John Paul II - Karol Wojtyla, the first Slav pope and the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI. He was born on May 18.th 1920 in Wadowice in Poland. In 1994 he began secretly to study theology and then, following the liberation of Poland, continued his studies at the Jagiello University. On November 11.th 1946 he took holy orders. On September 7th 1958 he was named bishop of Ombia and suffragan bishop of the Cracow see. On December 30th 1963 he was named archbishop of Cracow and on June 26th 1967 cardinal. He was already an established and acknowledged figure when...