The Young Pope is a new television series that premiered in the northern hemisphere in October.
A youthful pope is in the job because the other cardinals hope to manipulate him, particularly the superficially cheerful Secretary of State.
But Pius XIII, Lenny Belardo, makes it clear early on that he will be his own man.
He brings in the nun who raised him, played by Diane Keaton, to be his primary aide and proves himself to be a fearsome and Machiavellian figure.
“Some Catholics may find elements of the show too edgy, but I was gripped by what I watched,” said he Catholic Herald reviewer.
When the first episode aired on Italian television, it was a huge hit, and received the highest rating ever for the first episode of a Sky drama.
The series has received five-star reviews, in the USA and in the UK Read Catholic Herald review
Additional readingNews category: Odd Spot.