Reagan, John Paul II United in Purpose

Sept. 10, 1987: Pope John Paul II walks with President Reagan in the garden of the Vizcaya, a lavish mansion on Biscayne Bay, in Miami, Fla.

The passing of Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan in the same year underscores a great coincidence of history: Nearly three decades ago, two men shared the same view of communism and the same vision of ending it, and they both stepped onto the world stage at roughly the same time.