Rome, Italy, Apr 20, 2011 / 16:06 pm
A new film depicting a fictitious Pope who struggles to adjust to his new role and eventually resigns is dividing Catholic opinion in Italy.
“Habemus Papam,” which opened in cinemas across Italy this weekend, is the creation of Italian director Nanni Moretti. It stars the 85-year-old French actor Michel Piccoli as the reluctant pontiff.
A Vatican reporter for the Italian news agency AGI, Salvatore Izzo, called for a boycott of the box-office hit and Cannes Palme D'Or contender “Habemus Papam.”
Despite its controversial subject matter the Jesuit journal Civiltà Cattolica praised the film, while Vatican Radio said it was pleased to report that it featured “no irony” relating to the Pope and was not a “caricature.”