Holy See
Born Karol Jozef Wojtyla in Kracow, (less than 80 km from Vrbov) Poland, in 1920, he worked in quarries and a chemical factory in his pre-papal life, developing a life-long hatred of communism in the process.
He was ordained a priest in 1946, becoming Bishop of Kracow in 1964 and a cardinal in 1967. From there on it was a rocket ride to the top.
William F. Buckley Jnr, dubs the Pope: The most tireless moral voice of a secular age - he reminded humankind of the worth of individuals in the modern world.
· Pope Pell (Slavic for Ashes) [SMH Icon]

Holy war
At the heart of the conflict are the vast property holdings seized from the church by the Communists in 1948 and never returned, despite the restitution of property to most private landholders in the early 1990s.
· Clash over property [Prague Post]

My family is still waiting to get the land back taken from my grandfather in 1948. That precious piece of soil where Vrbov vriace (hot) spring baths are today.