He was undeniably a catalyst for Solidarity in Poland thereby helping to bring

He was undeniably a catalyst for Solidarity in Poland, thereby helping to bring about the fall of Eastern Europe. Mikhail Gorbachev acknowledged that without him Communism would not have fallen. But if this is all John Paul II stood for, he would have long ago been canonised by the progressive wing of the Roman Catholic Church This was a far more complicated Pope. A champion of political liberty, yes, but liberalism and libertarianism in the most personal realm – that of personal, sexual morality – were anathema to him.John Paul II – Karol Wojtyla – was born in 1920 to a poor, religious family, in Wadowice, near Krakow, Poland – the most intensely Catholic country in Europe, if not the world His father was a retired army officer.

His mother died giving birth to a stillborn daughter when he was nine. Then, at the age of 12, one of his brothers died, leaving him to be raised by his deeply religious father.As a gifted student of drama and literature, the stage seemed a natural place for him, but the Nazi occupation of Poland during the Second World War had a profound impact on Wojtyla, transforming his view of his place in the world. After working as a conscript labourer in stone quarries, he committed himself to the priesthood. Following his ordination in 1945, he studied in Rome for two years, and later became a lecturer in moral theology at the Catholic University of Lublin. His early years as a priest saw him also speaking out against another repressive regime, that of Communism. By the age of 38, the priest-cum-philosopher and student of ethics, was appointed bishop.

Six years later, he was Archbishop of Krakow, and at 46, a cardinal.That he was appointed Pope was as much a surprise to him as to anybody else. In 1978 he was summoned to Rome for what turned out to be that year’s first conclave of cardinals in order to choose the successor to Paul VI. But within weeks, the new pope, John Paul I, was dead.Wojtyla, as archbishop of Krakow, used to make himself available “at home” from time to time to anybody who needed his help. On the day that he was due to fly back to Rome for 1978’s second conclave, an old woman turned up at his residence, asking for help. Her cat had gone missing, and she believed her neighbours had taken it. Could the cardinal help? Wojtyla put her in his car, drove to the neighbours, retrieved the cat, handed it over to its delighted owner, and left for the airport and the papacy.His election caused euphoria throughout the church This seemed the right Pope for the times.