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April 9, 2007 • VOL. 45, NO. 7 • Oakland, CA
Vatican releases
complete catalog of
DVDs on John Paul II, papal transition
VATICAN CITY
(CNS) -- The Vatican released a complete catalog of DVDs documenting the
life and death of Pope John Paul II, the papal transition of 2005 and
the Second Vatican Council, as well as what goes on behind Vatican City’s
walls.
To mark the second anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul and the
election of Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican television center presented
a full-color, two-page catalog showcasing the seven DVD collections for
sale.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said at a March 27
press conference that the collection is unique “because CTV (Vatican
television center) cameramen can get close to the pope” and capture
images and events that other television crews cannot.
For example, the hour-long documentary, “Benedict XVI: The Keys
of the Kingdom,” starts out giving the viewer a ride in the backseat
of the popemobile. The camera peers over Pope John Paul’s shoulder
and shows crowds waving to him as the pope is driven home from Rome’s
Gemelli hospital a few weeks before his death April 2, 2005.
Viewers also are given privileged peeks of the Sistine Chapel where voting
for the new pope took place, workers erecting the smoke stack that would
tell the world with a puff of white smoke that a pope had been elected,
and the cardinals’ living quarters during the papal transition.
Accompanied by detailed and colorful commentary, there is also footage
of the newly elected Pope Benedict walking up to the closed red curtain
moments before he was presented to the world from the central balcony
of St. Peter’s Basilica.
There is also footage of the joyous celebrations the new pope encountered
on the streets when he returned to his old apartment to greet neighbors
and friends.
