“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and our failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us and of our real ability to become the image of his Son”. Said by Saint Pope John Paul II during one of his homilies for World Youth Day, this quote perfectly represents the man that Saint Pope John Paul II was: a bold, forgiving, selfless and loving man. Born May 18, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland; John Paul II suffered numerous tragedies in the early years of his life. At the age of twenty he lost all of his immediate family and credits the death of his father as the moment in his life when he felt the calling to live a life of religious vocation. In 1939, about a year after John Paul enrolled at the Jaggelonian University in Krakow, the Nazis closed the school and to avoid deportation to Germany all able-bodied men had to work. From 1940 to 1941 His Holiness held various jobs, but it was during this period that he seriously contemplated the priesthood. In 1942 John Paul II began studying in the underground seminary run by the Archbishop of Krakow, and during this time he was hit by a truck and recovered within two weeks. For him this was a confirmation of his vocation. Once the war was over, the future pope was ordained a priest and was then sent to Rome for further studies. After a two-year period in Rome, Your Holy Father received his doctorate in theology and returned to Poland. After serving in several parishes and becoming a well-known religious face in Poland, Saint John Paul II became bishop of Ombi. During the six-year period in which His Holiness was Bishop of Ombi, he achieved one of the greatest achievements of his life: he became one of the leading thinkers of the Second Vatican Council. When he was one of Vatican II as...... middle of paper ......he loved sport very much. Pope John Paul II was one of the most athletic and fit popes of all time. He loved soccer, swimming, skiing, mountain climbing, kayaking and almost every other physical activity. But in 2001, after almost 25 years as pope, over 129 pastoral trips, two attacks and much more; Pope John Paul II's health began to deteriorate. In 2001 the pope was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and in the years that followed his health only worsened. On April 2, 2005, Pope John II succumbed to his numerous illnesses and died in his private apartment. The funeral of the Holy Pope John Paul II set the record for the largest number of participants and for the largest number of heads of state gathered. That day more than 10 billion people, both present in St. Peter's Square and watching through the TV, mourned their eternal memory and their beloved Pope.