Pope Francis Pleads for Peace in Ukraine Following Vatican Film Screening of Updated “Freedom on Fire” Documentary

Posted on February 26, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Pope Francis is pleading for peace…

The 86-year-old Argentine head of the Catholic Church has issued a renewed plea for peace in Ukraine after attending a screening at the Vatican of Evgeny Afineevsky’s documentary Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom.

The screening at the New Synod Hall took place on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor, a war that has killed or wounded an estimated 180,000 Russian troops and 100,000 Ukrainian forces. Upwards of 30,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed.

The pope sat next to several Ukrainian women who appear in the film and when the lights came up he led the audience of about 250 people in prayer.

Speaking primarily in Italian, the pontiff asked the Lord to heal humanity from the river of hatred that feeds war: “When God made man, he said to take the earth, to make it grow, make it beautiful. The spirit of war is the opposite: destroy, destroy… Don’t let it grow, destroy everyone. Men, women, children, the elderly, everyone.”

Afineevsky earned an Oscar nomination for 2015’s Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom – the film about the Euromaidan Revolution of 2014 that later prompted Russia’s annexation of Crimea and fomenting of armed revolt in Eastern Ukraine.

On Friday night he presented a recut version of his latest documentary, updated with very recent footage from the conflict.

Addressing Pope Francis moments before the screening began, Afineevsky said, “Thank you for showing your solidarity with the Ukrainian people for the nine years of this war and the one-year of the major intervention of Russia and occupation of Ukraine… For me, it’s really important and symbolic to be with you and all of you [the audience] here on the 24^th of February, the day we are commemorating this tragic start of the war.”

The director told Deadline to his knowledge it’s the first time any pope has attended a film screening event on the Vatican grounds.

Seated next to the pontiff were Nataliia Nagorna, a Ukrainian journalist and war correspondent who is a primary focus of the documentary, and several other characters from the film, including Anna Zaitseva, a young mother whose son Sviatoslav was just a baby when the invasion happened. The toddler, now 16 months old, attended the screening with his mom.

Afterwards, Zaitseva, Nagorna and a select group of others held a private audience with the pope. Zaitseva gave Pope Francis an update on her husband, who is seen in the film enlisting to fight in the Ukrainian army after the invasion started. She said he is being held somewhere in a Russian prisoner of war camp. Nagorna presented him with a white-tufted portion of a cotton plant — cotton having become a symbol of resistance in Ukraine.

Daniel Zovatto to Star Opposite Russell Crowe in Screen Gems’ Supernatural Thriller “The Pope’s Exorcist”

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Daniel Zovatto exorcising his right to work…

The 31-year-old Argentinian-Costa Rican actor will star opposite Russell Crowe in Screen Gems’ supernatural thriller The Pope’s Exorcist.

Directed by Julius Avery, the film stars Crowe as Father Gabriele Amorth, the legendary Italian priest who performed over 100,000 exorcisms for the Vatican—drawing on his international bestselling memoirs An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories.

Father Amorth, who died in 2016, left behind a trove of additional accounts of his exploits pulling the devil out of people all over the world.

Screen Gems acquired his life rights for the project, along with rights to his memoirs.

Details on Zovatto’s role have not been disclosed.

The Pope’s Exorcist has been gestating at Screen Gems for a number of years, with Ángel Gómez having previously been attached to direct as of 2020.

Evan Spiliotopoulos wrote the current draft of the script, with revisions by Chuck MacLean, which is based on Michael Petroni-revised original drafts by Chester Hastings & R. Dean McCreary.

Zovatto can currently be seen on HBO Max’s Station Eleven and has also appeared on series like Penny Dreadful: City of Angels and Here and Now.

His other notable film credits include Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird, Drake Doremus’ Newness, Fede Alvarez’s Don’t Breathe, David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows, and the late Lynn Shelton’s Laggies.

Discovery+ to Begin Streaming Evgeny Afineevsky’s Pope Francis Documentary “Francesco” in March

Posted on January 28, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Pope Francis is making a new Discovery.

Discovery+ has acquired Evgeny Afineevsky’s documentary Francesco, an exploration of the 84-year-old leader of the Catholic Church’s ministry and moral leadership in a time of surging right-wing populist movements, a worldwide refugee crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Discovery+ will begin streaming Francesco globally on Sunday, March 28, the start of Holy Week, which leads up to Easter on April 4.

“It is an honor to host the global premiere of Francesco on Discovery+, spotlighting an intimate look at one of the world’s most beloved and influential leaders, Pope Francis,” said Lisa Holme, group SVP of content and commercial strategy at Discovery, in a statement. “We are thrilled to work with a powerful storyteller like Evgeny on this important project, which is emblematic of our ability to expand our documentary programming aperture on Discovery+ to serve subscribers around the world with a diverse and growing slate of originals.”

Afineevsky earned an Oscar nomination for his 2015 documentary Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom.

For Francesco, he spent three years traveling the world to highlight some of the issues Pope Francis has made it his mission to address, including the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, the Syrian civil war, global warming and interfaith dialogue. The director spent one-on-one time not only with the pontiff but with his predecessor, retired Pope Benedict XVI.

“I am tremendously honored that Pope Francis allowed me to witness and create this inspirational monument dedicated to the most pressing issues facing humanity today,” Afineevsky said. “His commitment to people around the world will lead us out of this difficult historical moment and into a brighter future. He is a beacon of light in this world for many and strives every day to enlighten people on how to build a bridge to a better tomorrow. It is extremely exciting to partner with discovery+ to bring his story to people around the world on the same day.”

Francesco premiered at the Rome Film Festival last October, where it made worldwide headlines for a moment in the film in which the pontiff appeared to endorse civil unions for gay people, a break from Vatican policy. The documentary also delves into the pope’s handling of the sexual abuse scandal that has damaged the Catholic Church’s moral authority.

“I wanted to give a voice to the victims of sexual abuse,” Afineevsky told Deadline last fall, noting that Pope Francis’s response to the scandal evolved over time, from defender of some prelates accused of misconduct to becoming a supporter of victims. “I wanted to show how the [pope] can [make] mistakes. How the person can investigate them, admit the mistakes. And take not only responsibility, but immediately take actions.”

Francesco was produced by Afineevsky-Tolmor Production with the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

Pope Francis to Receive COVID-19 Vaccination

Posted on January 9, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Pope Francis is next in line to get a COVID-19 vaccination…

The 84-year-old head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State has announced that the Vatican will begin COVID-19 vaccinations next week and that he’ll receive the shot. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the U.S., these are some of the small but essential ways dr. fauci and vitamin d says we need to utilize in order to have a strong immune system.

The pontiff made the comments during an interview with Italy’s Canale 5 channel, set to air on Sunday night.

“It is an ethical duty to take the vaccine, here in the Vatican we will start next week, I am also in line to take it,” he said, according to a news anchor for the channel in a preview of the interview, which was released Saturday.

The full interview, which took place in the Santa Marta residence in the Vatican, will air on Sunday at 2.40 p.m. ET (8.40 p.m. local time), according to a press release.

In December, the Vatican deemed that it was morally acceptable to be vaccinated against COVID-19, after some anti-abortion groups raised concerns about how the vaccines were manufactured.

Some groups had suggested the coronavirus vaccines were made using cells from aborted fetuses. The cells are actually engineered and grown in labs from tissue acquired many decades ago, and are not made directly from aborted fetuses.

“It is morally acceptable to receive COVID-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process,” the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said in a note approved by Francis.

The statement was issued and signed by the head of the Congregation in response to several requests for guidelines regarding the use of the vaccine.

The pontiff used his recent Christmas message to say that coronavirus vaccines must be available for all, and pleaded with states to cooperate in the race to emerge from the pandemic.

Pope Francis Condemns the Death of George Floyd

Posted on June 3, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Pope Francis is speaking out against racism…

During a speech from the Vatican on Wednesday, the 83-year-old Argentine pontiff and leader of the Catholic Church, whose full name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, condemned the death of George Floyd.

He directly addressed “brothers and sisters in the United States,” saying he has “witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest in your nation in these past days,” following the officer-involved death of Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minnesota.

“My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life,” he said. “At the same time, we have to recognize that the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating.”

Floyd died in policy custody last week after a white officer knelt on his neck, sparking protests across the United States – most of them peaceful. Some demonstrations have turned violent and looting has been seen in cities nationwide.

The Pope said nothing is gained by violence and much is lost.

He also lead a prayer for Floyd “and of all those others who have lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism.”

“Let us pray for the consolation of their grieving families and friends and let us implore the national reconciliation and peace for which we yearn. May Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America, intercede for all those who work for peace and justice in your land and throughout the world. May God bless all of you and your families,” he prayed.

We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form. At the same time, we have to recognize that violence is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost. Let us pray for reconciliation and peace.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) June 3, 2020

Hayek Receives Olive Medal of Peace from Pope Francis

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Salma Hayek has been extended a new olive medal…

Pope Francis has honored the 49-year-old Mexican actress, awarding her the Olive Medal of Peace at a Vatican event to promote the Scholas Occurrentes foundation.

In addition to Hayek, Richard Gere and George Clooney and Salma Hayek with the Olive Medal of Peace in an event.

Hayek and her fellow honorees have agreed to work as ambassadors for the foundation’s arts projects, said The Hollywood Reporter.

According to its website, Scholas is an International Organization founded in 2013 and operating under the auspices of the Vatican, which “connects technology with arts and sports in order to promote social integration and the culture of encounter for peace.”

Hayek was joined by husband Francois-Henri Pinault and daughter Valentina.

“Important values can be transmitted by celebrities,” said Lorena Bianchetti, an organizer of the event.

Pope Francis to Visit Colombia in 2017

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Pope Francis is planning to visit Colombia next year…

The 79-year-old Argentine pontiff, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, will travel to the South American country in 2017, the president of Colombia’s Episcopal Conference, Luis Augusto Castro, announced after meeting with the pontiff at the Vatican.

“The conclusions (of the meeting) are not so extraordinary but they are certain. The first is that the pope will definitely go to Colombia. He simply reaffirmed his pleasure at visiting us in Colombia,” he said.

He said the second conclusion of the meeting is that the Pope’s visit to the Latin American nation “will only be possible in the first or second quarter” of 2017, because “his agenda this year is full.”

Castro added that “the pope wants to meet with the largest possible number of Colombians who want to hear him and be with him.”

“We’re not going to pick a sanctuary in some little private place. No. He wants to be accessible to the greatest number of Colombians possible,” he told the press.

He added that it is “almost certain” he will visit Quibdo in the western province of Choco.

“He wants to meet with ethnic minorities, with those of African descent. So I believe that is settled. The rest has to be worked out,” said the head of the Episcopal Conference, who is also the archbishop of Tunja.

“The Pope wants to do so much; he told us he also wants to visit other places. He said ‘Brazil is waiting for me and Argentina is yelling.’ But Colombia is the priority,” he laughed.

As for the peace process between the Colombian government and the guerrillas, Castro Quiroga said “the pope is very interested in the matter,” but “the peace process won’t influence his visit.”

Taking part in the papal audience besides Castro were the archbishop of Bogota, Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez; Msgr. Oscar Urbina Ortega, the archbishop of Villavicencio and vice president of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia; and the secretary general of the conference, Jose Daniel Falla Robles, bishop of Calama and auxiliary bishop of Cali.

Pope Francis is the Subject of an Upcoming Biopic

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It may be easy to learn more about Pope Francis’ story without flipping a single page…

Entitled Llamenme Francisco, an upcoming biopic is currently being filmed in Buenos Aires. It will trace the life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio from his youth in the Argentine capital all the to his election as Pope Francis at the Vatican.

“We want to tell the human journey of this man who today is the greatest spiritual leader of our time,” Italian director Daniele Luchetti said during the presentation of the project.

Llamenme Francesco begins in 1963 with Bergoglio in his late 20s, depicts his life during turbulent times in Argentina, including the 1976-1983 military dictatorship and the country’s devastating 1998-2002 economic depression, and charts his rise to archbishop of Buenos Aires and eventually the papacy.

The Spanish-language film will look back at Bergoglio’s youth, showing “his path, his doubts, his mistakes, his strong points,” Luchetti said.

Rodrigo De la Serna, an Argentine actor best known for his role as Alberto Granado, future revolutionary Che Guevara’s traveling companion, in The Motorcycle Diaries, will star as the young Bergoglio in what he calls a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Argentine actress Mercedes Moran, for her part, will portray Esther Ballestrino, an exiled Paraguayan communist who – despite their differences – strikes up a friendship with Bergoglio during the dictatorship.

“The figure of the pope takes on a very human and very real dimension, and the film provides … a look at a really special historical period for us,” Moran said.

Chilean actor Sergio Hernandez, who depicts Bergoglio in the latter stages of the film, said his role is “a really big challenge.”

Argentina’s Martin Salinas wrote the screenplay, which is based on the bestselling book Francisco. El Papa de la gente by his countrywoman, journalist Evangelina Himitian.

Pope Francis Attracts Record-Breaking Crowd in the Philippines

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

There’s no denying Pope Francis’ influence in the Philippines…

The 76-year-old Argentine pontiff attracted an estimated 6 million people, who braved steady rain on Sunday to catch a glimpse of the leader of the Catholic Church at Manila’s Rizal Park, on his final full day in the island nation.

The turnout breaks the record set by the last pontiff to say mass in the same venue – Pope John Paul II in 1995, when five people million attended, according to the Vatican.

Pope Francis dedicated his final homily of his tour to the young and urged protection for children so they aren’t tempted by sin or the devil or distracted by “promises of ephemeral pleasures, superficial pastimes.”

“We need to care for our young people, not allowing them to be robbed of hope and condemned to a life on the streets,” he said.

The Mass took place on the third and final day of the pope’s visit to the Philippines, whose roughly 80 million Catholics comprise about 7% of the world’s total.

The pontiff arrived Sunday on a popemobile based on the design of a jeepney, the modified U.S. Army World War II jeep that is a common means of public transport in the Philippines, wearing the same plastic yellow rain poncho handed out to the masses during his visit to the central Philippine city of Tacloban a day earlier.

The pontiff was forced to cut his trip short to Tacloban — hard-hit by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 — ahead of the approaching Tropical Storm Mekkhala. About 150,000 people, including survivors of the typhoon and of the earthquake on the island of Bohol that killed more than 200 people in October 2013, braved the approaching storm to attend Mass with the pope.

The pope’s tour, which also took him to Sri Lanka, was his second trip to Asia in five months, in a nod to the region’s growing importance for the Catholic Church as it faces declining support in Europe and the United States.

It was also the fourth papal visit to the Philippines, and the rapturous reception given to him throughout his stay cemented the nation’s status as the Church’s Asian role model.

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