Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus PP. II, Italian: Giovanni Paolo II, Polish: Jan Pawe?? II) born Karol J??zef Wojty??a (help??info) [??ka-?l ??juz??f v??i-?t??wa]; (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 on 2 April 2005, almost 27 years later. His was the third-longest pontificate after Pius IX's 32-year reign and St. Peter's 34+ years. He was the only Polish pope and the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI (Dutch) in the 1520s