00:00Born Karol Youssef Wojtyla on May 18, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland,
00:06The life of the man who would become John Paul II was marked very early on by loss and adversity.
00:12Orphaned at the age of 9, losing his mother, then his brother, and finally his father during his adolescence,
00:17He lived through the Nazi occupation of his country, witnessing the horrors of war.
00:22and working in a stone quarry, then in a chemical plant.
00:26It is in this somber context that he feels the call to the priesthood.
00:30studying theology in secret, safe from persecution.
00:34He was ordained a priest in 1946.
00:38His keen intelligence and profound spirituality quickly led him to an academic and pastoral career.
00:45Professor of ethics at the University of Lublin, he was appointed bishop and then archbishop of Krakow.
00:51His active participation in the Second Vatican Council reveals his intellectual stature and his ability to engage in dialogue.
00:59In 1967, he was created a cardinal.
01:03On October 16, 1978, shock spread throughout the world.
01:08A non-Italian pope is elected, a first in over four centuries.
01:13It was Carole Voitiwa who took the name of John Paul II.
01:16His pontificate, one of the longest in history, was that of a pilgrim pope.
01:23He travels to more than 129 countries, bringing the gospel to the four corners of the world,
01:28meeting with peoples and encouraging interreligious dialogue,
01:32including the famous meeting in Assisi.
01:35His voice rises powerfully against oppression and totalitarian regimes.
01:39His moral and spiritual support, particularly in Poland with Solidarity,
01:46is widely recognized as a key factor in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.
01:51His message "Do not be afraid" still resonates.
01:56John Paul II is also the pope of youth,
01:59establishing World Youth Days which bring together millions of young people.
02:03He bequeathed to us the catechism of the Catholic Church and a rich social doctrine,
02:08but also the theology of the body, a profound reflection on human dignity.
02:15He survived an assassination attempt in 1981, publicly forgiving his attacker.
02:21Despite the Parkinson's disease that afflicts him and deforms his body,
02:25He continues his mission with unwavering determination.
02:29transforming her suffering into a testimony of hope.
02:34He died on April 2, 2005, and was canonized in 2014.
02:39What we remember about him today is that he was a giant of faith.
02:43a man of dialogue and peace,
02:45whose profound spirituality and courage have forever marked the Church and the world.
02:51His feast day is celebrated on October 22nd.
