John Paul II - The Millennial Pope | FRONTLINE | PBS

John Paul II: The Millenial Pope
pope john paul II praying
video excerpt
The roots of the Pope's ardent devotion to the Virgin Mary and what she has meant to him throughout his life
interviews on his life and legacy
Assessments from friends, scholars and journalists who have studied and analyzed his life and papacy
john paul ii's faith
An exploration into its sources, many layers and singular intensity
testimonies about faith (video)
Four deeply personal and moving stories about losing, seeking, or encountering religious faith
the catholic church and sex
Reports on the Church's positions on gays and women, including a videotaped roundtable discussion
a biography of john paul II
An in-depth inquiry into his life and legacy by the co-writers and producer of this FRONTLINE report
Join the Discussion
His Role in the Fall of Communism
Anecdotes and Stories
His Poems
'Abba Pater': His Words Put to Music
Encyclicals, Speeches and Letters
Teachers' Guide

Tapes and TranscriptsSynopsisPress

discussion | interviews | his faith | testimonies on faith | the church and sexuality | the pope and communism

biography | anecdotes | his poems | "abba pater" | encyclicals | video excerpt | tapes & transcripts | synopsis | press | teachers' guide
FRONTLINE | pbs online | wgbh

web site copyright WGBH educational foundation

published sept. 1999



FRONTLINE's "Pope John Paul II-The Millennial Pope," a bold and innovative new biography on this controversial world leader, is a journey through the 20th century to the sources of John Paul II's character and beliefs and the passionate reaction to him. It's a journey that says as much about us as it does about him.

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John Paul II: The Millennial Pope

FRONTLINE presents a comprehensive biography on the world leader who has emerged as a man at war with the twentieth century itself. In the two decades John Paul II has commanded the world stage, re-invigorating the Catholic Church in much of the world, he has defined himself by his opposition to many of the dominant secular ideologies and passions of our time: communism, feminism, capitalism and consumerism.

The program draws on hundreds of interviews--from intimates of the Pope, to those whose lives have intersected with his. Their stories are evocative of major themes in the Pope's life: the shaping influence of his youth in Poland, his remarkable relationship with Jews, his part in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, his battle with liberation theology, his repudiation of the ordination of women, and his relentless exhortation to faith.

The film is a journey through the 20th century to the sources of Pope John Paul II's character and beliefs, and a journey into the passionate reaction to him. It's a journey that says as much about us as it does about him.

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