Pope John Paul II, born Karol Józef Wojtyła, was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his death in 2005. He was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years and the first from Poland. His papacy was marked by his efforts to improve the Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, and the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was canonized as a saint in 2014.
