Pope John Paul II during Mass at a farm in rural Iowa, on Oct. 4, 1979, during his first visit to the United States. (Wally McNamee/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images) ...

St. John Paul II’s Poland BY CYNTHIA RUFF This month marks the second year that the feast day of Pope St. John Paul II will be celebrated on Oct. 22, the date of his papal inauguration.

Pope John Paul II prays (r) in the grotto at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes, France, in 1983. John Paul II, who died 12 years ago April 2, shown (l) in Taranto, Italy, in 1989.

Review: National Shrine Celebrates St. John Paul II as a Freedom Fighter Too few remember the pope's opposition to Polish building regulation. Christian Britschgi | From the June 2023 issue.