Pope John Paul II - Editors of LIFE Magazine

Karol Wojtyla's extraordinary life was influenced by the events of the twentieth century, and, as Pope John Paul II, he influenced events in turn. Born in southern Poland, Karol entered seminary under Nazi occupation, served as a cleric under Communist domination, and rose in the Church to the rank of Cardinal. In 1978, he emerged as John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope in more than four centuries. He has travelled more miles than all previous popes combined and has brought the worldwide population of Roman Catholics to a billion strong.

With insightful text and a moving foreword by world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, this is a beautiful tribute to arguably the most important pope of the millennium and a legend in his own lifetime.