IRONDALE, Alabama - Birmingham-based EWTN Global Catholic Network will air a documentary on Pope Francis beginning Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 8:30 p.m. Central.
Since his election last year, the former Argentinian Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio has taken hold of worldwide public fascination among Catholics and non-Catholics for his emphasis on humility and service to the poor. He was recently named "Man of the Year" by Time Magazine.
The documentary Francis: The Pope From the New World, features interviews withhis close friends, fellow priests, co-workers, his biographer, and the poor of Buenos Aires.
EWTN will air repeats of Francis: The Pope From the New World at9 a.m. Central, Thursday, Jan. 16, and5 p.m. Central, Saturday, Jan. 18.The hour-long documentary was filmed mostly in Argentina. The first airing of the documentary will be preceded at7 p.m. Centralwith a special EWTN Live, featuring Executive Producers Andrew T. Walther and Alejandro Bermudez.
This docmentary arrives as the world realizes that a very special man has assumed the leadership of the Catholic Church, and this begins but does not end with his gestures of humility and care for everyone, said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson of the Knights of Columbus, one of the documentary s executive producers. Still, what remain largely unknown to the public are many details of Pope Francis life, the work he has done and the ways in which he has defended the voiceless and Catholic principles. This documentary delves into those stories.
Thefilm begins with the moment when the new pope stands before the crowd in St. Peter s Square on March 13, the day of his election. It then takes viewers through both the ordinary and climactic events of his life, from hisfamily to his call to the priesthood, his support for the San Lorenzo soccer team, and his care forpeople livingin the slums of Buenos Aires.
Itrecounts his work for those threatened in Argentina s Dirty War that coincided with Bergoglio s time as Jesuit provincial, his advocacy for those affected by economic and political turmoil, and the opposition he sometimes encountered from Argentina s political elites.
EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 33rd year headquartered in Irondale, Alabama, is available in over 225 million television households in more than 140 countries and territories.
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