Pope John Paul II

The miniseries opens in 1981 with the assassination attempt in St. Peter's Square, and the pope survives the shooting to carry on with his mission. The attack tests his resolve and becomes a turning point that sets the tone for his pastoral healing approach. It marks the beginning of a papacy defined by resilience.

During WWII, Wojtyla survives Kraków by working in Zakrzowek quarry and at Solvay's chemical plant while quietly nurturing Poland's cultural pulse through the Theatre of Poland. He answers a calling to the priesthood and enters an underground seminary, and travels through the Polish Resistance nonviolently. WWII ends in 1945 with Poland under Soviet occupation and looming Communist rule.

He is ordained in 1946 and travels to Rome for graduate studies, balancing pastoral life with scholarly work as Poland endures Soviet oppression.

Returning to Poland in 1948 for his first pastoral assignment in Niegowic, he moves in 1949 to St. Florian’s in Kraków, counseling students at Jagiellonian University and building spiritual influence.

The death of Cardinal Adam Sapieha in 1951 marks a turning point as Wojtyla grows in religious and moral influence under pressure from the state.

In 1956 he becomes an ethics professor at the Catholic University of Lublin, and by 1958 he is Kraków’s auxiliary bishop, the youngest bishop in Poland and a rising moral voice amid Communist constraints.

In 1959 he presides over Nowa Huta’s Christmas Eve Mass outdoors, a powerful symbol of faith in defiance of the regime’s 'city without God' and a sign of leadership under persecution.

During the Vatican II era his charisma, languages, and evolving views earn him recognition among foreign cardinals, elevating his profile on the world stage.

In 1967 Pope Paul VI elevates Wojtyla to cardinal, and a miraculous moment occurs when he prays to Padre Pio and heals a bone-marrow cancer patient, enhancing his mystique.

The death of Paul VI triggers a conclave that returns Wojtyla to the papacy; urged by his mentor to accept, he becomes John Paul II, a pope who would redefine Poland's voice on the world stage.

In his inaugural address he calls for dialogue and possibility, setting a tone of openness. His early papacy features diplomacy and outreach, including involvement in Beagle Channel mediation and the encyclical Redemptor Hominis, as well as a string of international visits.

Outreach to Lech Walesa at the Vatican crystallizes support for Solidarity, while Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński dies in Poland, underscoring the personal toll of leadership and the pope’s resolve to promote dialogue across borders.

In Rome, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, signaling doctrinal governance, while a high-profile visit from Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan demonstrates the pope’s global reach.

Dr. Joaquín Navarro-Valls is appointed director of the Holy See Press Office in 1984, inaugurating a new era of church-media engagement and international communication.

Through the 1990s he champions Evangelium Vitae and pursues dialogue with Israel to repair strained Holy See–Israel relations, emphasizing ethical leadership and peace. He faces Parkinson’s disease with resilience and continues to lead while calling for accountability addressing the sex abuse crisis, signaling a commitment to reform in his later years.