Pope John Paul II in photos

President Jimmy Carter, his wife Rosalyn and daughter Amy greet Pope John Paul II at the White House in Washington on October 6, 1979.

President Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan with Pope John Paul II at Vatican City on June 7, 1982.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan confers with Pope John Paul II at the Vizcaya Museum on September 9, 1987 in Miami, Florida.

President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush chat with Pope John Paul II in the Papal library at the Vatican on May 27, 1989 during an audience.

Karol Joseph Wojtyla (born May 18, 1920 in Wadowice), future pope John Paul II, at 1 year old. 1921.

1967 photo shows late Pope Paul VI placing the cardinal's hat onto Karol Wojtyla.

Elected Pope October 16, 1978

June 2, 1979 Travels to Poland

Pope John Paul II makes his first trip Poland as pontiff, greeted by ecstatic crowds. According to some historians, the trip gave a vital boost to the Solidarity movement.

December 27, 1983 Forgiveness

The Pope visits Mehmet Ali Agca, his would-be assassin in a Rome Prison. The pope publicly forgave the gunman.

Pope John Paul II waves to a crowd of some 400,000 young people as he presides over the 4th Vatican- sponsored World Youth Day in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Aug. 19, 1989.

January 13, 2003 Opposes Iraq War

In an address to the Vatican’s diplomatic corps, the pope declares his opposition to the war in Iraq, emerging as one of the most prominent critics of the US-led invasion.