Pope Benedict views movie about Pope John Paul I

Published: 2006-10-09

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- After getting a sneak preview of an Italian television movie about Pope John Paul I, Pope Benedict XVI described his predecessor as "a master of truth and an impassioned catechist." Pope John Paul I was elected Aug. 26, 1978, and died Sept. 28, 1978. RAI, the Italian state television network, has prepared a movie about his life and brief pontificate. While already airing advertisements, RAI has not announced when it will broadcast the movie. The producers and actors screened the film Oct. 8 for Pope Benedict and other Vatican officials in the small movie theater of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. Pope Benedict said the film echoed what many Catholic faithful remember about Pope John Paul: his simplicity, his joy and commitment to evangelization and his emphasis on "the beauty of Christian love, the only force able to defeat violence and build a more fraternal humanity."

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