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 Pope John Paul II (18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) reigned as Pope and Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death almost 27 years later. His was the second-longest pontificate. He has been the only Polish pope, and was the first non-Italian since the Dutch pontiff Adrian VI in the 1520s.
John Paul II was widely acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century. He had been credited with being instrumental in bringing down communism in Eastern Europe, as well as significantly improving the Roman Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Anglican Churches. While many criticized him for his traditional views in such areas as ordination of women and contraception, his support for Vatican II and its effect on the Liturgy, and his stance on the sanctity of marriage, others praised him for his stances in these areas.
He was one of the most-traveled world leaders in history, visiting 129 countries during his pontificate. He was fluent in many languages: his native Polish as well as Italian, French, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Ancient Greek and Latin. As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness, he beatified 1,340 people and canonized 483 saints, more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the last five centuries.
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