National Geographic Channel Goes 'Inside the Vatican'

National Geographic Channel Goes 'Inside the Vatican'

Encore Presentation This Sunday, April 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT; Special Features Rare Look Inside Papal Election Process

WASHINGTON, April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Vatican City. For most people, the word brings to mind Pope John Paul II, the Roman Catholic Church, and the incredible art and architecture that illuminates this unique place. But there is so much more -- the exclusive "conclave" (selection of the new pope), the world's smallest standing army (known as the Swiss Guard), some of world history's most important documents, and the thousands of individuals whose intriguing jobs help define the Vatican.

On Sunday, April 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, the National Geographic Channel (NGC) gives viewers unprecedented access to the inner sanctum of the holy city -- including an introduction to several members of the cardinal electorate that will select the new pope -- when it airs a special encore presentation of "Inside the Vatican."

Narrated by Emmy-winner Martin Sheen, this one-hour award-winning special features a rare look at the process of selecting a new pope. The pope is elected for life (or until his resignation) by members of the college of cardinals in a secret process called a "conclave." A majority is required for election, and ballots are burned after each tally. Crowds throng St. Peter's Square to watch for smoke from the chimney. Black smoke means a vote has failed; white smoke signals a new pope has been selected. There have been 264 popes over the course of nearly 2000 years.

The special also follows the activities leading up to two significant events: the ordination of nine new bishops and the Swiss Guard's oath of fidelity to the pope.

"Though many people are familiar with the Vatican, they really do not know all that it embodies. This special goes beyond the functions and the extensive history," says John Bredar, Executive Producer for Specials and Event Programs, National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F). "Our cameras see this spiritual place through the eyes of the people and their services to the pope and the church. With our remarkable access, we are not looking from the outside in, but from the inside up at an establishment that is among the oldest continually operating institutions in the world."

"Inside the Vatican" moves through the ornate halls and seldom-seen back streets of this holy city to encounter a variety of people who live and work there. Tailors, soldiers, gardeners, phone operators, printers, and police officers are just a few of the people who labor in service to the pope and his ministry to more than one billion Catholics worldwide. Each person tells part of the story of the Vatican, a mysterious place that according to Church tradition traces its history to the martyrdom of the Apostle Peter in A.D. 64.

Among the dedicated people "Inside the Vatican" profiles is photographer Arturo Mari, who has covered nearly every aspect of the pontiff's life for 23 years. Many other fascinating people fill the film -- from the conservators who maintain the priceless masterpieces of the Vatican museums to the Franciscan sisters who repair Raphael's brilliant tapestries to a young Swiss Guard recruit who prepares to take an oath to give his life, if necessary, to ensure the safety of the Pope.

Also featured are the sampietrini -- otherwise known as the men of St. Peter's Basilica -- a skilled workforce that has maintained the sacred sanctuary for centuries -- a custom handed down from generation to generation that began when the basilica was rebuilt in the 16th to early 17th centuries. The NGC special captures on film some of their breathtaking high-wire duties, such as dusting Bernini's ornate, nearly 100-foot tall baldachino, which rises above the papal altar, for an upcoming ceremony. Archival footage shows the sampietrini's preparation for what may have been the last illumination of the basilica, a process that involved placing and lighting thousands of lanterns and torches on the dome and colonnade.

The one-hour special also takes viewers to some of the most revered sites within Vatican City, such as the pontifical sacristy where the ornate papal vestments are kept as well as the frescoed observatory, where in the latter half of the 16th century, a miscalculation in the Julian calendar was reputedly demonstrated to Pope Gregory XIII. To rectify the error, a papal commission was created to reform the calendar, delete days and adjust leap years. Gregory XIII embraced the plan and issued a papal decree establishing the Gregorian calendar that most of the world uses to this day.

The Vatican holds vast archives and libraries, containing more than 1,000 years of the world's history in official documents and breathtaking art. One can find the original records of Galileo's investigation by the Sacred Inquisition, a letter from the great Khan and even a note from Michelangelo to the pope complaining that sentries guarding St. Peter's Basilica were missing three months' pay. Hundreds of the world's finest restorers and conservators labor to preserve masterpieces of painting, marble, manuscripts, mosaics, tapestries, and more -- dating from the early Roman Empire to the 21st century.

For National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F), John Bredar is Executive Producer for Specials and Event Programs. For NGC, Michael Cascio is Executive Vice President of Production; John Ford is Executive Vice President of Programming.

Based at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channel is a joint venture between National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F) and Fox Cable Networks. National Geographic Channel debuted to an initial 10 million homes in January 2001, and has been one of the fastest growing networks in history. The Channel has carriage with all of the nation's major cable and satellite television providers, making it currently available to more than 53 million homes. For more information, please visit http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel.

Source: National Geographic Channel

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or Photos: Chad Sandhas, +1-202-912-6632, CSandhas@natgeochannel.com, all of
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