Sermon for January 26th, 2020
Contents
Psalm 22:1-5 (OT p. 500)
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night, but find no rest.
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried, and were saved;
in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.
Isaiah 41:8-10 (OT p. 669)
8 But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
10 do not fear, for I am with you,
do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
Faith & Film VIII: The Two Popes
Three Minute Film Synopsis
In February of 2013, Pope Benedict XVI, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, the worlds largest Christian denomination, resigned from his office. This came as a bit of a surprise to most people--both inside and outside the Catholic church--since the last time a Pope resigned of his own free will was in the year 1294. In the same year, the college of cardinals elected a new pope to fill the vacancy: Jorge Mario Bergoglio, an Argentinian, and the first Pope from the Southern Hemisphere. He chose to be called Pope Francis, and is the current reigning Pope. His predecessor, Benedict, took the title "Pope Emeritus" and continues to reside in Vatican City, making this the first time in centuries that we have two men alive authorized by their church to wear the white papal outfit; two men who are addressed by their followers as "Holy Father" and in short, two popes.
Those are the historical facts around which this film is structured, as it tells the story of Benedict and Francis, and their relationship and interactions with each other in the years leading up to Benedict's resignation and Francis' ascension. The story itself is pretty speculative, although the writers of the film have used writings and interviews from each man to construct a lot of the dialogue between them.
There are also flashbacks to Francis' young adulthood and career as a priest and Bishop in Argentina.
