John Paul II

Saint John Paul II, born Karol Józef Wojtyła in 1920 in Wadowice, Poland, served as Pope from 1978 to 2005 — one of the longest pontificates in history. He played a key role in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, traveled to 129 countries, and canonized more saints than any previous pope. He survived an assassination attempt in 1981 and later forgave his attacker.