John Paul II

264th pope of the Catholic Church (1978–2005)
Person human Q989
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John Paul II was born on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] and died on April 2, 2005, at the Apostolic Palace [1][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][17][18][19]. He held citizenship in Poland, Vatican City, and the Second Polish Republic [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. His native language was Polish , and he was a member of the Catholic Church [28]. His parents were Karol Wojtyła and Emilia Wojtyła [22].

He received his education at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the Theology faculty of the Jagiellonian University, and the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin . He was employed by the Jagiellonian University and the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin . His professional roles included serving as a transitional deacon, Latin Catholic priest, latin catholic deacon, Catholic bishop, poet, and politician [28]. He worked in the fields of Petrine ministry, poetry, drama, and scientific writing [29].

His ecclesiastical positions included titular bishop from 1958 to 1958, auxiliary bishop from 1958 to 1964, titular bishop from 1958 to 1964, and Archbishop of Kraków from 1964 to 1978 . He was a member of the Pontifical Academia Mariana Internationalis and Polskie Towarzystwo Turystyczno-Krajoznawcze . He received numerous awards, including the Order of the Smile, Order of St. Gregory the Great, Order of Pius IX, Order of the Golden Spur, Armia Krajowa Cross, and an honorary doctor of the Jagiellonian University of Krakow plus two more . The cause of his death was senility , and he was buried at St. Peter's Basilica .

John Paul II

Summary

John Paul II is a human[1]. Born in Wadowice[2], he… he died in Apostolic Palace[3]. He worked as a transitional deacon[4], Latin Catholic priest[5], latin catholic deacon[6], Catholic bishop[7], and poet[8]. He ranks in the top 0.38% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (21,273 views/month, #3,812 of 1,000,298).[9]

Key Facts

  • John Paul II was born in Wadowice[2].
  • John Paul II died in Apostolic Palace[3].
  • John Paul II passed away in Rome[10].
  • John Paul II is buried at St. Peter's Basilica[11].
  • Burial took place at Tomb of John Paul II[12].
  • John Paul II's father was Karol Wojtyła[13].
  • John Paul II's mother was Emilia Wojtyła[14].
  • John Paul II held citizenship in Poland[15].
  • John Paul II held citizenship in Vatican City[16].
  • John Paul II held citizenship in Second Polish Republic[17].
  • Polish was John Paul II's native language[18].
  • John Paul II is identified as part of the Poles ethnic group[19].
  • John Paul II worked as a transitional deacon[4].
  • John Paul II worked as a Latin Catholic priest[5].
  • John Paul II worked as a latin catholic deacon[6].
  • John Paul II worked as a Catholic bishop[7].
  • John Paul II worked as a poet[8].
  • John Paul II worked as a politician[20].
  • John Paul II's field of work was Petrine ministry[21].
  • John Paul II's field of work was poetry[22].
  • John Paul II's field of work was drama[23].
  • John Paul II's field of work was scientific writing[24].
  • John Paul II held the position of titular bishop[25].
  • John Paul II held the position of auxiliary bishop[26].
  • John Paul II held the position of titular bishop[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Born in Wadowice[2], John Paul II… his father was Karol Wojtyła[13]. His mother was Emilia Wojtyła[14]. He is identified as part of the Poles ethnic group[19]. Polish was his native language[18].

Education

Educated at Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas[28], a pontifical university[29], in Vatican City[30], founded in 1577[31], headquartered in Rome[32]; Theology faculty of the Jagiellonian University[33], a faculty[34], in Poland[35], founded in 1397[36]; and John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin[37], a Catholic university[38], in Poland[39], founded in 1918[40]. His doctoral advisor was Władysław Wicher[41].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include transitional deacon[4], Latin Catholic priest[5], latin catholic deacon[6], Catholic bishop[7], poet[8], and politician[20]. Fields of work include Petrine ministry[21]; poetry[22], a literary form[42]; drama[23], a literary mode[43]; and scientific writing[24], an activity[44]. Employers include Jagiellonian University[45], a public university[46], in Poland[47], founded in 1364[48], headquartered in Kraków[49] and John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin[50], a Catholic university[51], in Poland[52], founded in 1918[53]. Positions held include titular bishop[25], a Roman Catholic episcopal title[54]; auxiliary bishop[26], a Roman Catholic episcopal title[55]; Archbishop of Kraków[56], a Roman Catholic episcopal title[57], in Poland[58], founded in 1925[59]; cardinal[60], a title[61]; San Cesareo in Palatio[62], a cardinal title[63], in Italy[64]; and Pope[65], a Roman Catholic episcopal title[66], in Vatican City[67], founded in 0033[68].

Recognition

Awards received include Order of the Smile[69], Order of St. Gregory the Great[70], Order of Pius IX[71], Order of the Golden Spur[72], Armia Krajowa Cross[73], and honorary doctor of the Jagiellonian University of Krakow[74].

Personal Life

Religious affiliations include Catholic Church[75], Catholicism[76], and Christianity[77].

Death and Burial

Recorded place of death include Apostolic Palace[3], a Palazzo[78], in Vatican City[79], founded in 1589[80] and Rome[10], a border city[81], in Italy[82], founded in -0753[83]. Recorded place of burial include St. Peter's Basilica[11] and Tomb of John Paul II[12].

Works and Contributions

Things named for John Paul II include João Paulo II Airport[84] and John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin[85].

Why It Matters

John Paul II ranks in the top 0.38% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (21,273 views/month, #3,812 of 1,000,298).[9] He has Wikipedia articles in 29 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[86] He is known by 78 alternative names across languages and contexts.[87]

He has been cited as an influence by Maria Antonietta Macciocchi[88], a university teacher[89], 1922–2007[90], of Italy[91], awarded the Knight of the Legion of Honour[92], specialised in Italian literature[93].

Works attributed to him include Veritatis Splendor[94], an encyclical[95], founded in 1993[96]; Fides et Ratio[97], an encyclical[98], founded in 1998[99]; Redemptoris Missio[100], an encyclical[101], founded in 1990[102]; Ut Unum Sint[103], an encyclical[104], founded in 1995[105]; Universi Dominici Gregis[106], an apostolic constitution[107], in Vatican City[108]; and Laborem Exercens[109], an encyclical[110], founded in 1981[111]. Entities named for him include João Paulo II Airport[84] and John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin[85].

FAQs

Where was John Paul II born?

John Paul II was born in Wadowice[2].

Where did John Paul II die?

John Paul II died in Apostolic Palace[3].

Who were John Paul II's parents?

John Paul II's father was Karol Wojtyła[13]. John Paul II's mother was Emilia Wojtyła[14].

What did John Paul II do for work?

John Paul II worked as transitional deacon[4], Latin Catholic priest[5], latin catholic deacon[6], Catholic bishop[7], and poet[8].

Where did John Paul II go to school?

John Paul II was educated at Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas[28], Theology faculty of the Jagiellonian University[33], and John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin[37].

What awards did John Paul II receive?

Honors received include Order of the Smile[69], Order of St. Gregory the Great[70], Order of Pius IX[71], and Order of the Golden Spur[72].

Who did John Paul II influence?

John Paul II has been cited as an influence by Maria Antonietta Macciocchi[88].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

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  43. [19] . Treccani's Enciclopedia on line. wikidata.org.
  44. [41] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [88] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [94] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [97] . wikidata.org. → on this site
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  7. [109] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [84] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [85] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [78] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [79] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
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Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [9] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [86] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [87] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). John Paul II. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/john-paul-ii
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 20h ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-31 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation transitional deacon, Latin Catholic priest, latin catholic deacon +10
    "/* wbremoveclaims-remove:1| */ [[Property:P106]]: [[Q19546]], [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259233|batch #259233]]"
  2. 3d ago · RVA2869 · 2026-05-29 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Described by source Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1969–1978), Den Store Danske Encyklopædi, Wojtyla segreto +2
    P14483 p/papa-juan-pablo-ii
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/33786|batch #33786]]: Remove redundant described by source (P1343) - ID P14483 is present."
  3. 5d ago · XeNivalys · 2026-05-27 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14483 p/papa-juan-pablo-ii
    "/* wbsetreference-add:2| */ [[Property:P14483]]: p/papa-pablo-ii, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1779859433286"
  4. 5d ago · XeNivalys · 2026-05-27 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14483 p/papa-juan-pablo-ii
    Occupation transitional deacon, Latin Catholic priest, latin catholic deacon +10
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14483]]: p/papa-pablo-ii, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1779856745649"
  5. 10d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-22 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Field of work Petrine ministry, poetry, drama +1
    Occupation transitional deacon, Latin Catholic priest, latin catholic deacon +10
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32158|batch #32158]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (39)"
  6. 19d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-13 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Cerl thesaurus id cnp02279645
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30855|batch #30855]]: match CERL IDs on the basis of GND (9)"
  7. 20d ago · Hannolans · 2026-05-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Copyright status as a creator Q73555012
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ [[Property:P7763]]: [[Q73555012]], Add copyright status based on date of death"
  8. 20d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-11 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Parsifal cluster id 30488
    Pontificia università della santa croce id 39888
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ [[Property:P12458]]: 649380, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/161527333|Joannes Paulus PP. II (#161527333)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/6216|Parsifal p"
  9. 24d ago · Bargioni · 2026-05-08 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Pontificia università della santa croce id 39888
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30666|batch #30666]]: fix P1810 of P12458"
  10. 26d ago · RVA2869 · 2026-05-06 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Image purged at
    Image purged license
    Described by source Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1969–1978), Den Store Danske Encyklopædi, Wojtyla segreto +2
    Image needs reharvest
    + 3 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbremoveclaims-remove:1| */ [[Property:P1343]]: [[Q65921422]]"
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