Catholicism, for better or worse, has produced some of the greatest art in human history: Soaring cathedrals, stunning paintings and endless writings about humanity itself.
Now, as the world reacts to the death of Pope Francis on Monday at age 88, here are some suggestions for an artistic reflection on the papacy and the pontiff’s complex legacy.
“The Two Popes” (movie)
In the first few minutes of the 2019 film, cardinals assemble in Rome after the death of Pope John Paul II. It’s all very somber.
Then, in a bathroom, someone starts whistling.
“What’s the hymn you are whistling?” Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (a brooding Anthony Hopkins) asks the whistler, speaking in Latin.
“Dancing Queen,” answers Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who was played by Jonathan Pryce and would eventually become Pope Francis.
Ratzinger looks up, his shocked reaction reflected in the bathroom mirror as Bergoglio washes his hands.
“By ABBA,” Bergoglio says, clarifying.
The film chronicles their friction, faith and friendship — and also offers a mini-biopic of Francis. It was directed by Fernando Meirelles (“City of God,” “The Constant Gardener”). In the movie, Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI, then later shocked the world by resigning. And Bergoglio, who was the runner-up to his election, became Francis in an unusual power transfer.
“The filmmakers want us to see Bergoglio as a redemptive figure, a man who has faced up to his own failures with humility and whose ascension to the papacy portends an era of reform and renewal,” A.O. Scott wrote in his review.
Watch: “The Two Popes” is on Netflix.
“Hope: The Autobiography” (book)
Francis published his autobiography in January. He vividly writes about his childhood in Buenos Aires, but offers few insights into his papacy.
Francis traces his strong support for migrants and his abhorrence of war to his own family. His parents immigrated to Argentina from Italy, and his grandfather lived through World War I. He writes about his youth with feeling, chronicling his “bag-lady” aunt, among other colorful relatives, as well as the migrants and prostitutes.
But although his early years shine bright in “Hope,” the book is flatter on his time in the Vatican. The most newsworthy part concerned his time in Iraq. Francis wrote that he had survived two foiled assassination attempts, which Iraqi officials have denied.
Read: The New York Times published an excerpt from the book, published by Penguin, in which Francis advocated for finding faith in humor.
“Conclave” (movie)
The 2024 movie, directed by Edward Berger, gave viewers a rare glimpse inside the Sistine Chapel during the selection of the next pope.
That will begin soon, when cardinals younger than 80 gather in a conclave to choose a leader.
The filmmakers spent a lot of effort trying to get the details right — the process of destroying a pope’s ring when he dies, the Latin oaths, the threading of the paper ballots and the need to sweep the Sistine Chapel for listening devices.
Manohla Dargis called it a “sly, sleek election potboiler about the selection of a new Catholic pope” in her review for The New York Times.
Watch: Berger narrates a sequence in the film, which stars Ralph Fiennes. It’s available on many streaming services.
Amelia Nierenberg is a breaking news reporter for The Times in London, covering international news.
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