Full Name: Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła); Profession: Polish Roman Catholic priest, bishop, cardinal, and Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 1978 to 2005; influential global religious leader, philosopher, and theologian; Nationality: Polish; Born: 18 May 1920; Birthplace: Wadowice, Poland; Generation: Greatest Generation (G.I. Generation, broadly defined as those born 1901–1927); Chinese Zodiac: Metal Monkey (1920 identified as a Monkey year in the Chinese zodiac cycle, specifically the Metal Monkey from 20 February 1920 to 7 February 1921); Zodiac Sign: Taurus (Sun in Taurus by Western astrology for 18 May); Age in 2026: would be 106 years old if living. Marital Status: never married, lived a life of priestly and papal celibacy in accordance with Latin-rite Catholic discipline and his own teachings on celibacy. Children: none known; understood and expressed his vocation in terms of spiritual fatherhood rather than biological parenthood; Description: Charismatic, deeply spiritual, and intellectually formidable twentieth‑century pope whose long pontificate helped shape world history as he emerged from Nazi‑ and communist‑occupied Poland to become the first non‑Italian pope in more than four centuries; actively encouraged and morally supported movements such as Solidarity that contributed to the peaceful end of communist rule in Eastern Europe; tirelessly defended human dignity and religious freedom; developed a rich personalist theology of the human person, love, marriage, and the family in works like the Theology of the Body and numerous encyclicals; expanded the global visibility of the papacy through extensive pilgrimages and World Youth Days; sought healing of historical wounds by asking forgiveness for past sins of Christians and fostering dialogue with Jews, Eastern Orthodox, Protestants, Muslims, and other religious communities; and was later canonized as Saint John Paul II in 2014, becoming a widely venerated figure in contemporary Catholicism and beyond. Cause of Death: complications of septic shock and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse triggered by a severe urinary tract infection and ensuing sepsis, which led to multiple organ failure and his death on 2 April 2005 in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City at age 84