Pope John Paul II was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death in 2005. He was the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI in the 16th century, as well as the third longest-serving pope in history, after St. Peter and Pius IX. In addition to this, he was an important philosopher and theologian of the 20th century. May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005; died at 84. Alive at the same time as Barack Obama, Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, Neil Armstrong, and George Orwell. Wiki link