The Pope and I: How the Lifelong Friendship Between a Polish Jew and Pope John Paul II Advanced the Cause of Jewish-Christian Relation

In The Pope and I Jerzy Kluger, a Polish-born Jew, tells the surprising story of his lifelong friendship with Karol Wojtyla, who became Pope John Paul II. Beginning with their friendship in grade school in Poland, Kluger recounts his survival of the war and his later astonishing reunion with Archbishop Wojtyla in Rome during Vatican II. After his friend's election as pope, their relationship unfolded against extraordinary advances in Jewish-Christian relations, including the first papal visit to the synagogue of Rome, John Paul's pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Auschwitz, and the Vatican recognition of Israel. A fascinating tale, told with much charm, The Pope and I highlights the surprising confluences of history, politics, and religion sealed by friendship and mutual respect.