Pope and parish priest enjoy video success

BY CRISTINA ODONE
CATHOLIC VIDEOS ARE enjoying truly awe-inspiring success. Not only has Pope John Paul II's video, "A Celebration of Mass", soared to the Number One position In the charts in Britain, but a London parish priest's video tracing the history of England's oldest Catholic church, is set to be broadcast by RTE
next month.
The Pope's video, running 60 minutes, is on sale for £9.99. and features John Paul II celebrating Mass in some of the world's most spectacular churches. Revealing a judicious sense of timing, the video promoters issued "A Celebration" just before Holy Week when it immediately began to outsell "Pamela Anderson of Baywatch", Playboy label's own version of the Easter Bunny.
At BMG Videos, which distributes the Pope's latest oeuvre, Simon VaughanLead of Acquisitions said "In this day and age video is one of the most widely seen forms of media. The Mass service lends itself very well to this medium. After two weeks at number 14, it has already reached number one."
Meanwhile, Fr Kit Cunningham's video, "Story of St Etheldreda's", which was first issued in 1992, is enjoying something of a revival with not only RTE but also a US educational channel have expressed interest in broadcasting the 58 minute video.
"It has been selling steadily over the past few years, but now it seems to be really taking oft", Fr Cunningham told the Catholic Herald this week. "In a way,
the history of St Etheldreda's mirrors
the history of Catholicism in this country.”
Does Fr Cunningham worry lest his own video offering, in hot pursuit of the papal run-away bestseller, be seen as competition by the Vatican? "Oh no", be said, "our videos are not in competition, they complement one another."
Funds raised by sales of Fr Cunnigham's video will go to the upkeep of his medieval church, historic seat of the Bishops of Ely. John Paul II's earnings from sales of his video will go towards charities chosen by the Pope.