Paying Tribute to the late John Paul II

Catholic Youth Studio – KSM Inc. and Capri Films cordially invite you to the Gala Premiere of the film Karol: The Pope, The Man on Saturday, March 31st, 2007 at the Cinesphere IMAX Theatre at Ontario Place. Actors Piotr Adamczyk and Kenneth Welsh will attend this gala event.

Advance tickets are available online at http://www.catholicradio.ca/karol
or call CYS-KSM office at 416.588.0555.

This is a story about the Polish Pope who changed the world.

Karol: The Pope, The Man, begins with a depiction of the faithful holding vigil in St. Peter's Square during the last moments of the earthly life of John Paul II. The following sequences go into detail about the pontificate itself, beginning with the papal inauguration on October 22, 1978.

 The film shows us Pope John Paul II's first pilgrimages in which he traveled to Mexico and Poland.

The tragic events tied into the papal assassination attempt on May 13, 1981 were described in detail, hour by hour and minute by minute. The moving scenes are brought to a close by the comments of the communist agitator who, upon learning that the Pope had survived the murder attempt, said, "That was one of our greatest mistakes. Our enemy has turned into a living martyr."

John Paul II is presented as a tireless defender of human rights, opponent of war and violence, but also as someone with a keen sense of humour and openness. His interlocutors often press him for answers to difficult and sometimes troublesome questions concerning contraception, abortion and sexuality.

The film shows in detail the progression of Parkinson's disease that crippled the Pontiff and compromised his speaking ability. Scenes from the funeral of Pope John Paul II end the film.

The first-ever showing of Karol: The Pope, The Man took place at the Vatican in March 2006. The showing, which was attended by Pope Benedict XVI and 6,000 others, received a standing ovation at its conclusion. The Holy Father said, after watching the film, that it presents John Paul II as a "tireless prophet of hope and peace".

The Holy Father added that the film allowed the viewer to relive John Paul II's papal pilgrimages around the world and his meetings with peoples from all walks of life - from the famous to the unknown, from the powerful to ordinary people – and cited John Paul II's meeting with Mother Teresa of Calcutta as an example.