St. John Paul II,born  Karol Józef Wojtyła, (born May 18, 1920, Wadowice, Poland—died April 2, 2005, Vatican City; beatified May 1, 2011; canonized April 27, 2014; feast day October 22), bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church (1978–2005), the first non-Italian pope in 455 years and the first from a Slavic country. His pontificate of more than 26 years was the third longest in history.  John Paul used his influence among Catholics and throughout the world to advance the recognition of human dignity and to deter the use of violence.