The hidden pope - Darcy O'Brien

The story of the personal, lifelong friendship between Pope John Paul II and a Polish Jew, Jerzy Kluger. An inspiring and intimate portrait of the Pope, it also tells of the effect of this special friendship on Christian-Jewish relations. Darcy O'Brien recounts the story that has previously not been told -- of the childhood friendship between a Catholic and a Jewish boy, Karol Wojtyla and Jerzy Kluger. Their paths in life diverged following the Nazi invasion of Poland. While Jerzy endured Soviet oppression, Karol entered the priesthood. They did not meet again until nearly 30 years later when Karol Wojtyla had become Archbishop of Krakow. When Wojtyla becomes Pope, Jerzy finds himself in an extraordinary position as a personal friend of the Holy Father. O'Brien tells of the on-going relationship between the two men, the Pope's abhorrence of bigotry and anti-Semitism and his embracing of Judaism as the ancestor and brother of the Christian faith. He reveals how John Paul II enlisted Jerzy Kluger to work with him secretly towards Vatican recognition of Israel. This is a beautifully told story of a very normal, human friendship with one of the century's greatest spiritual leaders.