Pope John Paul II: Toward Sainthood

When Pope John Paul II died in 2005 some four million pilgrims made their way to Rome to celebrate his extraordinary life. When this man is beatified on May 1, 2011, putting him only one final step from sainthood, millions more will arrive, and thousands will pack St. Peter's Square. Rarely in our age has one person touched so many people so profoundly. LIFE Books first published its bestselling illustrated biography of this man in 1999, and now on the eve of beatification it is time to revisit the story, and bring it up to date with 25 new pages of inspiring text and photography. Pope John Paul II: Toward Sainthood follows the life of the former Karol Wojtyla through the great events of the 20th century, events in which he sometimes played a crucial role. In this book, a dramatic life is captured in words and extraordinary pictures-including photographs shared with LIFE by Karol Wojtyla's old friends in Poland, seen in LIFE's pages for the first time. Also in this expanded edition are the stories of the last ten years: the celebration of the 2000 Jubliee year at the Vatican, the horrific sexual-abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic Church and the papacy, the extraordinary funeral of John Paul II (the largest funeral in world history, and probably the most watched event ever) and, finally, the man's inexorable march to the communion of the saints. The Reverend Billy Graham writes in his moving foreword to this book: "Few individuals have had a greater impact-not just religious but socially and morally-on the modern world. He will stand as the most influential moral voice of our time." That voice has not been stilled by death, and is alive in the pages of this special book.