Pope Saint John Paul II, born Karol Józef Wojtyła (18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) reigned as the 264th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 until his death, almost 27 years later, making his the second-longest pontificate. He was the first Polish pope, and was the first non-Italian pope since the Dutch Adrian VI in the 1520s. He was arguably one of the most influential political and religious leaders of the late 20th Century. He was canonized on 27 April 2014.