Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, said today that Pope Francis will not be seeing “Philomena”, a film about a woman in search of her son who was sold into adoption.
«The Holy Father does not see films, and will not be seeing this one,” Fr. Lombardi said in a statement.
The film, which stars Dame Judi Dench, is based on the story of Philomena Lee, a women looking for her son who was forcibly taken from her by Catholic nuns and given up for adoption. Although nominated for an Academy Award, the film has sparked outrage for its depiction of the order of nuns from Ireland.
Several newspapers reported that producers of the movie were trying to arrange a private screening of the movie for Pope Francis. However, Fr. Lombardi’s statement today confirms otherwise.
“It is also important to avoid using the Pope as part of a marketing strategy,” Fr. Lombardi’s statement concluded.
