Portal:Roman Catholic Church/Selected biography

Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus PP. II, Italian: Giovanni Paolo II) born [ˈkaɾɔl ˈjuzεf vɔi̯ˈtɨwa] (May 18, 1920, Wadowice, Poland – April 2, 2005, Vatican City) reigned as Pope of the 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 second-longest pontificate in modern times after Pius IX's 31-year reign. He is the only Polish pope, and was the first non-Italian pope since the (Low) German 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.