Pope John Paul II

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  1. Episode 1

  On September 1, 1939, the Germans invade Poland. At that time, many years after the death of his mother and several years after the death of his elder brother, a young Karol Wojtyla makes his home in Krakow with his ailing father. Karol had been studying at the university and, though it is dangerous and forbidden under Nazi occupation, he continues with actor friends to put on plays as a means of preserving and saluting their Polish culture.

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  2. Episode 2

  Karol Wojtyla becomes Pope John Paul II on October 16, 1978. As is the custom, the new pope speaks to the crowd in St. Peter's Square and is met by overwhelming enthusiasm. But not all are happy with the selection, especially members of the Communist Party in Poland and the Soviet Union who blame Jimmy Carter's Polish advisor for the selection.

Cast

Jon Voight

Pope John Paul II / Karol Wojtyla

Cary Elwes

Young Karol Wojtyla

James Cromwell

Cardinal Adam Sapieha

Ben Gazzara

Kardinal Agostino Casaroli

Christopher Lee

Kardinal Stefan Wyszyński

Giuliano Gemma

Dr. Joaquín Navarro-Valls

Daniele Pecci

Roman

Vittoria Belvedere

Eva

Wenanty Nosul

Don Stanisław Dziwisz

Ettore Bassi

Gapa

Valéria Cavalli

Teresa

Chiara Conti

Anna