John Paul to Attend Premiere of Polish Movie

REUTERS, Aug. 2 — The world premiere of the Polis epic Quo Vadis will be shown in Rome, with a special guest on hand: Pope John Paul II.

The news service reported that the $18 million feature is the most expensive Polish picture ever made. Its premiere will be held with a crowd of 6,000 in the Vatican's Paul VI Audience Hall.

The movie is about Nero's persecutions of the Church in ancient Rome, based on the 1896 novel by Nobel Prize — winning Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz, the film is directed by by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Oscar — nominated for 1966's Faraon (Pharoah)

Quo Vadis was filmed in Tunisia, France and Poland and will see its Polish premiere Sept. 9 in Warsaw.

Presidents and the Pope

ASSOCIATED PRESS, July 20 — Preparing to cover George Bush's visit to the Pope, the Associated Press recalled previous presidents who did — and didn't — visit the Pope:

Woodrow Wilson and Dwight Eisenhower visited the Pope, as did John F. Kennedy.

President Johnson visited Pope Paul VI in Dec. 1967, to try to keep the Holy Father from mentioning the Vietnam War in a Jan. 1 address on world peace.

Pope John Paul II visited Jimmy Carter's White House — the first pope to visit the presidential home.

Ronald Reagan and John Paul met in 1982, when they discussed how to relax the Communist grip on Eastern Europe. Their efforts changed the course of history.

Roman Holiday

ASSOCIATED PRESS, July 22 — The Associated Press reported that President Bush and the first lady found Rome to be a “romantic city.” According to the news service:

Bush gave a mock speech as he climbed down the steps of the Roman Senate, saying:

“I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe — I believe what I believe is right.”

Bush also helped his wife navigate the ancient steps in the Roman Forum in her dress shoes. They had last visited Rome when daughter Barbara took classes in the city during college.

The Bush's Italy trip included a visit to Tuscany, which included stops at the leaning Tower of Pisa and the medieval hilltop town of San Gimignano.