Pope John Paul II Aboriginal children in Australia, and to China for the behaviour of Catholic missionaries in colonial times. When he became pope in 1978 at the age of 58, John Paul II was an avid sportsman. He was extremely healthy and active, jogging in the Vatican gardens, weight training, swimming, and hiking in the mountains. He was fond of football. The media contrasted the new pope's athleticism and trim figure to the poor health of John Paul I and Paul VI, the portliness of John XXIII and the constant claims of ailments of Pius XII. The only modern pope with a fitness
Pope John Paul II bibliography name was Karol Wojtyla. The following is a list of plays written by Pope John Paul II. The following is a list of books of poetry written by Pope John Paul II. The following is a list of audio recordings produced by Pope John Paul II. Pope John Paul II issued 14 Papal encyclicals during his reign as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church for over 26 years, from his election on 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005. Encyclicals (from Latin "encyclia", from the Greek "en kyklo, ", meaning "general" or "encircling") were originally circular letters