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On the Church

How strange it is to watch "The Two Popes."

The Catholic Church--responsible for so much evil in the world--is now the subject of a buddy comedy.

Herr Ratzinger, who ignored the suffering of many child-victims, until politics made such behavior impractical, and whose own brother seems to have "overseen" many egregious cases of abuse, is now a twinkling cantankerous old fussbudget, embodied by Anthony Hopkins.

(I'm halfway through the film, and I'm wondering if any attention is paid to the moment Ratzinger went after a heroic nun--a nun who seemed too concerned with fixing the plight of women in America--even as priests were raping and beating children on multiple continents.)

Also, the movie seems not too interested in "the sainted" John Paul II, who actually seems (in the cold light of 2020) far more problematic than Ratzinger himself. Check out the New Yorker article on JP's own knowledge of Church evils; this was a piece published in 2016.

I have no idea how one would make a thoughtful movie about the conduct of the Church in recent years, but I feel, pretty strongly, while watching "The Two Popes," that "this ain't it."

How nice--anyway--to see Anthony Hopkins in a major role. That charmer! And did you know that Jonathan Pryce--a theater legend, forever linked with the fabulous success of "Miss Saigon"--has never even netted an Oscar nomination?

Just some thoughts.

These are bizarre times!
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