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Born
Born as Karol Jozef Wojtyla in Wadowice, Republic of Poland -
Ordained as a Priest
Ordained on All Saint's Day in Krakow, Poland -
Consecrated as a Cardinal
Before his time as a cardinal he participated in the Second Vatican Council and during his time as a cardinal and as pope he upheld it. Also as a cardinal he was instrumental in formulating the encyclical "Humanae Vitae," which dealt with issues such as abortion and birth control. -
Issues the Roman Catholic Church's new Universal Catechism
This was to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council, which concluded in 1965 -
Elected Pope
Father Karol Jozef Wojtyla becomes Pope John Paul II, the 264th pope, second youngest pope ever, and the first non-Italian pope since 1523 -
Began his famous Pastoral trips
Pope John Paul II began his famous pastoral trips with a visit to Mexico. During his papacy he made trips to 129 countries, travelling more than 1,100,000 km -
Beatified the first person of his papacy
Pope John Paul II beatified 1,340 people which is more than any other previous pope. This was a part of his Universal Call to Holiness. He also canonised 483 saints during his pontificate. -
First trip to native country, Poland
He was met with ecstatic crowds wherever he went and uplifted the nation's spirit. He also was a major factor in ending Communism in Poland with his call to Poles to be good, not to compromise themselves, to stick by one another, to be fearless, and that God is the only source of goodness, which united the people against the Communist regime. -
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First Trip to America
Pope John Paul II was the first pope to ever visit the White House, where he greeted then-President Jimmy Carter during his first visit to the U.S. -
Visits the Whitehouse
Pope John Paul II was the first pope to visit the Whitehouse, where he greeted then-President Jimmy Carter during his first trip to the U.S. -
Shot by Mehmet Ali Agca
The Pope was shot in the abdomen by a Turkish gunman in Rome's St. Peter's Square and is saved by surgery -
visited Rome's main synagogue
He became the first pope since the time of the apostles to visit a synagogue and called the Jews our "beloved elder brothers." -
Publishes the book, "Crossing the Threshold of Hope
Published in forty languages and selling over 1 million copies in Italy alone, "Crossing the Threshold of Hope" was made up of many of the Pope's answers to to questions from Vittorio Messori, which were originally intended to be asked during a live television interview to celebrate fifteen years of his Papacy -
Manila World Youth Day
According to the Vatican this is the largest Papal gathering ever with 4 million people in attendance. Pope John Paul II also offered mass to a crowd of between 5 and 7 million in Manila, which was considered to be the largest single gathering in Christian history. -
Issues "Gospel of Life
This condemned spreading "Culture of Death" including abortion, euthanasia, experimentation on human embryos, and contraception -
Meets with Cuban President, Fidel Castro
The church had high hope to bring fast political change when Pope John Paul II visited Cuban President Fidel Castro. -
First Pilgrimage to The Holy Lands
Pope John Paul II expressed much sorrow at Jerusalem's Western Wall during his visit to the Holy Land for the suffering of Jews at the hands of Christians -
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First Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Pope John paul expressed much sorrow during his visit to the Holy Lands at Jerusalem's Western Wall for the suffering of Jews at the hands of Christians. -
Enters mosque in Syria
He became the first pope to enter a mosque and to make such a meaningful gesture towards Islam. His main purpose was to plead for peace and for each faith to start to forgive eachother for past centuries of conflict. -
Makes his 100th trip, visiting Croatia
During this visit the Pope focused on promoting religous women, the value of the family, and the vocations of every Christian -
Beatifies Mother Theresa of Calcutta
The process of this beatification had been one of the shortest in modern history and one of the most supported. -
Awarded the Medal of Freedom
The Pope was awarded the Medal of Freedom by U.S. President George W. Bush for his significant, enduring, and historic contributions to the causes of freedom, human dignity, and peace. -
Death
Pope John Paul II died at age 84 and spent his last days in the Vatican attended by his friend and secretary, Stanislaw Dziwisz. Also by a cardinal from Ukraine and Polish nuns of the Congregation of the Sisters Servants of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, who ran the papal household. His funeral was a global media event. -
Beatified by Pope Benedict XVI
Because of the calls of many people around the world, the normal 5 year waiting period to be beatified was bypassed and Pope John Paul II's beatification process started almost immediately after his funeral.
