]]. John Paul I died after only 33 days as pope, triggering another [[papal conclave|conclave]].<ref name="ShortBio" /><ref name="Vatican2" /><ref name="Time1978" />

The second conclave of 1978 started on 14 October, ten days after the funeral. It was split between two strong [[Papabile|candidates for the papacy]]: Cardinal [[Giuseppe Siri]], the conservative [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Genoa|Archbishop of Genoa]], and Cardinal [[Giovanni Benelli]], the liberal [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Florence|Archbishop of Florence]] and a close friend of John Paul I.<ref name="Time1978b" />

[[File:John paul 2 coa.svg|thumb|upright|The [[coat of arms]] of John Paul&nbsp;II displaying the ''[[Marian Cross]]'' with the letter M signifying the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]], the mother of Jesus]]

Supporters of Benelli were confident that he would be elected, and in early [[ballot]]s, Benelli came within nine votes of success.<ref name="Time1978b" /> However, both men faced sufficient opposition for neither to be likely to prevail. [[Giovanni Colombo]], the Archbishop of Milan, was considered as a compromise candidate among the Italian cardinal-electors, but when he started to receive votes, he announced that, if elected, he would decline to accept the papacy.<ref>{{cite book |title=Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FYMKOgA5lSAC |first=Thomas J. |last=Reese |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-674-93261-6 |pages=91, 99}}</ref> Cardinal [[Franz König]], [[Archbishop of Vienna]], suggested Wojtyła as another compromise candidate to his fellow electors.<ref name="Time1978b" /> Wojtyła won on the eighth ballot on the third day (16 October).

Among those cardinals who rallied behind Wojtyła were supporters of [[Giuseppe Siri]], [[Stefan Wyszyński]], most of the American cardinals (led by [[John Krol]]), and other moderate cardinals. He accepted his election with the words: "With obedience in faith to Christ, my Lord, and with trust in the Mother of Christ and the Church, in spite of great difficulties, I accept".{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=171}}<ref name="NewPope" /> The pope, in tribute to his immediate predecessor, then took the [[regnal name]] of ''John Paul II'',<ref name="Vatican2" /><ref name="Time1978b" /> also in honour of the late Pope Paul VI, and the traditional white smoke informed the crowd gathered in [[St. Peter's Square]] that a pope had been chosen. There had been rumours that the new pope wished to be known as ''Pope Stanislaus'' in honour of [[Stanislaus of Szczepanów|the Polish saint of the name]], but was convinced by the cardinals that it was not a Roman name.<ref name="Time1978" /> When the new pontiff appeared on the balcony, he broke tradition by addressing the gathered crowd:{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=171}}

<blockquote>"Dear brothers and sisters, we are saddened at the death of our beloved Pope John Paul I, and so the cardinals have called for a new bishop of Rome. They called him from a faraway land—far and yet always close because of our communion in faith and Christian traditions. I was afraid to accept that responsibility, yet I do so in a spirit of obedience to the Lord and total faithfulness to Mary, our most Holy Mother. I am speaking to you in your—no, our Italian language. If I make a mistake, please {{sic|''corrict''}}{{efn|In his speech, John Paul deliberately chose to mispronounce the Italian word for 'correct'.}} <!-- ATTENTION! Please leave this word as 'corrict'. This is how it is written in the source --> me."{{sfn|Stourton|2006|p=171}}<ref>Agasso, Renzo. [https://books.google.com/books?id=jUkrNOuindcC&pg=PA23 ''Caro Karol'']. Effata Editrice IT, 2011. p. 23.</ref><ref name="Bottum" /><ref>[https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1978/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19781016_primo-saluto_it.html First Greetings and First Blessing to the Faithful: Address of John Paul II, Monday, October 16, 1978] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018234821/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1978/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19781016_primo-saluto_it.html |date=18 October 2013 }}. [[Holy See|Vatican]]. ''Vatican.va''.</ref></blockquote>

Wojtyła became the 264th pope according to the chronological [[list of popes]], the first non-Italian in 455 years.<ref name="upi" /> At only 58 years of age, he was the youngest pope since [[Pope Pius IX]] in 1846, who was 54.<ref name="Vatican2" /> Like his predecessor, John Paul&nbsp;II dispensed with the traditional [[papal coronation]] and instead received ecclesiastical [[investiture]] with a simplified [[papal inauguration]] on 22 October 1978. During his inauguration, when the cardinals were to kneel before him to take their vows and kiss his ring, he stood up as the Polish prelate, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński knelt down, stopped him from kissing the ring, and simply embraced him.<ref name="Vatican-bio-en" />

=== Pastoral journeys ===
{{Main|List of pastoral visits of Pope John Paul II outside Italy}}
[[File:Papież Jan Paweł II i kardynał Stefan kardynał Wyszyński w drodze na plac Zwycięstwa w dniu 2 czerwca 1979.jpg|thumb|John Paul's first papal trip to Poland in June 1979]]

During his pontificate, John Paul II made journeys to 129 countries,{{sfn|Maxwell-Stuart|2006|p=234}} travelling more than {{convert|1100000|km}} while doing so. He consistently attracted large crowds, some among the largest ever assembled in [[human history]], such as the [[World Youth Day 1995|Manila World Youth Day]], which gathered up to four million people, the largest papal gathering ever, according to the Vatican.<ref name=BaltimoreSun>{{cite news |url=http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1995-01-16/news/1995016078_1_pope-philippines-papal |title=Biggest Papal Gathering &#124; Millions Flock to Papal Mass in Manila, Gathering is Called the Largest the Pope Has Seen at a Service |agency=The New York Times News Service |work=The Baltimore Sun |year=2012 |access-date=29 January 2012 |archive-date=24 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924125252/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1995-01-16/news/1995016078_1_pope-philippines-papal |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="AsiaNews" /> John Paul II's earliest official visits were to the Dominican Republic and Mexico in January 1979.<ref name="CBN2" /> While some of his journeys (such as to the United States and the [[Holy Land]]) were to places previously visited by Pope Paul VI, John Paul II became the first pope to visit the [[White House]] in October 1979, where he was [[List of meetings between the pope and the president of the United States|greeted warmly]] by President [[Jimmy Carter]]. He was the first pope ever to visit several countries in one year, starting in 1979 with Mexico<ref name="Mexico" /> and [[Pope John Paul II's visit to Ireland|Ireland]].<ref name="Ireland" /> He was the first reigning pope to [[Pope John Paul II's visit to the United Kingdom|travel to the United Kingdom]], in 1982, where he met [[Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II]], the [[Supreme Governor of the Church of England]]. While in Britain he also visited [[Canterbury Cathedral]] and knelt in prayer with [[Robert Runcie]], the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], at the spot where [[Thomas Becket]] had been killed,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/29/newsid_4171000/4171657.stm |title=BBC on This Day &#124; 29 &#124; 1982: Pope makes historic visit to Canterbury |work=BBC News |date= 29 May 1982 |access-date=23 June 2013}}</ref> as well as holding several large-scale open air masses, including one at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]], which was attended by some 80,000 people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thepapalvisit.org.uk/Visit-Background/A-Retrospective-of-the-1982-Visit|title=A Retrospective of the 1982 Visit / Visit Background / Home – The Visit|last=Systems|first=eZ|website=www.thepapalvisit.org.uk|access-date=16 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012084655/http://www.thepapalvisit.org.uk/Visit-Background/A-Retrospective-of-the-1982-Visit|archive-date=12 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Sandro Pertini e Giovanni Paolo II insieme sulle cime dell' Adamello 21.jpg|thumb|left|John Paul II with the president of Italy [[Sandro Pertini]] in 1984]]

He travelled to Haiti in 1983, where he spoke in [[Haitian Creole|Creole]] to thousands of impoverished Catholics gathered to greet him at the airport. His message, "things must change in Haiti," referring to the disparity between the wealthy and the poor, was met with thunderous applause.<ref name="Haiti: The Duvalier Years" /> In 2000, he was the first modern pope to visit Egypt,<ref name="PopeEgypt" /> where he met with the [[Coptic Orthodox Church|Coptic pope]], [[Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria|Pope Shenouda&nbsp;III]]<ref name="PopeEgypt" /> and the [[List of Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Alexandria|Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria]].<ref name="PopeEgypt" /> He was the first Catholic pope to visit and pray in an Islamic mosque, in [[Damascus]], Syria, in 2001. He visited the [[Umayyad Mosque]], a former [[Christian Church|Christian church]] where [[John the Baptist]] is believed to be interred,<ref name="Mosque" /> where he made a speech calling for Muslims, Christians and Jews to live together.<ref name="Mosque" />

On 15 January 1995, during the X World Youth Day, he offered [[Catholic Mass|Mass]] to an estimated crowd of between five and seven million in [[Rizal Park|Luneta Park]],<ref name="AsiaNews" /> [[Manila]], Philippines, which was considered to be the largest single gathering in [[History of Christianity|Christian history]].<ref name="AsiaNews" /> In March 2000, while visiting [[Jerusalem]], John Paul became the first pope in history to visit and pray at the [[Western Wall]].<ref name="BBCIsrael" /><ref name="ADL2006" /> In September 2001, amid post-[[11 September attacks|11 September]] concerns, he travelled to Kazakhstan, with an audience largely consisting of Muslims, and to Armenia, to participate in the celebration of 1,700&nbsp;years of [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Christianity]].<ref name="NewYorkTimes3" />

In June 1979, John Paul II travelled to Poland, where ecstatic crowds constantly surrounded him.<ref name="OnThisDay" /> This first papal trip to Poland uplifted the nation's spirit and sparked the formation of the [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] movement in 1980, which later brought freedom and human rights to his troubled homeland.<ref name="Memory" /> Leaders of the [[Polish United Workers' Party]] intended to use the pope's visit to show the people that although the pope was Polish, it did not alter their capacity to govern, oppress, and distribute the goods of society. They also hoped that if the pope abided by the rules they set, the Polish people would see his example and follow them as well. If the pope's visit inspired a riot, the Communist leaders of Poland were prepared to crush the uprising and blame the suffering on the pope.<ref name="Angelo M. Codevilla 2008">Angelo M. Codevilla, "Political Warfare: A Set of Means for Achieving Political Ends", in Waller, ed., ''Strategic Influence: Public Diplomacy, Counterpropaganda and Political Warfare'' (IWP Press, 2008.)</ref>

{{blockquote|"The pope won that struggle by transcending politics. His was what [[Joseph Nye]] calls '[[soft power]]' — the power of attraction and repulsion. He began with an enormous advantage, and exploited it to the utmost: He headed the one institution that stood for the polar opposite of the Communist way of life that the Polish people hated. He was a Pole, but beyond the regime's reach. By identifying with him, Poles would have the chance to cleanse themselves of the compromises they had to make to live under the regime. And so they came to him by the millions. They listened. He told them to be good, not to compromise themselves, to stick by one another, to be fearless, and that God is the only source of goodness, the only standard of conduct. 'Be not afraid,' he said. Millions shouted in response, 'We want God! We want God! We want God!' The regime cowered. Had the Pope chosen to turn his soft power into the hard variety, the regime might have been drowned in blood. Instead, the Pope simply led the Polish people to desert their rulers by affirming solidarity with one another. The Communists managed to hold on as despots a decade longer. But as political leaders, they were finished. Visiting his native Poland in 1979, Pope John Paul II struck what turned out to be a mortal blow to its Communist regime, to the Soviet Empire, [and] ultimately to Communism."<ref name="Angelo M. Codevilla 2008" />
}}

<blockquote>"When Pope John Paul II kissed the ground at the Warsaw airport he began the process by which Communism in Poland — and ultimately elsewhere in Europe — would come to an end."<ref>[[John Lewis Gaddis]], ''The Cold War: A New History'', p. 193, Penguin Books (2006), {{ISBN|978-0-14-303827-6}}</ref></blockquote>

On later trips to Poland, he gave tacit support to the [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] organisation.<ref name="Memory" /> These visits reinforced this message and contributed to the collapse of East European Communism that took place between 1989 and 1990 with the reintroduction of democracy in Poland, and which then spread through Eastern Europe (1990–1991) and South-Eastern Europe (1990–1992).<ref name="Bottum" />{{sfn|Maxwell-Stuart|2006|p=234}}<ref name="OnThisDay" /><ref name="CBCNews" /><ref name="Gorbachev" />

===World Youth Days===
[[File:JohnPaulIICardinalSin1995WYD.jpg|thumb|Pope John Paul II (right) with Manila Archbishop Cardinal [[Jaime Sin]] (left) addressing the crowd attending the closing mass of the tenth [[World Youth Day 1995|World Youth Day]] at [[Rizal Park|Luneta Park]], 1995]]

As an extension of his successful work with youth as a young priest, John Paul II pioneered the international [[World Youth Day]]s. John Paul II presided over nine of them: [[Rome]] (1985 and 2000), [[Buenos Aires]] (1987), [[Santiago de Compostela]] (1989), [[Częstochowa]] (1991), [[Denver]] (1993), [[Manila]] (1995), [[Paris]] (1997), and [[Toronto]] (2002). Total attendance at these signature events of the pontificate was in the tens of millions.<ref name="ReferenceA">Weigel, George. The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II – The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy . The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.</ref>

===Dedicated Years===

Keenly aware of the rhythms of time and the importance of anniversaries in the Catholic Church's life, John Paul II led nine "dedicated years" during the twenty-six and a half years of his pontificate: the Holy Year of the Redemption in 1983–84, the [[Marian Year]] in 1987–88, the Year of the Family in 1993–94, the three Trinitarian years of preparation for the [[Great Jubilee]] of 2000, the Great Jubilee itself, the Year of the Rosary in 2002–3, and the [[Year of the Eucharist]], which began on 17 October 2004, and concluded six months after the Pope's death.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

===Great Jubilee of 2000===
The [[Great Jubilee]] of 2000 was a call to the church to become more aware and to embrace her missionary task for the work of [[New evangelization|evangelization]].

<blockquote>"From the beginning of my Pontificate, my thoughts had been on this Holy Year 2000 as an important appointment. I thought of its celebration as a providential opportunity during which the Church, thirty-five years after the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, would examine how far she had renewed herself, in order to be able to take up her evangelising mission with fresh enthusiasm."<ref>Novo Millenio Inuente §2</ref></blockquote>

John Paul II also made a pilgrimage to the [[Holy Land]] for the [[Great Jubilee]] of 2000.<ref name=Vatican3 /> During his visit to the Holy Land, John Paul II visited many sites of the [[Rosary]], including the following locations: [[Al-Maghtas|Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Al-Maghtas)]], at the [[Jordan River]], where [[John the Baptist]] baptized Jesus; [[Manger Square]] and the [[Church of the Nativity]] in the town of [[Bethlehem]], the location of Jesus' birth; and the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre]] in [[Jerusalem]], the site of Jesus' burial and resurrection.<ref name=Vatican5 /><ref name=Vatican6 /><ref name=Vatican7 />