What was Pope John Paul IIs life story before he became Pope?
Pope John Paul II was born Karol Jzef Wojtyła on 18 May 1920 in the town of Wadowice in southern Poland. Karol was a talented student; in 1929, his mother died and his father continued to support him in his studies. Interestingly, the town of Wadowice had a large Jewish population, with whom the young Karol had intensive contact. After completing his secondary studies, Karol enrolled at Jagiellonian University in Krakw, working as a volunteer librarian and engaging in compulsory military training in the Academic Legion. During his early years, he was an actor, and athlete, and a playwright, and he studied eleven languages. Click here for quotes by Pope John Paul II. The Second World War interrupted Karol’s studies. Academics of the Jagiellonian University were arrested, and the university ‘s activities were suppressed. Additionally, all able-bodied men were required to have a job, and Karol variously worked as a manual labourer in a limestone quarry and as a restaurant messenger.
