(Vatican Radio) Blessed John XXIII is best remembered as Good Pope John, the ordinary
man who astonished the world! But while he has gone down in history books as the pope
to have launched the Catholic Church into one of its most momentous epochs by callling
the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council it is the very human side to his personality
that captures people's hearts and imaginations.
People like those you can hear
in this programme who tell tales of the this Pope's natural flair for communication,
of his attempts to downsize the pomp and circumstance of the papal court of the time
and even of his sense of humour .
Among the archive recordings in this programme
are interviews with a Roman Princess, Winston Churchill's first cousin and a Monsignor
who was close to John XXIII.
Also in this programme are sound clips of the
speeches and homilies of Good Pope John from our Vatican Radio archives.
A
programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick.