Pope John Paul I his two immediate predecessors, John XXIII and Paul VI. He explained that he was indebted to John XXIII and to Paul VI for naming him a bishop and a cardinal, respectively. Furthermore, he was the first pope to add the regnal number "I", designating himself "the First". His two immediate successors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, later recalled the warm qualities of the late pontiff in several addresses. In Italy, he is remembered with the appellatives of "Il Papa del Sorriso" ("The Smiling Pope") and "Il Sorriso di Dio" ("The smile of God"). "TIME" magazine and other publications referred
Early life of Pope John Paul II Poland they became separated and Zierer would not hear of her benefactor again until she read that he was elected as the Pope in 1978. Early life of Pope John Paul II The early life of Pope John Paul II covers the period in his life from his birth in 1920 to his ordination to the priesthood in 1946. Karol Józef Wojtyła (junior) was born on 18 May 1920 in Wadowice near the city of Kraków in southern Poland, the youngest of three children. His father was Karol Józef Wojtyła (senior), born 18 July 1879 in Lipnik (now part of