by Ambassador Callista L. Gingrich
Recently, Newt and I saw the remarkable new movie, “Reagan,” starring Dennis Quaid, Penelope Ann Miller, and Jon Voight. As we watched the pivotal moments that shaped the life and legacy of America’s 40th president, we were reminded of President Ronald Reagan’s lifelong commitment to freedom and opposition to communism.
The fight against communism was central to Reagan’s life and presidency. Saint Pope John Paul II also shared this conviction; his encounters with fascism, antisemitism, and communism in his Polish homeland shaped his lifelong opposition to evil.
Reagan’s friendship with John Paul II is highlighted in a new exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. Titled “The Pope and the President: Bringing Hope to the World,” the exhibit features historic artifacts, including a Bible John Paul II gave to Reagan, documents from the leaders’ meetings, and two Louis XIV-style armchairs used by Reagan and John Paul II.
Melissa Giller, chief marketing officer of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute, said of the exhibit, “While President Reagan and Pope John Paul II’s legacies are enduring, ‘The Pope and The President’ exhibit highlights the significant ways in which their paths converged to have a profound impact on modern history.”
Their partnership was sparked in June of 1979, as highlighted in our documentary film, “Nine Days that Changed the World,” during Pope John Paul II’s historic nine-day pilgrimage to Poland.
During this visit, millions of Poles, struggling to survive under the oppression of the Soviet regime, turned out to see the Holy Father, while the rest of Poland and the world followed his journey on television and radio.
On the first day of his pilgrimage, the Polish pontiff declared, “There can be no just Europe without the independence of Poland marked on its map!”
It was a shot heard across the world and in California, by a future U.S. president.
Reagan was elated. At the time, he had a popular radio show and dedicated numerous broadcasts to Pope John Paul II’s historic trip. In one of his broadcasts, Reagan summarized the Pope’s pilgrimage, by saying, “It has been a long time since we’ve seen a leader of such courage and uncompromising dedication to simple morality.”
A few months later, in November of 1979, the former Governor of California announced his candidacy for President of the United States. After taking office, President Reagan requested a meeting with Pope John Paul II.
When the two leaders met in Vatican City in 1982, President Reagan asked the Pope: “At what point would Eastern Europe be free from Soviet domination?” When the Pope responded, “In our lifetime,” the President grabbed his hand, and stated fervently, “Let’s work together!”
The two leaders met in person on three additional occasions, and in 1984, diplomatic relations were established between the United States and the Holy See.
As Daniel Philpott, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, said of the friendship between Saint John Paul II and President Reagan, “It was a kinship between two souls who shared the same moral vision. … Each of them believed that communism in the eastern bloc could come to an end – not sustained through conflict resolution methods, not defeated through war, but rather transformed peacefully.”
Together, President Reagan and Saint John Paul II’s extraordinary vision and leadership inspired a movement that consigned the Soviet Union to the “ash-heap of history.” Their partnership paved a path to peace and profoundly changed the world.
For more commentary from Callista Gingrich, visit Gingrich360.com.
