Posted March 18, 2016

WHYY will broadcast “Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism” Sunday night, March 20, at 8 p.m.

The new documentary film poignantly captures the intricate role played by Pope John Paul II in the collapse of Communism and the liberation of central and Eastern Europe.

Featuring the insights of figures such as papal biographer George Weigel, Polish historian Norman Davies, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus Carl Anderson, John Paul’s lifelong assistant Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, President Reagan’s National Security Adviser Richard Allen, Polish Prime Minister Hanna Suchoka, and many others, the film gives an inside look at the improbable downfall of one of history’s most brutal regimes.

Narrated by Jim Caviezel (“The Passion of the Christ” and “Person of Interest”) and with original music by Joe Kraemer (“Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation” and “Jack Reacher”) the documentary shows one man’s unwavering faith born of deep personal suffering, his steadfast defense of the dignity of the human person amidst the horrors of Nazi and Soviet Occupation, and his unyielding belief in the spiritual unity of Europe.

“Liberating a Continent” reveals how these convictions toppled an evil empire and how they resonate today in Europe.