Video Description

Ahead of Gary Shapiro's retirement, he is looking back at some of the most memorable specials he did while at 9NEWS. From Gary: "In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited Denver for World Youth Day. It’s a is a worldwide encounter with the Pope, celebrated about every three years in a different country. It drew thousands of Catholics to Colorado, and was a wonderful event to cover on TV. Before it happened, 9NEWS sent me, Anchor Mike Landess, and photographers Dave Delozier and Mike Watson to Italy and Poland to do an hour special on the Pope. We had unprecedented access to the Vatican, thanks to the PR people there and the Denver Archdiocese. When Dave befriended the Papal Photographer during a story shoot – he in turn invited Dave to shoot video from the stage as the Pope Celebrated Mass. We got to meet and talk to the Pope, a highlight of the trip. Another highlight - we shot a story on the Sistine Chapel at 11:00 at night, when no one else was there. We did a story on the Papal Gardens and St. Peter’s Basilica. And we visited the Pope’s childhood home in Poland, and explored the horrors of the nearby Auschwitz Concentration Camp – horrors that helped shape his life of peace, religion and compassion. We interviewed a childhood friend, a Jewish child who hid from the Nazis in the basement of the Pope’s home. It was a memorable trip, a wonderful show and a fitting tribute to Pope John Paul II. More local videos here: https://bit.ly/2Pa0d1l Subscribe to NEXT: http://bit.ly/2eP1GwI Stay connected: 9NEWS Website: http://www.9news.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilike9news Twitter: https://twitter.com/9NEWS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/9newsdenver/ Download the 9NEWS App: https://www.9news.com/appredirect/ Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTER: https://www.9news.com/email 9NEWS (KUSA) is located in Denver, Colorado.