A man who talked to everybody

Karol Wojtyla'a ability to reach people was aided by his ability to speak a number of languages . Born into a Polish-speaking home , he began learning German at age 10 ; Latin at age 13 ; and Greek at age 14 . During World War II , while doing manual labor and acting in and directing underground patriotic theater , Wojtyla engaged a tutor to teach him French.

When he became enamored with the writings of mystical saints , he learned Spanish by studying a German- Spanish dictionary ; he wanted to read St John of the Cross more authentically . The future pope acquired passable Italian and English while obtaining his theology doctorate in Rome . Eventually , he became fluent in both . In seminary , he also studied Hebrew though he never fully mastered it .

By the time he became pontiff , the pope has mastered eight languages. Later in life , John Paul II learned Portuguese and numerous Slavic languages. When he visited a nation whose language he had not mastered , he prepared for weeks with a tutor so he might make small talk with dignitaries and punctuate his speeches with important sentences in the native tongue. When he cried out in Japanese , " Never again Hiroshima , " the people of that nation wept .