Is this pope different than other popes?
I think he is.
Im not a Catholic, Im not a believer, Rosi says.
Pope Francis in ‘In Viaggio'©Archivo Vatican Media/courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
But maybe this helped me to make this film even more free.
I wanted to make a film with no ideology, no theological approach.
I wanted to make a portrait more of a man than of a pope.
Pope Francis leads the Passion of the Lord on Good Friday at St. Peter’s Basilica on April 7, 2023.Alessandra Benedetti – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Who among us has grieved the death of these brothers and sisters?
the pope, draped in purple vestments, asks his audience at an outdoor event.
Who among us has wept for these people who were on the boat?
For young mothers carrying their babies?
For these men who were seeking a means of supporting their families?
The globalization of indifference has taken from us the ability to weep!
Rosi sees the pontiff as filling a moral vacuum.
Hes a man of goodwill.
Rosi credits Pope Francis with speaking out for the dignity of people and against armed conflict.
In one address in the documentary, the pope says, Every war is born of injustice.
We start the film [with the pope] saying, Dream, dream, dream.
And then this dream, it becomes like a nightmare, Rosi says.
Its decline and its defeat is our defeat, but also the defeat of the pope.
He goes around, tries to change things like that.
The world is getting worse…
But in 2018, Francis reversed course and accepted Barros Madrids resignation.
And the pope apologized for how he had dealt with the case.
By contrast, Rosis previous films, includingNotturnoandFire of Sea, consist almost entirely of imagery he shot himself.
And only there I can understand the story.
And I had to adjust to that language.
I had to select certain moments that were talking to me.
Rosi says he thinks Francis wont hesitate to step down if he thinks his health requires it.
He will know the moment he has to step out from that, he says.
He will not have any problem doing that.
Rosi says he and his filmmaking team met with the pope just a few weeks ago at the Vatican.
He had fantastic energy, jokes, words for everybody.
He knew everything about this film, of course.
But he said something very important.
He said, Be courageous and always risk.
Risk and be courageous.
And then he said, We are surrounded by too many conservative people.
There are too many conservative people around us.
So always risk and be courageous.
