Pope John Paul II was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his death in 2005. John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI in the 16th century, as well as the third-longest-serving pope in history after Pius IX and St. Peter. He has been credited with fighting against dictatorships for democracy and with helping to end communist rule in his native Poland and the rest of Europe.