A documentary film called “The Francis Effect” was shown to a small group of locals right before Easter break. The film featured Pope Francis’ rise to fame in the Church and in the world outside of his denomination.

Featured as a screening for Loyola’s Lenten series on Pope Francis’ spirtuality, the movie was shown from multiple points of view, including the priests that surround him. The film also went in depth with his stance on homosexuality, war, politics, the ecosystem and other current world issues.

“The Francis Effect” showed the pope’s background as a simple man from Argentina.

Pope Francis, previously known as Fr. Jorge Bergoglio, was a dark horse candidate when the previous pontiff, Pope Benedict, left his role as head of the Catholic Church. When he was finally voted in and introduced as the Pope, he was reminded by a fellow priest on one simple rule “don’t forget the poor.” The film highlighted the beginning of his South America tour, where he was often seen taking selfies with teenagers and paying the bill for his hotel rooms.

“The Francis Effect” gave a look into the Pope’s voice with not only world issues, but also problems within the church itself, like the public scrutiny surrounding the corruption within the Catholic Church over the past ten years.

Pope Francis challenged Cardinals and other high ranking priests to “come to terms” with their priesthood. He was quoted saying “are you a priest for the people and God, or is this to benefit you?” “The Francis Effect” is a deeper look into the man who is more than just the Pope, and the film can be bought or rented through Vimeo.