John Paul II
Saint John Paul II is the patron of young people and World Youth Day because he founded that very gathering in 1985 and made the young the great love of his pontificate, drawing millions to him across the world with his confident summons, “Do not be afraid!” He is patron of families because he taught on marriage and human love as no pope before him — his “theology of the body” — and instituted the World Meeting of Families. His patronage over forgiveness is rooted in one unforgettable act: after the 1981 attempt on his life in Saint Peter’s Square, he went to the prison cell of his would-be assassin and forgave him face to face. He is also honored as a heavenly patron of his native Poland and of Krakow, the city where he had been archbishop.
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.
