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Some call it a glamorous dummy, others call it a deep, aesthetically outstanding film. Why does a series about the youngest pontiff in the history of the Vatican, the eccentric 47-year-old Lenny Bellardo, evoke such different emotions? We asked experts, a priest and a psychologist, to share their impressions.
The literal translation of the title of the series The Young Pope by Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, The Young Pope, makes you think that this is a story about a man who becomes a parent. Oddly enough, in a sense, it is. Only the speech in the series is not about physical paternity, but about metaphysical.
Lenny Bellardo, who was abandoned by his mother and father at one time, having handed him over to an orphanage, quite unexpectedly becomes the spiritual father for a billion Catholics. Can he be the embodiment of the law, the true authority? How will he manage his unlimited power?
The series forces us to ask a lot of questions: what does it mean to truly believe? What does it mean to be holy? Does all power corrupt?
We asked a priest, a psychologist, a teacher of the deaf, the dean of the psychological faculty of the Moscow Orthodox Institute of St. John the Theologian of the Russian Orthodox University Petra Kolomeytseva and psychologist Maria Razlogova.
«WE ALL ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR INJURIES»
Peter Kolomeytsev, priest:
The Young Pope is not a series about the Catholic Church or about intrigues in the Roman Curia, where power structures oppose each other. This is a film about a very lonely man who, having experienced a serious psychological trauma in childhood, becomes the absolute ruler at the age of 47. After all, the power of the Pope, unlike the power of modern monarchs or presidents, is practically unlimited. And a person who, in general, is not very ready for it, receives such power.
At first, Lenny Belardo looks like a bully and an adventurer — especially against the background of other cardinals with their impeccable manners and behavior. But soon we notice that Pope Pius XIII in his outrageous behavior turns out to be more sincere and sincere than they, the liars and hypocrites.
They are eager for power, and so is he. But he does not have mercantile considerations: he sincerely seeks to change the existing state of affairs. Becoming a victim of betrayal and deceit in childhood, he wants to create an atmosphere of honesty.
Much in his behavior outrages those around him, but his doubt in faith looks the most shocking. Note that none of the characters in the series expresses these doubts. And we suddenly realize that those who have no doubts, many of them do not have faith either. More precisely, like this: either they are just cynics, or they are so accustomed to faith, as to something routine and obligatory, that they no longer reflect on this matter. For them, this question is not painful, not relevant.
It is very important for him to understand: is there a God or not? Because if there is a God, if He hears him, then Lenny is not alone.
But Lenny Belardo is constantly in torment solves this issue. It is very important for him to understand: is there a God or not? Because if there is a God, if He hears him, then Lenny is not alone. He is with God. This is the strongest line in the film.
The rest of the heroes solve their earthly affairs to the best of their ability, and they are all here on earth, like a fish in water. If there is a God, then He is infinitely far from them, and they do not try to build their relationship with Him. And Lenny is tormented by this question, he wants this relationship. And we see that he has this relationship with God. And this is the first conclusion that I want to draw: faith in God is not faith in rituals and magnificent ceremonies, it is faith in His living presence, in every minute relationship with Him.
Several times Pope Pius XIII is called a saint by different characters of the series. The fact that an ascetic, a holy person, whom power does not corrupt, becomes the absolute master, does not surprise me, on the contrary, it seems very natural. History knows many examples of this: the Serbian primate Pavel was an amazing ascetic. An absolutely holy man was Metropolitan Anthony, head of our Diocese of Sourozh abroad in England.
That is, generally speaking, it is the norm for a church to be headed by a saint. An unbelieving, cynical person will be corrupted by any power. But if a person is looking for a relationship with God and asks questions: “Why — me?”, “Why — me?”, And “What does He expect from me in this case?” — power does not corrupt such a person, but educates.
Lenny, being a fairly sincere person, understands that he has a huge responsibility. There is no one to share it with. This burden of obligations forces him to change and work on himself. He grows up, becomes less categorical.
One of the most interesting moments in the series is when the soft and weak-willed Cardinal Gutierez suddenly begins to argue with him and in the end the Pope says that he is ready to change his point of view. And those who surround him are also gradually changing — with his behavior he creates a situation for their growth. They begin to listen to him, better understand him and others.
Along the way, Lenny makes mistakes, sometimes tragic ones. At the beginning of the series, he is so immersed in his loneliness that he simply does not notice others. If he encounters a problem, he thinks that by removing a person, he will easily solve this problem. And when it turns out that by his actions he provokes a chain of tragic events, the Pope realizes that it is impossible to solve problems and not notice the people behind them. He starts thinking about others.
And this allows us to draw another important conclusion: a person is responsible not only for his subordinates, but also for his own injuries. As they say, «Physician, heal thyself.» We are obliged, entering into relationships with other people, to learn to work on ourselves, resorting, if necessary, to therapy, to the help of a psychologist, a priest. Just so you don’t hurt others. After all, everything that happens to us does not happen without our participation. It seems to me that the Young Pope series conveys this idea, and in a concentrated form.
«DAD’S LIFE IS AN ENDLESS SEARCH FOR CONTACT WITH AN INaccessible OBJECT»
Maria Razlogova, psychologist:
First of all, Jude Law’s character is very pleasant to watch. The decisive action of an extravagant cardinal who, by chance, stood at the head of the Roman Catholic Church and planned to revolutionize an ultra-conservative institution, dared to swim against the current, following only his personal convictions, is a testament to admirable courage.
And most of all I admire his ability to question the «indestructible» religious dogmas, in which the Pope, like no one else, is supposed to be sure. At least in the existence of God as such. The Young Pope doubts what makes his image more voluminous, more interesting and closer to the viewer.
Orphanhood makes him even more human and alive. The tragedy of a child who dreams of finding his parents did not appear in the plot only to arouse sympathy. It reflects the key leitmotif of the series — the search for evidence of the existence of God in this world. The hero knows that he has parents, that they are most likely alive, but he cannot contact or see them. So it is with God.
The life of the Pope is an endless search for contact with an inaccessible object. The world always turns out to be richer than our ideas, there is a place for miracles in it. However, this world does not guarantee us answers to all our questions.
The gentle romantic feelings of the Pope for a young beautiful married woman are touching. He delicately refuses her, but instead of moralizing, he immediately calls himself a coward (as, indeed, all priests): it is too scary and painful to love another person, and therefore the people of the church choose love for God for themselves — more reliable and safe.
These words demonstrate the psychological feature of the hero, which experts call attachment disorder as a result of early trauma. A child abandoned by his parents is sure that he will be abandoned, and therefore completely refuses any close relationship.
And yet, personally, I perceive the series as a fairy tale. We are dealing with a hero who is almost impossible to meet in reality. It seems that he needs the same thing as I do, he dreams of the same thing that I dream of. But unlike me, he is able to achieve it, move against the current, take risks and achieve success. Capable of doing things I can’t afford for one reason or another. Able to reconsider their beliefs, survive trauma and convert inevitable suffering into something amazing.
This series allows you to virtually experience an experience that is not available to us in reality. Actually, that’s part of what attracts us to art.