The Communists were no match for St. John Paul II. He was the proverbial “one-man army” in action — an army backed by heaven.

This is the focus of a new 90-minute documentary (JP2Film.com), narrated by Jim Caviezel, called Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism.

Emmy nominee David Naglieri wrote and directed the film. Naglieri has done several films on religious subjects, from Pius XII to Guadalupe: The Miracle and the Message, also narrated by Caviezel. Naglieri recently shared insights about this new film with the Register.

 

What is a major focus or theme in the film?

I think one of the central themes in our film is the idea that what determines the fate of nations is not just driven by political and economic factors.

Individuals who are emboldened by a sense of their own dignity, and who embrace the moral duties that true freedom requires, can change the course of history.

 

How are some ways you bring that out?

In the 1980s, this is what transpired with the birth of the Solidarity movement, one year after John Paul II traveled to his homeland and inspired a spirit of courage and renewed hope.

We also sought to capture this same spirit in the brave men and women who made a stand during the 2014 “Revolution of Dignity” in the Maidan [in Ukraine], standing up for moral virtues as the foundations of a democracy. In this way, we showed the continued relevance of this core truth as John Paul II understood [it] and which helped him bring down an evil empire.

 

How does the film help us know John Paul II better?

The film features an interview with Dr. Stanislaw Grygiel, a philosopher and close personal friend of John Paul’s. He reveals several interesting insights into the Pope’s thinking. For example, on the question of the centrality of truth in the Pope’s thinking, Grygiel recounts once asking John Paul in a private conversation: “If all Scriptures were destroyed but one sentence could be salvaged, what would you choose?”

John Paul responded without any hesitation, “Truth will set you free.”

Following the 1981 assassination attempt on John Paul II’s life, Grygiel again spoke to the Holy Father and expressed how God must have a plan but that [allowing him to suffer] was treating the Pope cruelly.

John Paul said, “There is nothing more beautiful than to be a tool in the hands of God.”

These intimate personal insights revealed in the film helped us create a three-dimensional portrait of John Paul II, exploring his biography and role on the world stage, but also revealing some of his most intimate thoughts and hopes.

 

What are your hopes for the film?

What we hope viewers take away from this film is a realization that the witness of John Paul II, and the role he played in the fall of communism, should not be something that strikes us momentarily and then fades from memory.

Rather, his witness to authentic freedom, the dignity of each and every human person and the need for morality as the foundation for our political and economic systems are all teachings that should help form our consciences and inform our actions as citizens.

This film’s aim is as simple as it is far-reaching: It is to demonstrate to this and future generations that what determines the fate of nations are not just political and economic factors. Individuals who are emboldened by a sense of their own dignity, and who embrace the moral duties that true freedom requires, can change the course of history. That is a history lesson that we can never forget.

Joseph Pronechen is a

Register staff writer.

Read more at NCRegister.com.