Producer Charles W. Fries had great things to say about David Janssen: He was an iron man. 90 days across Europe, shooting 6 days a week. It was a Herculean task for a man. And he did it. No complaints.
Mother Angelica, the Roman Catholic nun who launched EWTN (Eternal Word Televsion Network) in 1981, was perturbed by the existence of this miniseries, deeming it "blasphemous" on the basis of its plot summary. WBMG, the CBS affiliate where Mother Angelica produced her television program, was scheduled to air the miniseries in November of 1978, causing a rift between Mother Angelica and WBMG GM/VP Hugh Smith.