Pope John Paul II was the sovereign of the Vatican City State and head of the Catholic Church from 1978 until his death in 2005. Plenty have been written and said about the remarkable journey of Pope John Paul II. During his lifetime, he earned both admiration and criticism for his opinions and enjoyed great respect among the masses. Along with being the longest-serving Pope in history, he was also the first non-Italian to become the Pope since 1523. Considered one of the most powerful religious authorities of the 20th century, he was instrumental in improving the relationships of the Catholic Church with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. Never restricting himself to the comforts and safety of the Vatican, he pushed the boundaries of religion, culture, caste, and creed to spread the message of ‘God’ and apologized for the wrong-doing and suffering inflicted by the Catholic Church over the centuries. However, he defended the Church’s decision to oppose the marriage of same-sex couples for which he also faced great opposition. He vehemently opposed the various aspects of Liberation Theology (liberation movement in catholic theology) and also criticized the U.S. invasion of Iraq.