The Delia Week

All week, at a CNN near you, Her Hotness Delia Gallagher will present teasers of her upcoming 2-hour special on the last days of Pope JP2. The Deliafest was kicked off with a studio appearance on "Life From..." with Kyra Phillips last Friday, and on "On The Story" this past weekend. The documentary boasts of unprecendented access to many things not normally accessible to mere mortals, and rare interviews with members of the Roman Curia. Here is the press release:

CNN Documentary Looks Back on Final Days of Pope John Paul II
One Year After Pope’s Death, CNN Presents Takes Viewers Inside Vatican for His Last Days

In a new two-hour documentary, CNN Presents takes viewers inside the secret world of the Vatican for the untold stories of the last days of Pope John Paul II. CNN faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher obtained rare access to both the Vatican and to those who knew the pope best.

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Pope John Paul II’s friend and personal secretary for 40 years, takes Gallagher inside the pope’s private chapel in Kraków, to recount the pope’s early days as a young cardinal and archbishop in Poland, and later his final hours as he lay dying in the papal apartment. CNN Presents: The Last Days of Pope John Paul II, premieres Saturday, April 1,at 7 p.m. and replays at 10 p.m. (ET)

Gallagher, who reported from the Vatican for seven years prior to joining CNN, introduces viewers to the pope’s medical team and confidantes who movingly describe the ailing pontiff’s acceptance of his fate.

“This pope, who had taught so many people around the world how to live, was also teaching – in those moments – how a person can die,” recalls Dr. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the Vatican spokesman whose emotional press conference signaled to the world that the end of Pope John Paul II’s life was near.

While inside the Vatican, nuns and cardinals prayed over the pope’s body, outside an estimated 7 million pilgrims crowded into St. Peter’s Square and the streets of Rome to pray for the pope.

“Catholics and non-Catholics alike were mesmerized by the last days of Pope John Paul II – and later, by the secret conclave that selected his successor,” said Mark Nelson, senior executive producer for CNN Presents,

“CNN will now show viewers what they were unable to see then.”

Millions worldwide watched one of history’s largest funeral masses, and the spontaneous chants of “santo subito” – “sainthood now” – that erupted from the mourners. In interviews with the men charged with proving Pope John Paul II’s sainthood, Gallagher speaks with Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, who oversees the canonization process for the Catholic Church, and Monsignor Slawomir Oder, who is investigating miracles attributed to Pope John Paul II.

Other rare insights and interviews include:

· Mother Tekla Famiglietti, a friend of Pope John Paul II for 25 years, who prayed over his body throughout the night he died;

· Edmund Casimir Cardinal Szoka, the governor of Vatican City, and Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., who discuss the cardinals’ activities during the pope’s funeral and the conclave voting process; and

· Cardinal Szoka, Francis Cardinal George, the archbishop of Chicago, and Renato Cardinal Boccardo, secretary-general of Vatican City, describe the confusion inside the Sistine Chapel as the cardinals tried to operate the papal bells and chimney to alert the world that a new pope had been elected.

CNN Presents: The Last Days of Pope John Paul II was produced by Bud Bultman, Jody Gottlieb and Michael Mocklar. The documentary will re-air on Sunday, April 2, at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. (ET).

CONTACT:
Jennifer Dargan
CNN, Atlanta404 / 885-4638
jennifer.dargan@turner.com

This project seems to be the "culmination", "justification", and "raison d’être" for Delia's full-time employment at CNN; as Ali Velshi quipped on OTS: "And Delia Gallagher joins us now. It may not have been in their (i.e., cardinals) habit (Shep's note-> HAHA! Habit! Pun intended?) to do so, Delia, but that's the strength you bring. What an interesting story." (In response to Delia's statement that the men in dresses opened up to her to talk about the last days of the JP2).

Which got me thinking: If that is all the strength that Delia brings to the table, that's not a lot of "Faith and Values" for her multi-faceted beat. With John Allen moving to NYC from Rome this July, he can easily cover the Roman Curia, especially with his new "Senior Vatican Analyst" title. Maybe now Delia can pay more attention to many other stories surrounding the Jesusification of America. Your contacts with powerful men in the Vatican won't mean much when you're covering the American heartland, but I believe Delia possesses more than just a little black book with Cardinals names - I believe she has that certain je ne sais quoi - to know which stories are important and which ones belong to Anderson's Tabloid 360.

But for now, take out the popcorn and beer, put your feet up, and enjoy THE DELIA SHOW.


Keywords: Delia Gallagher