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| The Holy Father |
“Pope
Francis Superstar”
A Review of Pope Francis: A Man of His Word by Nick
Olszyk
MPAA Rating, PG
USCCB Rating, A-II
Reel Rating, Three Reels
In
The Catholic Church and Conversion,
G.K. Chesterton famously quipped that “we do not really want a religion that is
right where we are right. What we want is a religion that is right where we are
wrong.” This phrase came to mind constantly as I watched Pope Francis: A Man of His Word, a new documentary from German
filmmaker Wim Wenders. In many ways, it was wonderful to see the leader of
Christ’s Church on the big screen preaching the gospel in thousands of theaters
worldwide. At the same time, Pope Francis – through Wenders editing and
narration – gives precious little information that any reasonable person of any
faith (or even none) would disagree.
The
film begins with the familiar story of St. Francis of Assisi who started a
“revolution” in the Middle Ages and connects this narrative to the Pope who
took his name and his current revolution of a similar nature. Outside this
small plot, it is difficult to qualify this picture as a documentary or even a
narrative. Most of the content is an extended interview where the Holy Father
speaks directly to the audience. He moves freely among his favorite topics: the
poor, the disabled, the environment, refugees, and world peace. This soliloquy
is interspliced with clips from pastoral trips to the Central African Republic,
Israel, Brazil, the United States, and many others. Thus, it represents well
the stream-of-consciousness nature of his casual remarks, using footage as a
visual tool.
The
greatest joy of A Man of His Word is
the opportunity to see the Pope close in high definition on a 40-foot screen.
He speaks to the audience as a close friend, with sweeping hand gestures and
expressive facial language. It felt like Peter Seewald’s excellent series of
interviews with Benedict XVI: personal, intimate, and trusting. Wenders’
footage also did an excellent job of illustrating the urgency of the Pope’s
words. It one thing to read about the suffering of the poor, it is quite
another to see Pope Francis embrace an emaciated African child or console a
Filipino grandmother recently made homeless by a typhoon.
The
largest frustration of A Man of His Word
is nothing in this film challenges the established narrative of Pope Francis in
the media; quite the contrary, it relishes the image. In the many, many words
uttered by the Pope, I can only recall one phrase that would make a secularist
or progressive squirm:
“The macho and
feminist movements will not bring reconciliation between men and women. The
movements based on reciprocity and complementarity will do that.”
There are, of course, numerous
examples of Pope Francis preaching against abortion, euthanasia, and gender
theory – in addition to his constant reminder that the Devil and Hell are
important realities. None these are mentioned. This is most likely through the
intervention of Wenders who was given final cut privilege by the Vatican, and
his finger prints are felt constantly. What emerges is not a fully genuine
image of the Holy Father but a limited, cropped view at best and a self-serving
piece of propaganda at worst.
The
most disheartening section was probably intended to be the climax. The film
ends where it began, at an interfaith prayer summit in 2016 on the steps of the
Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. The Pope discusses how all people of
goodwill – no matter their religion or lack thereof – seek love and peace.
Nothing he says is false, but it is edited in such a way that one could imagine
a Unitarian minister saying the exact same words.
It
must be admitted that I come to this picture with a bias and lens that most do
not have. I spend my days teaching theology, discussing church documents, and
reviewing spiritual films. I am constantly inundated by religious commentary –
both thoughtful and ignorant. Thus, I felt Pope
Francis: A Man of His Word was giving me Corn Flakes when I wanted Steak
and Eggs. I like documentaries that are nuanced and multi-perspective, and this
did not deliver.
Yet Corn Flakes
to a starving person could mean the difference between life and death. Despite
a mediocre response on my part, I highly encourage people – especially
non-Catholics – to see the film. They will find a man who beautifully explains
the essential moral imperatives of the Christian faith and attempts to live
these commands in his own life. They will be invited to seek God and challenge
how they live. It is hard to imagine anyone leaving the theater thinking
Catholicism represents a negative influence on the world. For this reason
alone, I’d rather they see Pope Francis:
A Man of His Word than almost any other film this year.
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