Pope John Paul II, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, was a global religious leader whose youth and enthusiasm made him unique. His conservative stance and popularity made him one of the most influential Popes in modern times.<\/p>\n
1. Official Titles<\/strong><\/p>\n John Paul II\u2019s official titles included “Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Christ”, “Successor of Saint Peter”, “Prince of Apostles”, “Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church”, “Patriarch of the West,” “Primate of Italy”, “Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province,” and “Sovereign of Vatican City.” In the United States John Paul II\u2019s titles included “Holy Father” and “Supreme Pastor of the Church.”<\/p>\n 2. A Survivor<\/strong><\/p>\n Pope John Paul II survived numerous accidents and an assassination attempt. During the German occupation of Poland, when John Paul was just a young man, he was hospitalized twice. After becoming pope, he suffered severe wounds when he was shot by Mehmet Ali Agca in May, 1981, as he entered St. Peter\u2019s Square to address an audience. In 1992, he had a benign intestinal tumor removed. In 1993, he fell in Vatican quarters and injured his shoulder. In 1994, he broke his femur in another fall.<\/p>\n 3. 1st Non-Italian Pope in 455 Years<\/strong><\/p>\n Pope John Paul II was the first Slav to head the Roman Catholic Church, the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years and the youngest Pope in a century. Before his ordination as a priest, he was a member of an experimental theater group, a stonecutter, a published poet and a chemical company boiler-tender. He has one of the most interesting biographies among all the Popes.<\/p>\n 4. Traveler<\/strong><\/p>\n No other Pope traveled as extensively as Pope John Paul II mainly because previous popes had little opportunity or means to visit other countries. Previous Popes were not alive during the time of mass air travel. The ability to travel via air combined with the fact that John Paul II was in excellent health made it easy for him to travel overseas. Some of the largest public gatherings the world has ever seen were at John Paul II\u2019s sermons in other countries. His world travels have taken him to 117 countries and every continent excluding Antarctica.<\/p>\n 5. Youngest Pope in the 20th Century<\/strong><\/p>\n Although Pope John Paul II was by no means the youngest ever Pope, at age fifty-eight, he was the youngest Pope to be elected in the 20th century and the youngest since Pius IX who was elected in 1846, at age fifty-four. Following the sudden death of the previous Pope, John Paul\u2019s youth and vitality made him well received. In his youth, John Paul played soccer as a goalie, took daring swims in the flooded Swaka River and enjoyed skiing, hiking, mountain climbing and kayaking.<\/p>\n 6. Conservative Views<\/strong><\/p>\n John Paul II took a conservative stance regarding women being ordained as Roman Catholic priests. Although he was not completely opposed to war for any reason, he believed it to be a \u2019last resort\u2019 and therefore disapproved of the 2003 war in Iraq. He believed that homosexuals should be treated with “respect, compassion and sensitivity”, but considered homosexuality to be an “objective disorder”. Other issues on which he expressed strong criticism were abortion, contraception and euthanasia, saying these were part of “the culture of death”. His views were summed up in his papal encyclical “Veritas Splendor” (The Shining of Truth), in which he wrote, “What is popular may not always be good”.<\/p>\n