Sejak kematian Yohanes Paulus II, sejumlah rohaniwan di Vatikan dan orang awam di seluruh dunia[6][7][8] tersebut telah mengacu pada Paus almarhum sebagai "Yohanes Paulus Agung" dan hanya ada empat paus yang dikenal sebagai "yang Agung", dan yang pertama sejak milenium pertama.[6][7][9][10]
^O'Reilly, David (2005-04-04). "Papal Legacy: Will history use name John Paul the Great?". Knight Ridder Newspapers. Detroit Free Press. Pope John Paul the Great was a name suggested by many for Karol Józef Wojtyła. Through all its long history, the Catholic Church has conferred the posthumous title of "Great" on just two popes: Leo I and Gregory I, both of whom reigned in the first thousand years of Christianity
^Murphy, Brian (2005-04-05). "Faithful hold key to 'the Great' honour for John Paul". Associated Press.