Pope John Paul II, Poland's favorite son, was elected pope on 16 October 1978 after John Paul I's death one month into his papacy. Karol Wojtyla became the first non-Italian pontiff in over 450 years and the first Slavic pope. Remembered as the most public pontiff in history Pope John Paul II maintained himself in the public eye, visiting over 100 different countries, speaking forcefully on behalf of human rights, and surviving an assassination attempt which he responded to by offering his forgiveness to his assailant. Badly disabled by Parkinson's disease John Paul II passed away on the 2nd of April in 2005 and was succeeded by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 April 2005. This piece would be a nice addition to any collection of Vatican or world coins.