Karol Wojtyla, the Polish playwright who ascended to the papacy as John Paul II on 16 October 1978 to become the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, marked 20 years as head of the Catholic Church Friday with a special Mass in St. Peter's Square. The square was packed with thousands of his countrymen, who waved red and white Polish flags and Solidarity banners, recalling the pro-democracy movement that grew out of the pope's visit to Poland in 1979.
A 20-Year Pope
Karol Wojtyla, the Polish playwright who ascended to the papacy as John Paul II on 16 October 1978 to become the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, marked 20 years as head of the Catholic Church Friday with a special Mass in St. Peter's Square. The square was packed with thousands of his countrymen, who waved red and white Polish flags and Solidarity banners, recalling the pro-democracy movement that grew out of the pope's visit to Poland in 1979.
