John Paul II - The People's Pope

Before the autumn of 1978 few people outside Poland had heard of Karol Wojtyla , then quite suddenly, he was Pope. Today JOHN PAUL II is known to almost everyone. He has taken the Papacy out to the people of the world - jetting in to 20 different countries where he has been received by rapturous crowds. He has championed human rights in the Third World, supported Solidarity in Poland, and spread the protection of his Papacy to the poor and politically suppressed. He is adored by millions, yet he has his critics. They say he runs his Catholic Church with a rod of iron, is intolerant of dissenting discussion, has little understanding of today's women, and has absolute confidence in his own sure judgement on almost every issue. In this film Norman St John-Stevas visits Poland, Brazil and the Vatican to assess the impact of Jnhn Paul II and at an exclusive audience in Rome, talks to the Pope himself.