TIME Vatican

Pope Francis to Appear in Spiritual Movie

Pope Francis speaks as he leads an audience with religious, nuns and priests, for the conclusion of the Year of Consecrated Life at Paul VI hall at the Vatican on Jan. 02, 2016.
Giuseppe Ciccia—Pacific Press/LightRocket/Getty Images Pope Francis speaks as he leads an audience with religious, nuns and priests, for the conclusion of the Year of Consecrated Life at Paul VI hall at the Vatican on Jan. 02, 2016.

But the Vatican says he's "not an actor"

The Vatican has downplayed suggestions that the Pope will make his acting debut in a spiritual film aimed at children.

According to a press release by Rome-based distribution and production company AMBI, reports Reuters, the pontiff will play himself in upcoming Italian film. The movie, Beyond the Sun, is described as a “family adventure story where children from different cultures emulate the apostles while searching for Jesus in the world around them.”

The Guardian says there were initially conflicting reports on the scale of the Pope’s involvement, with some reports suggesting he would feature significantly throughout the movie. However, AMBI’s website mentions that the film will only feature “an epilogue from Pope Francis telling children how and where to find Jesus.” And on Monday, a Vatican spokesman responded, noting: “the Pope is not an actor.”

Tap to read full story

Your browser is out of date. Please update your browser at http://update.microsoft.com


YOU BROKE TIME.COM!

Dear TIME Reader,

As a regular visitor to TIME.com, we are sure you enjoy all the great journalism created by our editors and reporters. Great journalism has great value, and it costs money to make it. One of the main ways we cover our costs is through advertising.

The use of software that blocks ads limits our ability to provide you with the journalism you enjoy. Consider turning your Ad Blocker off so that we can continue to provide the world class journalism you have become accustomed to.

The TIME Team