Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyła was elected pope and took the regnal identify “Pope John Paul II” on this present day in historical past, Oct. 16, 1978.
The election of John Paul II marked the primary time a non-Italian had been chosen to steer the Catholic Church in over 400 years.
He was elected on the eighth poll throughout the second conclave held within the 12 months 1978, following the loss of life of Pope John Paul I simply over a month into that pope’s reign.
John Paul II took his identify to honor his predecessor, John Paul I.
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Born as Karol Józef Wojtyła in Wadowice, Poland, on Could 18, 1920, the longer term pope was the youngest of the three kids of Karol Wojtyła and Emilia Kaczorowska, notes his official biography on the Vatican web site.
As a toddler and younger grownup, John Paul II was closely concerned in theater, even serving to to arrange a clandestine theater group, mentioned the Vatican.
A younger Karol Wojtyła along with his mother and father, Karol Wojtyła and Emilia Kaczorowska. Each of Pope John Paul II’s mother and father would die by the point he was 20 years previous. (Daniele Darolle/Sygma through Getty Pictures)
John Paul II’s formative years was marked by tragedy.
“At 20 I had already misplaced all of the individuals I cherished, and even these I may need cherished, like my older sister who, they mentioned, died six years earlier than I used to be born,” Pope John Paul II informed the author Andre Frossard in 1984.
His mom died in 1929, when he was simply eight years previous; and his brother Edmund died in 1932 at age 26 after contracting scarlet fever whereas working as a physician.
It was his father’s sudden loss of life in 1941 that sparked John Paul II to assume critically concerning the priesthood.
The election of John Paul II marked the primary time a non-Italian had been chosen to steer the Catholic Church in over 400 years.
The outbreak of World Battle II, nonetheless, and the Nazi occupation of Poland threw a wrench in these plans, notes the Vatican web site.
In 1942, whereas Poland was occupied by the Nazis, John Paul II started finding out for the priesthood at a secret underground seminary in Kraków.
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After the conflict ended, he continued his research in a extra typical method on the now-legally reopened main seminary of the Archdiocese of Kraków, in addition to on the faculty of theology on the Jagellonian College, mentioned his biography.
He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Kraków on Nov. 1, 1946, and commenced doctoral research in Rome.
Pope John Paul II was the primary non-Italian elected pope in over 400 years. (Getty Pictures)
On July 4, 1958, Pope Pius XII appointed the then-Fr. Wojtyła as auxiliary bishop of Kraków.
Six years later, he was promoted because the Archbishop of Kraków.
Archbishop Wojtyła was elevated to the Faculty of Cardinals, changing into Cardinal Wojtyła on June 26, 1967.
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John Paul II participated within the August 1978 conclave that noticed Cardinal Albino Luciani elected as Pope John Paul I.
But John Paul I lived solely 33 days earlier than dying all of the sudden on Sept. 28, 1978, at age 65, necessitating one other conclave.
In a comparatively quick conclave, John Paul II was elected on the third day after simply eight ballots.
The second conclave of 1978 — the latest “12 months of three popes” — started on Oct. 14, simply 10 days after John Paul I’s funeral.
In a comparatively quick conclave, John Paul II was elected on the third day after simply eight ballots. White smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel simply after 6:00 p.m., and the world waited to see who had been elected.
Throughout his papacy, John Paul II visited the US seven instances. (Getty Pictures)
Cardinal Pericle Felici was tasked with asserting the particular person elected pope — and he reportedly requested one other Polish cardinal methods to accurately pronounce “Wojtyła.”
“Annuntio vobis, gaudium magnum, Habemus Papam,” mentioned Felici, saying the standard Latin phrase that means, “We announce with nice pleasure, we have now a brand new pope.”
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An enormous crowd that had gathered in St. Peter’s Sq. waited as Felici introduced the brand new pope as “Carolum Wojtyła,” the Latinization of John Paul II’s beginning identify.
“Qui sibi nomen imposuit Ioannem Paulum II,” continued Felici, that means, “He has taken the identify John Paul II.”
A crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Sq. to be taught which man had been elected pope. There was a lot confusion when the brand new pope was introduced as “Carolum Wojtyła,” with some individuals considering maybe the cardinal was African. (Vittoriano Rastelli/CORBIS/Corbis through Getty Pictures)
The gang was confused, and plenty of thought the newly elected pope was maybe African, mentioned the Catholic publication Zenit.
Fairly than start with the customary Latin blessing, the polyglot Pope John Paul II addressed the group in Italian.
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(The pope was reportedly fluent in a minimum of six languages, and proficient in lots of others.)
In his greeting, John Paul II remarked that he was referred to as to the papacy “from a far nation” and that he was “afraid to obtain this nomination.”
He additionally requested that if he have been to make a mistake in his Italian, to “please appropriate me.”
Pope John Paul II, heart, addressing the group within the Vatican after he was elected pope. (Francois LOCHON/Gamma-Rapho through Getty Pictures)
John Paul II would go on to serve the third-longest papacy within the historical past of the Catholic Church.
He died on April 2, 2005, at age 84.
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Shortly after his loss of life, calls started for his canonization.
His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, waived the customary five-year ready interval after somebody’s loss of life to open the trigger for canonization.
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John Paul II was beatified on Could 1, 2011, by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.
He was then canonized, or formally declared a saint within the Catholic Church, by Pope Francis, alongside along with his predecessor Pope John XIII, on April 27, 2014.
