"Mercy is the dynamite that blows down walls" ---- Vatican Leaks and scandal .. may not be best suited for a blog on Christmas .. but the provocation are the Dialogues of the movie 'The Two Popes' .. made in 2019 ! They are simply magical !!

('The Two Popes' is not based on a true story but is a creative imagining of what might have taken place if the two popes had met just before Benedict’s abdication.) 

The Vatican leaks scandal, also known as Vatileaks and Vati-Leaks, is a scandal beginning in 2012 initially involving leaked Vatican documents, exposing corruption. 

Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi published letters from Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò in which he exposed corruption that caused the Holy See to pay increased prices for contracts.

During the following months, the situation intensified as documents were leaked to Italian journalists, revealing power struggles inside the Vatican due to its efforts to implement greater financial transparency. -- 

- All these and more copy-paste from Wikipedi may not be an idea thing to do on a Christmas. 

But the provocation lies in the movie 'The Two Popes' or more in its dialogues.  

The film's plot is just wonderful .... 

Led by outstanding performances from its well-matched leads, the film draws absorbing drama from a pivotal moment in modern organized religion.

(plot) --  In April 2005, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, is called to the Vatican after the death of Pope John Paul II to elect a new pope. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a prominent German prelate, is elected Pope Benedict XVI; Cardinal Bergoglio receives the second-highest vote count. Seven years later, the Catholic Church is embroiled in the Vatican leaks scandal, and Benedict's tenure has been tainted by public accusations regarding his role in the cover up.

Bergoglio has submitted his resignation as archbishop, but the Vatican has not responded. As he prepares to go to Rome and personally deliver his resignation, he is summoned to the Vatican. Bergoglio and Benedict meet at the Palace of Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's summer residence. The two debate the roles of God and the Church. (Wikipedia) 

And here below are some one liners as the two Popes interact !!

I am not making of who says what and were they (or each one of them) were justified or not !! 

Just crunch the sentences and you will love to memorise a few .... 

*  Mercy is the dynamite that blows down walls.

** A Church that marries the spirit of the age will be widowed in the next.

***  Being a pope is like a martyr

#$ 

Most  important qualification of a leader is not wanting to be a leader -- (Plato) 

Sir Jonathan Pryce is a Welsh actor. He plays the role of  Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future Pope Francis

Anthony Hopkins plays as Pope Benedict XVI. Hopkins is one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. 

Hopkins has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Laurence Olivier Award.  

(More one-liners) 

* Church is not moving at all when the time demands movement

"These two men are giants of the craft of acting and it was a pleasure to watch them play these two important figures of the 21st-century Church. .... not sure they could have gotten two actors that looked more like their subjects than these men. It was great casting," - says a review in catholicdigest.com 

Few more words/sentence/phrases of gems !!  

** 

How does an Argentinean kill himself, he climbs at the top of his ego and jumps off

*** Confession cleans the inner soul it does not help the victim.....

$$ 

Sin is a wound ... not a stain 

... it needs to be healed, treated .... Forgiveness is not enough. 

(The movie is from the writer Anthony McCarten and the director Anthony Meirelles.

McCarten wrote the play that the movie is based on. He has gained wide acclaim for writing movies like The Darkest Hour and Bohemian Rhapsody.) 

ends