Marking the 100th anniversary of the feast of Christ the King, which this year falls on Nov. 23, EWTN has released “The Kingship of Christ,” a four-part docuseries that explores some of the core aspects of the kingship of Christ.
The four 30-minute episodes look at the origin of kingship in the Old and New Testaments, what type of kingship is that of Christ’s, the growth in interest and devotion to kingship in the 1800s and 1900s, and how Christ’s kingship is being realized today.
Currently airing on EWTN, the docuseries features Father Bernard McGuckian, SJ; Father Dominic Holtz, OP; and Father Mark Lewis, SJ.
The four-part series was filmed across five principal locations in Rome that are highly relevant to Christ’s kingship, namely St. Peter’s Basilica, the Gesù (the main Jesuit Church in Rome), the Scala Santa, the Basilica of Santa Croce Gerusalemme, and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Christ the King.
Additionally, many other churches, basilicas, and monuments are featured across many countries throughout the world that were built in honor of the kingship of Christ.
Aidan Gallagher, director of EWTN Ireland, who co-produced the series alongside EWTN Studios and EWTN Vatican, told CNA in an interview that he was approached by McGuckian 18 months ago to see if he was interested in making a series on the kingship of Christ to “commemorate and celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the establishment of feast of Christ the King in 1925, which had followed Pope Pius XI’s papal encyclical Quas Primas.”
From there, they worked to create a comprehensive series looking into this devotion and its importance.
“At the heart of this work lies the desire that the kingship of Christ is recognized, realized, and accepted by individuals, peoples, societies, countries across the entire world so that Christ can reign in all hearts and thus be truly king of the world, leading us to peace,” he said.
He explained that extensive work “has been put into researching and evidencing the fact that Jesus Christ is King, where we highlighted relevant Scripture across thousands of years from the Old Testament and New Testament. So, for thousands of years it has been there, and we hope that people will take away this fact from watching the series.”
The film premiered at the Filmoteca Vaticano, a screening room in the Vatican, on Nov. 18. Ambassadors to the Holy See, journalists, and dignitaries were present for the screening.
Gallagher shared that it was “very well received” and “there was excitement about watching the full series online.”
After watching the series, he said he hopes that “people will understand the type of kingship which Christ presents and that recognition and allegiance to his kingship can ultimately lead us to peace, holiness, and the betterment of human existence — both in this life and the next.”
“The Kingship of Christ” can also be viewed on EWTN Ireland’s website.
This article was originally published by CNA.
