In 1978 Karol Wojtyla from Poland took over as head of the Catholic Church.
He became known as Pope John Paul II (when you get made Pope you have to choose a new name).
John Paul II was 58 when he got the job, which is actually very young to be Pope.
He has visited more than 100 countries and if you added together all his journeys it's the same as going round the globe 27 times.
This Pope has always made a big effort to get out and meet his followers. Some people think he's been too slow at changing the way the Church deals with issues like divorce.
Pope John Paul II
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