 Born Karol Józef Wojtyła in Wadowice , Poland on May 18, 1920, Pope John Paul II became the first non-Italian pope in 455 years when he was chosen on October 16, 1978 to lead the Roman Catholic Church following the sudden death of Pope John Paul I . First diagnosed in 2001 and confirmed by the Vatican in 2003, the Pope had suffered from Parkinson's disease during the last few years of his life.
<clarity>  Born Karol Józef Wojtyła in Wadowice , Poland on May 18, 1920, Pope John Paul II became the first non-Italian pope in 455 years when he was chosen on October 16, 1978 to lead the Roman Catholic Church following the sudden death of Pope John Paul I . First diagnosed in 2001 and confirmed by the Vatican in 2003, the Pope had suffered from Parkinson's disease during the last few years of his life.
 Born Karol Józef Wojtyła in , Poland on May 18, 1920, Pope John Paul II became the first non-Italian pope in 455 years when he was chosen on October 16, 1978 to lead the Roman Catholic Church following the sudden death of Pope John Paul I . First diagnosed in 2001 and confirmed by the Vatican in 2003, the Pope had suffered from Parkinson's disease during the last few years of his life.