
A papal visit and German reunification
From The History Hour by BBC World Service
March 28, 2026 · 1h 1m
About this episode
This episode features interviews discussing Pope John Paul II's visit to New Zealand, the reunification of Germany, and various historical events.
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Paulina Guzik, International editor with the Catholic wire service, OSV News. We start in 1986 when Pope John Paul II visited New Zealand. Then, we hear about the reunification of Germany in 1989 from a key political advisor. How one Maasai community overcame a devastating drought in 2013. The recollections of one of the first people to walk the entire length of the Great Wall of China in 1984. Next, the first official penalty shootout in 1970 that changed football forever. Finally, we look at an essay published in 1999 that was an unfiltered look into restaurant kitchen culture. Contributors: Michael Jarka - a man who met Pope John Paul II. Paulina Guzik - OSV News. Joachim Bitterlich - a key advisor to Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Dalmas Tiampati - founder of Ildalalekutuk Maasai Action for Development. Yaohui Dong - one of the first to walk the entire length of the Great Wall of China. Frankie Banks - former Hull City player. Martyn Kelly - a football fan. Philip Lajaunie - Anthony Bourdain's former boss at Les Halles restaurant, New York. (Photo: Pope John Paul II…
People in this episode
Host: Max Pearson
Guest: Paulina Guzik
Topics covered
- Papal visit
- German reunification
- drought
- Great Wall of China
- football history
- restaurant culture
Keywords
- Pope John Paul II
- New Zealand
- German reunification
- Maasai community
- Great Wall of China
- penalty shootout
- restaurant kitchen culture
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: OSV News
Books & works: restaurant kitchen culture
Places: New Zealand, Germany
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