One of the best Christmas gifts within your fingertips does not require a box, ribbon and wrapping paper. It does require a Netflix subscription, though.
The Two Popes is a Netflix original film, which stars Anthony Hopkins as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI, and Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future Pope Francis. Fernando Meirelles directs the movie with Anthony McCarten as screenwriter. One doesn’t need to be of the Roman Catholic faith to appreciate the movie. Basic humanity is sufficient. Because that is what the film seeks to portray, the humanity of two popes, as they interact with each other, in quiet, deep and, sometimes, funny conversations.
The movie that Netflix described as being inspired by real events, offers rare insights about the Vatican and its inner workings, including how a pope is elected by the conclave. The best scenes would be whenever Hopkins and Pryce share the screen as new friends conversing about music, football and forgiveness. Pope Benedict XVI is portrayed as the traditionalist, and a stickler for rules and protocols. He isolated himself in the Vatican, preferring to eat meals alone and waiting for God’s voice to offer him encouragement. He kept listening, but divinity fell silent.
In comes Argentinian reformist Bergoglio, who was Pope Benedict’s closest rival, and known for embracing simplicity in all aspects of his life. The opening scene alone that showed Pope Francis trying to book a flight by himself through a phone call to a travel tour operator was precious. The operator asked for his name, and when he gave it, the lady on the other line asked, “Like the Pope?” She asked for a postcode, and when he gave Vatican City as his address explaining further that he did not know the postcode because he had just moved in, the operator smirked and hanged up the phone.
Another delightful scene had Bergoglio teaching Pope Benedict XVI the tango, while the two were outside the summer residence’s driveway. The half-blind, less spritely Pope Benedict XVI held on to the cardinal’s arms in what could have probably been his first dance ever. Music from ABBA and The Beatles appear from nowhere to accompany these humorous encounters, lending a happy and, yes, even a contemporary vibe, to a film that involves a Church of many centuries.
While Bergoglio was more popular than Ratzinger, both leaders of the Church harbored deep secrets that require an exchange of absolutions. I consider the absolutions as the main message of the movie. Even popes have their dark, darkest secrets and the closer one is to God, the more difficult it may be to divulge such sins. The true act of friendship between the two Popes lies in the sharing of such secrets.
The dialogue written by McCarten, who also wrote the screenplay of The Theory of Everything, was masterful and memorable. Pryce and Hopkins gave moving performances, making us believe in the sanctity of each intimate moment. The backdrop of the Vatican, with its majestic architecture and the rituals that come with the observance of the electoral smoke, arouse a sense of personal pride in me as a person of Catholic faith.
Prior to blessing Bergoglio with an absolution, Pope Benedict XVI said: “We all suffer from spiritual pride. We all do. You must remember that you are not God. In God, we move and have our being. We live in God, but we are not of it. You’re only human. But, there He is [pointing to a painting of Jesus in the ceiling]. Human. You must believe in the mercy that you preach.”
I leave that quote as a reminder that the best Christmas gift—priceless beyond words—is the act of forgiveness. First, we need to forgive ourselves for any and all shortcomings, and for hurting people without the need or desire to do so. Second, we need to forgive and offer prayers for people who have caused us pain, no matter how deep or shallow. While the truth may set us free, it is forgiveness that makes that freedom truly complete.
I wish everyone the happiest Christmas, ever.
Susan V. Ople heads the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, a nonprofit organization that deals with labor and migration issues. She also represents the OFW sector in the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.