Pope John Paul II’s papacy was the second longest in the history of the Catholic Church, second only to Saint Peter. Regardless of his faults, most prominently his inability to adequately address the sex scandals of the priesthood, his moral stance in defending world-wide human rights cannot be overstated.

I greatly admired John Paul II for his courage and determination, and I for one credit him more than anyone else for being the catalyst that brought about the disintegration to the Soviet Union. In June 1979, John Paul II traveled to his beloved Poland and even the mighty Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev did not dare to stop him.

Wikipedia:

"When Pope John Paul II kissed the ground at the Warsaw airport, he began the process by which Communism in Poland — and ultimately elsewhere in Europe — would come to an end."

Rest In Peace, Karol Józef Wojtyła. You did well.