Pope John Paul II is a saint.
Pope Saint John Paul II ( Ioannes Paulus II Giovanni Paolo II Jan Paweł II born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; [ ˈkarɔl ˈjuzɛv vɔjˈtɨwa ] ; 18 May 1920 -- 2 April 2005 ) , was Pope from 1978 to 2005 . He is called by some Catholics Saint John Paul the Great . On 19 December 2009 , John Paul II was proclaimed Venerable by his successor Pope Benedict XVI and was beatified on 1 May 2011 ( Divine Mercy Sunday ) after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints attributed one miracle to his intercession , the healing of a French nun from Parkinson 's disease . A second miracle attributed to John Paul II 's intercession was approved on 2 July 2013 , and confirmed by Pope Francis two days later ( two miracles must be attributed to a person 's intercession to be declared a saint ) .