Where to start? This rocked my world. I always naively thought the Pope was pretty much a Christian like me. Based on this Vatican approved and produced puff piece, I certainly doubt it.
He appears to just be an affable CEO of a large organization. Through the course of the movie salvation through faith in the Savior Jesus Christ is never mentioned. Satan isn't even mentioned, despite much talk about his handiwork.
Francis is undoubtedly a nice, well intentioned guy. I'll let his words speak for themselves:
"Poverty is at the heart of the gospel." (No, the shed blood of Jesus is)
"What hope have youth without jobs?" (Hope in a savior, Jesus Christ)
"Work brings dignity." (God imparts dignity to us)
He rails against consumerism, but ironically bemoans the lack of employment.
"Soil, water and air and all living beings of creation are under permanent threat."
"We are not alone, we have Jesus our older brother and many other brothers."
"The model of Saint Francis shows (drug addicts) a way, a revolutionary path." (not Jesus?)
"I only ask God that... death won't find me empty and alone, not having done enough." (Does he read the Bible?)
"I am not eternal. Nobody is, only God is eternal." (John 3:16--"that they may have eternal life...")
"Perhaps (God) the Father could not have imagined so deep a fall and profound an abyss (as the Holocaust)." (uh...omniscience?)
"Building a wall is not a solution. Closing borders solves nothing." ( Have you , good sir, not noticed that your ENTIRE COUNTRY, Vatican City, is surrounded by a HUGE wall?!)
"Never take a proselytising attitude. Never."
"Protecting the planet, our home, is our most pressing task today."
"Who is the poorest of the poor? Mother Earth! We have plundered and abused her!"
"God does not see us with his eyes. He sees us with his heart."
And finally, this:
"the biblical story of creation is a mythical form of expression. Creation is a development, an evolution."
There are plenty more faithless quotes that shocked me.
Again, nice guy with quirky, unChristian sentiments and observations.
I did like his take on love being dependent on freedom and free will. That indicated there may be some depth and true knowledge of God somewhere.
The film maker, Wim Wenders, also narrates in a hushed, pretentious and overly dramatic monotone.
I would have loved to know more about the man biographically, like the wonderful Ruth Bader Ginsburg doc "RBG", which covered her entire life, not just her current position on the Supreme Court. You got to know the whole person and what shaped her philosophy on life.
Review of Pope Francis: A Man of His Word
