Karol Wojtyła was born in Wadowice on 18 May 1920. His early life was marked by profound loss: the death of his mother Emilia when he was nine, and of his older brother Edmund, a physician, who died prematurely three years later; his sister Olga had died shortly after birth in 1916. These experiences of suffering shaped his sensitivity and deepened his faith. After being widowed, his father, Karol Wojtyła senior, played a key role, dedicating himself to a life of constant prayer and becoming the first and most important role model for his son.

In 1938, Karol began Polish studies at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, but World War II interrupted his education in 1939. From 1940 to 1944, he worked as a manual labourer in stone quarries and at the Solvay chemical plant, which protected him from deportation and allowed him to reflect deeply on his vocation. In these dramatic years, in 1942, he began formation at an underground seminary led by Archbishop (later Cardinal) Adam Stefan Sapieha. Concurrently, he co-founded the Rhapsodic Theatre, consciously striving to preserve the spirit of Polish culture during the occupation.

After the war, Wojtyła continued theological studies and was ordained a priest on 1 November 1946. He pursued doctoral studies in Rome (on the theology of St John of the Cross) and served as a vicar in Niegowić, and later in Kraków, which prepared him for his role as an academic chaplain. As a lecturer in moral theology and ethics at the Jagiellonian University and the Catholic University of Lublin, he gained recognition for the depth of his thought and his ability to engage in dialogue with young people. His exceptional personality led to a rapid ecclesiastical career: on 4 April 1958, he was appointed auxiliary bishop, on 13 January 1964, Archbishop of Kraków, and on 26 June 1967, cardinal. He actively participated in the Second Vatican Council, making a significant contribution, especially to the pastoral constitution Gaudium et spes.

He was elected Pope John Paul II on 16 October 1978. His pontificate was one of the longest, lasting nearly 27 years, and most transformative in the history of the Church. John Paul II undertook 104 apostolic journeys, becoming the ‘Pilgrim of Peace’ and opening the Church to the world as a man who both literally and figuratively built bridges between nations and religions. His pontificate was marked by dialogue with young people (initiating World Youth Day), a rich body of teaching (14 encyclicals and a body of documents that have shaped the Church’s teaching in the modern era), and an integral vision of a civilisation of love and an unwavering defence of human dignity. When John Paul II died on 2 April 2005, the faithful’s desire, expressed in the cry ‘Santo Subito!’, immediately emerged. John Paul II was beatified on 1 May 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI and canonised on 27 April 2014 by Pope Francis.

His life, shaped by suffering, prayer, a rich cultural formation and solidarity, forms the core identity of the John Paul II Vatican Foundation, which translates his legacy into concrete action in the world.