In what will be an historical first, the canonisation of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II will be broadcast live in 3D on Sky 3D this Sunday, and simulcast in 2D on Sky Arts, the satellite broadcaster said.
The ceremony will be broadcast in full by Sky, without ad breaks for the duration. It will also be broadcast in Italy and Germany on Sky Italia, and Sky Deutschland, as part of an international co-production alongside the Vatican Television Center (CTV).
With an estimated 500,000 people expected to attend the Vatican for the service, the 3D experience will provide audiences with an unprecedented and exclusive perspective of Pope Francis and of St. Peter’s Square, using 13 state-of-the-art 3D cameras.
The ceremony will also be beamed into 80 cinemas across Europe, offering free tickets to audiences, including five venues in Ireland – Movies@ Swords, Movies@ Dundrum, Cineworld Dublin, Movie@ Gorey and SGC Dungarvan.
Popes for the people
To celebrate the unique event Sky Ireland has teamed up with All Hallows College in Drumcondra, Dublin 9 to hold a special 3D screening of the ceremony at the All Hallows Chapel. The screening is open to interested members of the public to attend from 9am, and will be followed by the regular Sunday mass service at 11.30am.
“At Sky, we believe in bringing our customers groundbreaking TV that they are passionate about, and we’re thrilled to bring this historic event to viewers in both 2D on Sky Arts and 3D on Sky 3D,” said Mark Deering, director of corporate affairs at Sky Ireland.
“We are delighted to partner with All Hallows College to give even more people the chance to watch the ceremony in 3D.”
Pope John XXIII (Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli), the “Good Pope”, was born in Sotto il Monte (BG) on November 25, 1881. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on September 3, 2000. In his beatification homily, Pope John II described him as “the Pope who impressed the world with his natural friendliness, from which the remarkable goodness of his soul radiated.” In less than five years of his pontificate, “Pope John” had won everyone’s heart, thanks to the simplicity of his actions and his words.
John Paul II (Karol Jozef Wojtyla), was beatified little more than six years after his death. Pope Benedict XVI set the date of his liturgical memorial on October 22.
In his homily during the beatification ceremony, Ratzinger said that from the very day of his death “we perceived the fragrance of his sanctity, and in any number of ways God’s People showed their veneration for him. For this reason, with all due respect for the Church’s canonical norms, I wanted his cause of beatification to move forward with reasonable haste. And now the longed-for day has come; it came quickly because this is what was pleasing to the Lord: John Paul II is beatified!”
Image of Pope John Paul II via Shutterstock
