Born Karol Jozef Wojtila in Wadowice, Poland on 18 May 1920, he passed away on April 2nd 2005. In 1978, at the age of 58, the College of Cardinals elected Karol Wojtila as the 264th Pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church. In 1981, the Polish Pope was shot and wounded in an assassination attempt. He influenced the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Communist Regime in Europe. John Paul II was the most travelled Pope in History and visited over 125 countries. His charisma was well received by young people. His pontificate was the 3rd longest in the nearly 2000 years of history more than 26 years. Pope John Paul II was one of the most significant personalities of the 20th century.