Karol Jozef Wojtila, who would eventually be known as St. John Paul II, was born on May 18, 1920. Karol had a relatively unfortunate childhood. His mother passed away when he was only nine years of age, and his older brother, Edmund, perished when Karol was twelve. On top of these horrific losses, Poland, Karol’s home country, was taken over by the Nazis while the future Pope was in college, and, as a result, the university had to be closed down. Despite these obvious setbacks, Karols was an extremely talented individual, and he shined in many different fields. He was a very good athlete, excelling in swimming and skiing, and, once he was in college, he showed an interest in theater and poetry. Nevertheless, Karol’s vocation was to become a priest. …show more content…
Karol was ordained in 1946, after World War II had ended. He quickly made an impact in the church. After earning his doctorate in theology in Rome, Karol returned to Poland and began working as a priest. By 1958, he was the bishop of Ombi, and, six years later, he was named the archbishop Krakow. Karol had established himself as one of the Church’s best minds. As a result, Karol was involved in Vatican II, and he was successfully able to assist the Church in understanding its place in the world. Karol was really making an impact, and he was promoted from archbishop to cardinal in 1967. Karol’s efforts to assist the Church were completely recognized in 1978 when Karol became the the first non-Italian Pope in over 400 years. Taking the name “Pope John Paul II”, he was famous for his