Pope John Paul II

Color photograph of Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paull II or, Saint John Paul the Great, served as pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 until his death on April 2, 2005. He was the first non-Italian pope since Pope Adrian VI in 1523. This specific photograph was used in the book Pope John Paul II: A festive profile by Ludvik Nemec which was published in 1979. In his youth, Saint John Paul the Great was an avid outdoors man. As a young priest in his native Poland he earned the nickname "Uncle" as he would frequently host hiking, backpacking and kayaking trips with young people. He was a co-patron of the Archdiocese of Krakow World Youth Day and the World Meeting of Families 2015.