News
Pope John Paul II
During his 26 years as head of the Roman Catholic Church, John Paul II is credited with helping to bring down communism, energizing young Catholics and bolstering the church presence in the developing world. The Church will beatify John Paul in Rome Sunday, May 1. The ceremony is an important milestone on the road to Catholic sainthood.
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Pope John Paul II gestures from his vehicle as he tours St. Peter's Square during the weekly general open-air audience at the Vatican, April 1, 1998 (AP)
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Pope John Paul II in the Popemobile in 1999 (AP Photo/Leon Algee)
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Pope John Paul II greets some of the approximately 6,000 Polish faithful gathered in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican for a special outdoor audience on June 4, 1998, on occasion of the anniversary of his trip to Poland in June ,1997 (AP Photo/Massimo S
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Pope John Paul II prays during a Mass in Pelplin, Poland, Sunday, June 6, 1999 (AP Photo/Rudi Blaha)