We Have A Pope (Movie Review)
There is a delightful foreign film playing in artsy movie theaters. It was filmed in Italy and is subtitled. It is titled in English “We Have A Pope.”
It is not likely to draw huge audiences. That’s a shame. It is a great film.
The premise is simple but daring. A pope dies. The College of Cardinals meets to elect a successor. After many ballots, a dark horse emerges and receives a substantial majority. The black smoke wafting over the Vatican turns white. Throngs eagerly await the new pope’s first appearance on the balcony.
The new pope has second thoughts. He doesn’t want the job. He flees.
All of Catholic Christendom waits unaware of the drama behind the Vatican’s closed doors. Rumors fly.
The new pope explores his misgivings. He walks incognito through the streets of Rome for several days. The audience is slowly introduced to a man who appears to be a perfect candidate for pope. He seems so kind and understanding. He has his “pope” outbursts but he is generally humble, charmingly vulnerable, and in touch with humanity.
Meanwhile, back at the Vatican, an atheist psychiatrist is sequestered with the College of Cardinals, held captive by the rules of the Church until the new pope is introduced. He emerges as the leader of leaders.
The movie poses many questions about the Church and its unquestioning dependence on hierarchy and its definition of leadership.
The ending took the audience by surprise. Many were grumbling with dissatisfaction as they filed out of the theater.
It was the perfect ending.
It leaves us asking if the church, with all its rules, rituals and traditions can make mistakes. Can the College of Cardinals make a mistake? Can they elect the wrong person?
Can Synod Assemblies make mistakes?
Are the people we look to for leadership any more sure of themselves than the people they lead? Are the people who crave power the best candidates to hold positions of power?
Most important: What do we do when “the system” fails?
Watch this film because it’s funny, entertaining and great story-telling. It is filled with characters we have encountered in any church structure. Think about this film because, even as fiction, it airs weaknesses in the church that few people care to ponder.