Born Karol Wojtyla in Poland in 1920, he lost both parents before age 20, then secretly studied for the priesthood because of the Communists. As a priest, he earned a doctorate in theology in Rome, then served as a parish priest and chaplain for university students. After earning a second doctorate in philosophy, he taught philosophy at university. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of Krakow in 1958, then attended the Second Vatican Council. After being named a cardinal in 1967, he was elected pope in October 1978, the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. During his papacy, he visited 124 countries and described himself to the United Nations General Assembly as “a witness to hope”. As pope, he encouraged the growth of the Solidarity movement in his homeland and played an important role in the collapse of communism in central and eastern Europe. In his 27 years as pope, he launched World Youth Day, wrote 14 encyclicals and five books, and canonized 482 saints. He died in 2005 and was canonized in 2014.