Mini-Series on Pope John Paul II Unveiled by CBS

By Paul Springer
CBS beat ABC to the screen with a television mini-series on Pope John Paul II, but some critics feel the series took too many liberties with the former pontiff's life story.

One frequently heard gripe involved the failure to distinguish clearly between programming and promotional material. Viewers were not surprised when the pope strode across a heavenly backdrop of clouds during what seemed to be the opening credits, but some were offended when John Paul produced a cell phone and asked, "Can you hear me now?" Verizon declined to comment on the advertising strategy.

Media critics were also quick to note that factual background was hazy on the scene where the pontiff led a huge Vatican City crowd in an extended prayer for CBS's Nielsen ratings.

Some felt the drama dwelt too long on the pope's fascination with the fact that the tenth commandment was silent on the issue of coveting one's neighbor's daughter. Others felt that a mean-spirited criticism underlay the heart-breaking deathbed scene where the pope voices his regret about never having gotten around to reading that "so-called New Testament."

Others complained that it was in poor taste to depict the miraculous growth of the pope's pastoral staff in the presence of Pamela Anderson, but the makers of the film went on record to say that the facts speak for themselves.

At least some of the perceived problems may have their roots in the movie's production choices. Rumor has it that the Almighty Himself wanted to co-produce, but executive producer Stephen Davis refused to work with Him, citing creative differences.

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