Pope praises miniseries on John Paul

Pope Benedict XVI attended a Vatican screening Thursday of a television miniseries on the life of Pope John Paul II. Benedict said “Pope John Paul II,” which CBS will broadcast Dec. 4 and 7, provided an important service in spreading the message about the life and works of the late pope.

“I believe this film constitutes the latest example of the love that the people had for Pope Wojtyla and their desire to remember him, to see him again and to feel him close,” he said, referring to his predecessor by his Polish surname, in remarks to the audience at the end of the film.

Jon Voight, who plays John Paul after his Oct. 16, 1978, election as pontiff, attended the screening.

In May, Benedict watched a Vatican screening of the miniseries “Karol, a Man Who Became Pope,” which was shown in the United States on the Hallmark Channel. He praised that film, which included scenes of Nazi persecution of Poles and Jews, and denounced the barbarity of World War II, which both he and John Paul lived through.