The Great Communicators
From the "Wolf Blitzer Reports" staff
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On his June 1987 visit to the Vatican, President Ronald Reagan greeted Pope John Paul ll: "Your Holiness, I am truly grateful to have the opportunity to visit with you again in this place of peace."
The pope replied, "I'm grateful for the opportunity to assure you again of my great esteem for all the people of the United States of America."
Reagan was born in America in 1911 in the Midwest. Karol Wojtyla was born nine years later, thousands of miles away in Poland. But they had much in common.
As a schoolboy, Wojtyla loved skiing, hiking and swimming. Reagan loved athletics too. He worked as a lifeguard and he played college football.
Friends say Wojtyla was a gifted actor and a fine singer. He also wrote plays.
Reagan began acting in school. By the 1940s, Reagan was a popular movie star.
During the same decade, Wojtyla became a priest.
They were on different paths to a similar destiny.
"They were very much alike," former first lady Nancy Reagan told CNN. "I mean, these were two men who were former actors. They both loved the outdoors, sports. They were naturally sports-minded and good at sports. And they shared the title of 'Great Communicator,' both of them."
With Italians dominating the papacy, it seemed unlikely that a Polish priest could ever become a pope. It seemed just as unlikely that a movie star could ever become president of the United States.
Reagan and Wojtyla defied conventional wisdom.
In 1966, Reagan was elected governor of California. One year later, Wojtyla became a cardinal, and in 1978, he became Pope John Paul ll. Two years after that, Reagan was elected president.
After just 69 days in office, President Reagan was wounded in an assassination attempt. Less than two months later, the pope was wounded in an assassination attempt. Both men recovered from serious wounds, and forgave their attackers.
When the two met, there was an obvious affection.
"His holiness and I just concluded an exchange of ideas. His obviously were better than mine," Reagan said during his 1987 visit to the Vatican.
The pope and the president shared a strong sense of humor and a conservative outlook on many issues.
Like Reagan, the pope was credited with playing a major role in the collapse of the Communist bloc.
"When he spoke to the Polish people, it was a message that said, 'You will be freed. Stay with it. Do not give up the fight,'" former Secretary of State Colin Powell said on CNN's "Late Edition."
When Reagan died last year, the pope sent a letter of condolence to his Nancy, calling the former president a noble soul.
