John paul ivan biography for kids

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His remains were moved from the grotto beneath St. Peter's Basilica to a more visible place in the Chapel of St. Sebastian. The last non-Italian pope before him was Pope Adrian VI, who died in 1523.

Pope John Paul II was the first pope to visit the White House and a mosque. He was made "Blessed" in 2011 and then a "Saint" by Pope Francis on April 27, 2014.

Early Life and Studies

Karol Józef Wojtyła was born on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland.

His elder sister had died in infancy and when he was 12 years old, his brother, a dedicated doctor died at the age of 26. He did this to avoid being sent to Germany to join the German army.

Near the end of his papacy, it became difficult for him to speak, and his poor health and physical suffering made public appearances difficult. He learned Latin and Ancient Greek in school. Following Jesus’ example of forgiveness and compassion for the sinner, Pope John Paul II later met with Agca in his prison cell and, gently speaking to him of the forgiveness of Christ, forgave him for what he had done.

Throughout his life, Pope John Paul II was an avid sportsman, hiking and skiing even in his sixties.

He took the name John Paul II. He began his papacy on Oct. 22 by telling the world, “Be not afraid”; his life showed everyone that to change the world, we must “cast into the deep for a great catch.”

From the start of his papacy, Pope John Paul II made evangelization a key part of his mission, and made pastoral visits to all parts of the world.

In 1981, a Turk named Mehmet Ali Agca shot the Pope twice in an assassination attempt and wounded him.

He also went to Armenia to celebrate 1700 years of Christianity there. This made him the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. He also knew some Lithuanian, Hungarian, Russian, and Ukrainian.

Pope John Paul II gave many people the title of "Blessed" (called beatification). He was the first pope to visit Cuba.

In 2000, he became the first modern Catholic pope to visit Egypt. During some visits, he said Mass in local languages, such as Kiswahili in Nairobi, Kenya in 1995, and an Indonesian language in East Timor.

During his trips, the Pope always showed his strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Following Jesus’ example of forgiveness and compassion for the sinner, Pope John Paul II later met with Agca in his prison cell and, gently speaking to him of the forgiveness of Christ, forgave him for what he had done.

Throughout his life, Pope John Paul II was an avid sportsman, hiking and skiing even in his sixties.

In total, he traveled more than 1.1 million kilometers (725,000 miles). This showed that John Paul II's time as pope had ended.

Many people felt that Pope John Paul II had blessed them during his time as Pope. Without any family support, Karol struggled on, to face the challenges of life that Poland was facing at the time.

By 1938, Europe was on the brink of the Second World War.  Karol had enrolled in Krakow University and also in a school for drama!