Vatican City, Feb 15, 2016 / 17:20 pm
Experts and friends of Pope St. John Paul II responded quickly to a BBC promotion of a documentary about his friendship with Polish-born female philosopher Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka – questioning some of the portrayals of their friendship and outright dismissing others.
"John Paul II's friendship with her was neither secret nor extraordinary," Poland's national library, which hosts Tymieniecka's letters from the Pope, said Feb. 15.
"The statements made in the media have no basis in the content of the letters of John Paul II to Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka which are in the National Library of Poland's archives," the library said, according to Agence France Presse.
On Feb. 15 BBC News discussed letters and various meetings between the Pope and Tymieniecka, saying that the letters showed a close relationship. The BBC story said there is no suggestion the Pope "broke his vow of celibacy."