This event at the Polish Embassy in London will explore the diplomacy of John Paul II and his role in promoting democratic values on the world stage.

Lecture abstract: Papal biographer George Weigel will explore the diplomacy of John Paul II as an example of the effective use of „soft power” in defending human rights, promoting democratic self-government, and building solidarity among nations.

The lecture will be followed by a discussion and Q & A session to be moderated by journalist Daniel Johnson.

George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is a Catholic theologian and one of America’s leading public intellectuals. He holds EPPC’s William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.

From 1989 through June 1996, Weigel was President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he led a wide-ranging, ecumenical and inter-religious programme of research and publication on foreign and domestic policy issues.

Weigel is best known for his widely translated and internationally acclaimed two-volume biography of Pope St John Paul II; the New York Times bestseller Witness to Hope (1999); and its sequel, The End and the Beginning (2010). In 2017, Weigel published a memoir of the experiences that led to his work as a papal biographer: Lessons in Hope — My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II.

George Weigel is the author or editor of more than 30 other books, many of which have been translated into other languages. Among the most recent are Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st-Century Church (2013); Roman Pilgrimage: The Station Churches (2013); Letters to a Young Catholic (2015); The Fragility of Order: Catholic Reflections on Turbulent Times (2018); The Next Pope: The Office of Peter and a Church in Mission (2020); Not Forgotten: Elegies for, and Reminiscences of, a Diverse Cast of Characters, Most of Them Admirable (2021); and To Sanctify the World: The Vital Legacy of Vatican II (2022). His essays, op-ed columns, and reviews appear regularly in major opinion journals and newspapers across the United States. A frequent guest on television and radio, he is also Senior Vatican Analyst for NBC News. His weekly column, “The Catholic Difference”, is syndicated to 85 newspapers and magazines in seven countries.

Weigel received a B.A. from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore and an M.A. from the University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto. He is the recipient of honorary doctorates in fields including divinity, philosophy, law, and social science, and has been awarded the Papal Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, Poland’s Gloria Artis Gold Medal, and Lithuania’s Diplomacy Star.

Daniel Johnson attended state schools and Magdalen College, Oxford, graduating with a first in Modern History in 1978. As a foreign correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, covering Germany and Eastern Europe, he witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall. He is an acknowledged expert on German history and culture. At The Times newspaper, he was Literary Editor and Comment Editor, then Associate Editor of The Telegraph. In 2008, he founded the monthly magazine Standpoint and edited it for 11 years. He is now Editor and Co-founder of the online platform TheArticle and a Contributing Editor for The Critic, while also writing regularly for The Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail. He has contributed to many publications on both sides of the Atlantic and is the author of White King and Red Queen: How the Cold War was fought on the Chessboard” (2007). As a speaker, he has lectured in the US, Europe, Australia and Israel. A regular guest broadcaster on the BBC and LBC, he has spoken at the Oxford and Cambridge Union Societies and many other events. His father was the author and historian Paul Johnson. With his wife Sarah he has four children and two grandchildren.

Please note that all guests will have to book in advance and await confirmation of their tickets from the Polish Embassy Team. All guests will be requested to present a valid photo ID upon entry to the Embassy. Please note that airport-style security checks will be in place, hence we discourage our guests from bringing any large luggage.

WHEN: Wed, 28 Jun 2023 17:30 – 20:30 BST

WHERE: Embassy of the Republic of Poland, 47 Portland Place London W1G

TICKETS: free

REGISTRATION: here