John Paul II is the only pope of the twentieth century who can boast a political victory, that in comparison with the communist system. Yet his is a religious pontificate. This is the figure with which Karol Wojtyla presents himself when, in 1978, to everyone's surprise, he is elected pope. He inherits a Church which, after the Second Vatican Council and 1968, seems to be in decline. But his message hits the mark "Do not be afraid!. Open the doors to Christ!". Son of Catholic and mourning Poland, from 1920 to 1978 that was his place: Poland reborn from centuries-old destruction, enslaved by Nazism, passed through the Shoah, an integral part of the communist system but with a profound religious tradition. Then, since 1978, his mystical messianism opens up to the world: the West, the Third World, Catholicism in crisis, other religions, secularization. Hardly catalogable (progressive or conservative?), Wojtyla is one of the key men of the twentieth century: he fights the Yalta system, embodies the religious rebirth, fights against Bush's war (father and son), takes charge of the poor world, believes in 'United Europe, relaunches Catholic identity, measures itself against globalized capitalism after 1989. His funeral in 2005, unique in the history of the popes, demonstrates his charisma, yet to be interpreted.