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Vatican dismisses JPII 'letter love-affair' probe: report

PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea 14.02.2016 11:16
The Vatican has dismissed an upcoming BBC documentary expected to probe whether late Polish-born pontiff John Paul II led romantic correspondence with a married female academic, a newspaper has reported.
Pope John Paul II died in 2005. Photo: Wikimedia CommonsPope John Paul II died in 2005. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The 30-minute “The Secret Letters of Pope John Paul II” documentary will be aired on BBC One on Monday.

“Pope John Paul II ruled the Catholic Church for 27 years until 2005. He was one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century, revered by millions and made a saint in record time. Now reporter Edward Stourton can offer a new perspective on the emotional life of this very public figure,” the BBC writes on its website.

The documentary is expected to delve into the correspondence between the Pope and Polish-born American academic Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka who translated at least one book penned by the Pope while he was still a Cardinal in Kraków.

The two are believed to have written a series of personal letters over four years, and the BBC documentary will explore the possibility the letters had a romantic tone to them, British newspapers have reported.

UK daily The Guardian quotes a Vatican official as saying that the documentary is “more smoke than fire”.

Tymieniecka denied any romantic involvement with the Pope, who died in 2005. (rg)

tags: BBC, JPII
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