John Paul II, 1920-2005

The New Pope: The newly-elected Pope John Paul II, acknowledges cheers from pilgrims crowding Saint Peter’s Square from an overlooking balcony during his first appearance as pope on Oct. 16, 1978.  (Massimo Sambucetti / AP)

Meeting Polish Leader: Poland’s President Lech Walesa kisses the hand of Pope John Paul II during the Pope’s visit to Warsaw in 1981.  (Rainer Klostermeier / AP)

Forgiving His Attacker: The pope visits Mehmet Ali Agca in his prison cell in Rome in 1983. Italy pardoned Agca in 2000, as the Vatican had requested, after a lengthy investigation. He was returned to his native Turkey.  (Arturo Mari / AP)

Colombia Visit: Colombians reach out to touch Pope John Paul II in 1986 as he entered the Celam in Bogota. Later, the Pope met with Catholic educators and Latin American bishops.  (Claudio Leffoli / AP)

World traveler: Kenyan musicians serenade the pope in Nairobi in 1995. “I want to go to everybody -- from the nomads of the steppes to the monks and nuns in their convents,” John Paul said after becoming pope. He went on to visit 129 countries, grappling with such languages as Urdu, Finnish and Quechua.  (Ricardo Mazalan / AP)

Saint-maker: Pope John Paul II celebrates a Mass of beatification in Maribor, Slovenia, in 1999. John Paul beatified more candidates for sainthood and declared more saints than all his predecessors put together. In doing so, he made an effort to reflect the changing ethnic makeup of the church by elevating non-Europeans, such as a Mexican Indian who became Latin America’s first indigenous saint.  (Gabriel Bouys AFP/Getty Images)

U.S. Visit: Pope John Paul II prays in St. Louis’ Cathedral Basilica in 1999. During the pope’s stay, the governor of Missouri granted his request to spare the life of a triple murderer on death row.  (Amy Sancetta / AP)

Doves: Pope John Paul II looks at two white doves that were freed at the end of the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, Rome, in January.   (Plinio Lepri / AP)