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On one of his first trips back to his native Poland the new Pope urged his countrymen to stand up for moral order. It was a direct challenge to the Communist regime, and during the next decade the Vatican helped keep unrest smouldering in Poland.
John Paul's support for his homeland's Solidarity Union would help bring about the downfall of Communism and eventually the collapse of the Soviet empire. But there was a price to pay. In May 1981 the pontiff nearly died after being shot by a Turkish gunman. Citing the Pope's threat to Communism, many believed Moscow was behind the assassination attempt.
In later years the Pope was hailed for his achievements in the fields of democracy, freedom and peace.
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