Biopic and historical dramas are traditionally reserved for people who are dead, so I felt suspicious about watching a movie about two popes who are alive. It feels premature and slightly reminiscent of Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize less than a year into his presidency.

The Two Popes doesn't seem to have an agenda to shape the present, but does gesture to a break in outlook of the papacy between Benedict XVI, whose papacy ended in February 2013, and Francis, our current pope.

The film's director, Fernando Meirelles, is known for political films such as City of God and The Constant Gardener.

Perhaps he was attracted to the subject given Francis' reputation as a social justice warrior, who has long championed the plight of the poor and who as Pope has adopted enlightened positions on climate change, refugees, and even animal welfare.

The film's script was penned by Anthony McCarten, known for his work on historical movies and biopics, most notably the Churchill drama Darkest Hour.

McCarten adapted the screenplay from his own stage-play and the film is more than just a scenario with talking heads, utilising flashbacks and music to great effect. At one point we are treated to ABBA's Dancing Queen being played during the papal enclave that resulted in Benedict being declared Pope in 2005.

The film predominately focuses on a conversation between Benedict and Francis before Benedict made the decision to retire in 2013, but also comprises flashbacks throughout Francis' life.

Structured around two distinctive personas, with Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce cast respectively as Benedict and Francis, it nevertheless lacks the dramatic pull of The King's Speech or Darkest Hour.

We see that Benedict has made a mess of things, with mounting scandals, but we don't see Francis actually setting right the problems of the Catholic Church's finances or its horrifying issues of sexual abuse, partly because such endeavours are ongoing. In this respect, the film remains hostage to history, and narratively confined.

Vulnerability

Nevertheless, there are engaging elements to it. Francis and Benedict are both shown as popes who live their philosophies (though when the film is set, Francis is not yet Francis but Jorge Bergoglio.)

For Benedict (born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger), God is the eternal truth but Bergoglio frames God as evolving.

Indeed, in an earlier scene, in the midst of Pope John Paul II's death, Ratzinger is presented as imperious and rude toward Bergoglio.

Bergoglio and Ratzinger were perceived rivals for the Papacy after John Paul II. Bergoglio laments Ratzinger's hostility toward him, "No nice to see you ‘Jorge'."

Hopkins plays Ratzinger with an icy coolness even before he becomes the Pope.

On becoming Pope, his icy veneer begins to thaw, especially as we discover his inner torment and self-doubt.

When Benedict realises that he may not be the right figure to lead the church, he confides that he has trouble hearing God, "perhaps I need a spiritual hearing aide."

Such vulnerability engenders empathy and the silence of God has long been a theme of theological and existential contemplation. But it may also explain his perceived fanaticism.

Doubt and uncertainty produce a need to prove one's faith, whereas Bergoglio's confidence affords him the ability to take more moderate positions. In the end, they become friends and even share a pizza in a scene of viewer wish-fulfillment.

Crimes of the church

But historical adaptations are hard, especially when it comes to very recent history.

The movie features Bergoglio expressing sadness, regret and guilt over his supposed complicity as head of the Jesuits when the military dictatorship in Argentina snatched two priests and tortured them.

Benedict, on the other hand, reminds him of his role rescuing, protecting and providing cover to those targeted by the regime.

This framing allows Bergoglio to appear modest with Benedict counselling "you're only human". Yet in reality, Pope Francis has at times avoided scrutiny over questions of complicity.

Another issue with viewing The Two Popes is precisely the theological themes involved.

The crimes of the church are immense and Bergoglio is shown pleading for Benedict to remain Pope, arguing that his suffering must be harnessed to heal the wounds of the collective trauma of child abuse.

Seeing the human side of church leadership arguably misdirects the sympathies of viewers.

This suspicion is furthered by Bergoglio's dialogue where he likens the Pope to a martyr and urges him to "be the personification of the crucified Christ."

Reflecting on the harm done to so many, one may well prefer an Old Testament approach to the guilty among the church.

The church on film

There is much about the church that could be fertile ground for filmmakers.

A relic in the modern world, how the church adapts or doesn't, the way it (mis)manages PR, and the disjunct between the earthly machinations of power within it and its higher purpose, could make for interesting viewing.

Paolo Sorrentino's series The Young Pope proved particularly adept at picking up these themes; and I imagine its sequel The New Pope will similarly provide satisfying explorations.

Other films have also explored issues of the Papal burden of responsibility, such as Nanni Moretti's We Have A Pope (2011), which revolves around a Cardinal elected to be Pope who, in a state of depression, tries to refuse the papacy.

In comparison, The Two Popes is a mixed bag, but the movie is worth watching for the bravura performances from Pryce and Hopkins.

As an analysis of theological themes, the movie makes admirable overtures, as a psychological study it is interesting, but as historical and political commentary it remains unsatisfying.

• The Two Popes launches on Netflix on December 20 and launched in cinemas on December 5.

Sources

• Aleksandr Andreas Wansbrough Lecturer (casual) at Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney. He does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
• First published in The Conversation.

On Saturday Francis signed the new statutes and approved other changes to bolster the reforms that have cleaned out the once scandal-ridden institution.

The reforms were initially launched by Francis's predecessor Pope Benedict.

Until Benedict and Francis sought to curb the bank's activities, it had been been caught in cases of corruption, tax evasion, embezzlement, money laundering and real estate fraud.

Some of the cases involved top officials and prelates.

Andrea Tornielli, the Vatican's editorial director, says the new statutes are "an important step in the process of adhering to the best international standards".

Although the bank has opened its books to external auditors over the past few years, it was mandated only to undertake internal audits. The new statutes make external audits obligatory.

The new rules also ban bank employees, most of whom are non-clerics, from holding consultancies or other roles with outside institutions.

In addition, the number of members on the bank's lay board of supervisors, which is made up of internationally known financial experts, is increased from five to seven. No member of the Vatican bank is on this board.

Increasing the number of lay board members will strengthen its role while reducing the power of the five-member supervisory commission of cardinals.

For decades before reforms were implemented, the Vatican bank was embroiled in numerous financial scandals. People with no right to have accounts at the bank opened them and used them for illicit purposes, with help from corrupt bank insiders.

The bank's stated purpose is to manage funds for the Church, Vatican employees, religious institutes, and Catholic charities.

During the past six years, hundreds of Vatican bank accounts have been closed.

An on-site inspection of the bank by the Financial Information Authority (the Vatican's controller), last year found the bank was complying with anti-money laundering legislation. The subsequent report said the inspection outcome was "substantially positive".

In 2017, Italy put the Vatican on its "white list" of states with cooperative financial institutions, ending years of mistrust.

The same year, Moneyval, a monitoring body of the Council of Europe, gave Vatican reforms a mostly positive evaluation, particularly those carried out at the bank.

Source

• America Magazine
• Reuters
• Image: Catholic News World

Priests of Ahiara diocese, Mbaise in Nigeria's Imo state have consistently refused to accept Okpaleke since his appointment nearly six years ago.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Okpaleke Bishop of Ahiara.

Local clergy and faithful objected to his appointment.

They rejected him as an ethnic outsider in Mbaise and prevented him from entering the cathedral to take possession of the diocese.

Mbaise, a Catholic stronghold, includes an amalgam of indigenous clans connected by intermarriage.

Last June Francis asked clergy in the diocese to write, pledging their fidelity to him (ie the Pope), and expressing willingness to accept Okpaleke.

He repeated his request last August.

He also told them if they did not write such a letter, they would face suspension from the priesthood,

Over 200 clergy wrote expressing their fidelity to him as Pope, but explaining they could not accept Okpaleke.

Okpaleke wrote to Francis last week tendering his resignation.

He told Francis he had not been able to take possession of the diocese or live within its territory because of continuing "violent reaction and resistance".

The Vatican's press release about the situation says Francis has accepted Okpaleke's resignation and has "thanked him for his love for the Church."

It also says Francis "does not intend to appoint a new Bishop in Ahiara, but (…) reserves to himself the right to continue to have a special and particular concern for this Diocese."

He has appointed an Apostolic Administrator, Bishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, Bishop of Umuahia, to whom he has granted all the faculties of a Bishop.

Source

• Vatican News
• Reuters
• Image: Crux Now

The Emeritus Pope went into detail about what he considers to be the most important achievement of his papacy in his upcoming book, Final Conversations, which is an extended interview with German journalist Peter Seewald.

He refers to five gay senior Vatican officials as the "gay lobby" in the book, explaining that he thought they were only working together for their own agenda, rather than focusing on strengthening the church's relationship with LGBT Catholics.

Pope Benedict XVI stripped the gay lobbyists of their titles for this reason, and thus, his greatest achievement was born.

With the church's child abuse scandal taking place under his papacy, not to mention his exoneration of a Holocaust-denying bishop, he may not have had many other achievements to choose from.

Pope Benedict XVI did say, however, that despite initial reservations about Pope Francis's liberal views, he's been very happy with the new Pope's work so far.

Source

• Newnownext.com
• Image:mundabor.wordpress.com

My wife and I had already moved back to the United States from Rome, but on that date I had returned to give a talk on religious freedom at the Italian Foreign Ministry, which is why I happened to be in town when the announcement of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation was made.

Here's how I became aware of it: I was standing at a coffee break talking to other speakers when my mobile phone rang, with a BBC reporter asking if I could confirm the pope was about to quit.

Because I had received countless calls over the years asking me to run down bogus pope stories, I snapped, "This is probably total BS, and I don't have time for it!"

After hanging up, I walked back into the main conference room where I saw my good friend Phil Pullella, Rome bureau chief for Reuters, who had the same look on his face that people who've survived car accidents often project.

It turns out he had just got off the phone with a Vatican official confirming the pope's resignation, and he turned to me and said, "We have to leave now!"

The weeks that followed are a blur (except for my clear memory that Pullella still owes me cab fare for our ride to the Vatican), but with the distance of three years from that historic moment, one thing seems abundantly clear.

While Pope Francis is rightly celebrated for his personal humility and simplicity, the single greatest of act of papal humility the world has witnessed in at least the last 700 years, and arguably forever, came three years ago today from Benedict XVI. Continue reading

• John L. Allen is associate editor of Crux, from which this article is taken.

Fr Frank Brennan, SJ, writing for the ABC, noted how this is in stark contrast to how the commission lambasted Cardinal George Pell's handling of the case of abuse victim John Ellis.

This month, the commission produced a report on the case of Gerard Byrnes, who abused girls when he was a teacher in a Toowoomba Catholic school.

In 2010, Byrnes was sentenced to 10 years jail after he pleaded guilty to 44 child sexual abuse offences against 13 girls, who were then aged between eight and 10 years.

After Byrnes was arrested, Bishop Morris sacked a principal and two education officers, who knew about the allegations, but did not tell police.

The commission's report found fault with the way the school and diocesan education office responded to the offending.

But when Bishop Morris found out about the offending and the responses, the bishop acted "appropriately", the commission found.

Bishop Morris commissioned an independent investigation and appointed an independent mediator to assess and advise on reparations.

He also established a Child Abuse Response Team to advise on improvements to child protection.

The commission noted Bishop Morris acted to help ensure "that each victim received fair compensation for what had happened to them".

Bishop Morris "felt that it was important that the matter be dealt with quickly and fairly so as to avoid any further suffering which might be caused by a lengthy and difficult legal process".

Fr Brennan said the contrasting findings between the way Cardinal Pell and Bishop Morris handled these cases, "highlight the tragedy that such a pastoral bishop and decent man as William Morris could be sacked by Pope Benedict XVI [in 2011] for failing in his duties as a bishop".

In a recent book, Bishop Morris said he personally told Pope Benedict of a sex abuse case at a Toowoomba school.

But the Pope dismissed the bishop's request to remain at his post to deal with it.

Cardinal Pell apologised to Mr Ellis at a commission hearing.

Sources

• ABC
• RCIRCSA
• Canberra Times
• Brisbane Courier Mail
• Image: Brisbane Courier Mail

I am strolling on the roof of the Palazzo San Carlo with the man who for eight years was the most powerful person in the Vatican after the pope: Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's former secretary of state.

For decades, he's been one of the church's most powerful officials — and he's been suspected of playing a central role in some of the Curia's most mysterious intrigues, including last year's allegations that he mishandled millions of dollars through the Vatican Bank.

Sunlight gleams off the towering cupola of St. Peter's, that Roman sunlight which already portends the arrival of spring.

This terrace has for months been presumed to be part of Bertone's lavish — and widely criticized — retirement complex: a 2500-square-foot luxury apartment with a view of the city.

But the terrace is shared, and the supposed extravagance of the balcony can in fact be enjoyed by everybody in the building, without giving direct access to Bertone's apartment.

He gives a sly smile.

"A certain cardinal told me this would be a magnificent place to relax and meditate. But it was not up to me to decide," he says.

"Despite what has been written and said, it does not belong to me; it is for the use of all the building's residents."

Bertone lives here in an apartment on the third floor that for decades was the home of Camillo Cibin, the legendary head of security for John Paul II.

The condominium resembles many others in the Vatican area.

At first glance, Bertone's home is not more than 1000 square feet, comprising two small secretarial rooms for his secretary, a living room, a long corridor, a private chapel, a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom and a small terrace filled with grapes, olives and jasmine.

The room that serves as library and study is a whole other story.

There is a glass cabinet where the cardinal keeps his treasured Fiats: little red models of the Ferrari Formula One, black-and-white scarves and Juventus soccer balls autographed by the players.

For years, Bertone chose to be silent in the face of all the accusations that came down on him.

But now, 80 years old and no longer at the top of the Vatican hierarchy, he has decided to get a few things off of his chest — first, by showing his home, where those little models are perhaps the most valuable furnishings.

As for the secrets and machinations that he has been accused of, he is "collecting material" for an upcoming writing project.

The biggest of the accusations he will address by writing in his own hand the truth about the long, tormented era when he governed the church under three different popes, two of whom are now his neighbors.

Your Eminence, why is everybody out to get you?

Well... they say there are two motives. The first is because I was nominated as secretary of state without going through the Vatican's channels of diplomacy.

An exception to tradition.

You could say that. Since the transition is so venerated, it was not well received.

The second reason?

It concerns the job I performed. During the eight years I served as secretary of state, I executed my duties in perfect compliance with the pope, but [I] took actions, began procedures, reformed offices and made appointments that involved the advancement or exclusion of some people. And this might have made certain of them dissatisfied. But there was also a certain outrage...

Why outrage?

Well, it is undeniable that some of the problems we had to face were dramatic, the pedophile question for instance. I also worked to launch procedures for economic transparency and anti-laundering legislation. In the beginning, Benedict's papacy looked promising; but successive developments, including certain moments of tension, were intentionally provoked against the church. Perhaps, in some way, so were the attacks against me.

They wanted to harm the pope?

Somebody thought about it and somebody also wrote about it.

Ratzinger's papacy was extremely different from that of his predecessor.

Of course. But it developed in relation to that of his predecessor. Pope John Paul II thought very highly of Cardinal Ratzinger and led the church with his permanent and continual support, not just on a doctrinal and intellectual level but also, regarding certain aspects, in accordance with his vision of administration. There was, therefore, continuity between the two popes.

With a difference in communication abilities...

Yes, but also a difference in character.

But we must appreciate that Pope Benedict, in his turn, led the church as a priest enlightened not only spiritually, but technologically.

First as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and then as pope, he met thousands of bishops, listened to them one by one and kept abreast of local situations until he built up a global vision that allowed him to create guidelines and govern the church universally.

At a certain point [though], he felt the burden of not being able to continue this method of direct, concrete knowledge — that is, physical contact with local communities as Pope John Paul II had done before him and as Pope Francis is doing now.

It was a thought that troubled him until he realized that there was need of a pope with sufficient energy to travel and continue these meetings all over the place in person.

In other words, Pope Benedict's was a sort of unfinished papacy.

On the contrary. It was a courageous papacy.

Before every trip journalists would write that he wouldn't be able do it.

They would predict insufficient, substandard results and flops. But I think about the trips to Turkey and England that I made with him, to World Youth Day in his native Cologne when he led more than a million youths in silent prayer before the Body of Christ.

How surprised were you by his decision to leave?

I had guessed it, but put it out my thoughts.

I knew long in advance, at least seven months before. And I had many doubts.

We debated the topic at length after it seemed already decided. I told him: Holy Father, you must bestow upon us the third volume on Jesus of Nazareth and the encyclopedia of faith, before you sign things over to Pope Francis. Continue reading

Image: WN.com

That event, called the Pallium Mass, traditionally was a highlight of the Roman summer.

Francis has now taken himself out of the equation, stipulating that the pallium, a woolen cloth symbolizing service, will be presented to each archbishop individually by the papal ambassador in his country.

Most people likely will see it as another way in which Francis is breaking with tradition, playing down the trappings of a royal court in the Vatican and emphasizing the importance of the local church.

Those who paid careful attention during the Benedict XVI years probably would agree, expect for the "breaking with tradition" part.

In truth, Francis' latest reform is not a departure from Benedict, but yet another instance in which the two pontiffs seem to be singing from the same songbook.

One of Benedict's own first decisions after he took office in 2005 was that he would no longer preside personally at beatification Masses, and that those services would no longer be held in Rome. (Beatification is the last step before sainthood, allowing someone to be called "Blessed.")

That choice, too, was about the importance of the local Church, since beatification authorizes veneration of a figure for a local community, while canonization is for the entire Church.

Benedict XVI was also sending a signal that the pope doesn't have to be the center of attention — the same point Francis is making about the pallium.

That's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of continuity. Consider these other examples:

Climate change/the environment: As the world awaits Francis' forthcoming encyclical letter on ecology, it's worth remembering that Benedict XVI devoted so much attention to the environment that he was dubbed the "Green Pope."

Among other measures on his watch, the Vatican signed an agreement to become Europe's first carbon-neutral state (albeit a tiny one) by replanting a stretch of Hungarian forest to offset its carbon use, and installing solar panels atop the Paul VI Audience Hall. Continue reading

Sources

• Crux
• Image: The Guardian