Born Karol Joezef Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) served as Pope from 1978 to 2005. John Paul II is recognized as helping end Communist rule in his native Poland, and eventually all of Europe, and significantly improved the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, The Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. Upon his death, a number of clergy at the Vatican and laymen throughout the world began referring to the late pontiff as "John Paul the Great" -- only the fourth pope to be so acclaimed.