“Love & Mercy” is taking the Vatican by storm exactly 60 years after the act of spreading the cult of Divine Mercy according to the visions of Saint Faustina was banned. The most important religious film of recent years had its premiere behind the Bronze Door.
Yesterday, the Vatican hosted the premiere of the film “Love & Mercy”, which tells the story of Saint Faustina Kowalska – a nun whose visions and mission gave rise to the cult of Divine Mercy. The ceremonial screening was held in a unique location: the cinema room of the Vatican Film Library in the Palazzo San Carlo behind the Bronze Door. The event was attended by the makers of the film – director Michał Kondrat, Kamila Kamińska who stars in the role of Faustina, and Maciej Małysa who plays the role of Michał Sopoćka. The Vatican Film Library was also visited by journalists and many illustrious guests from across the world, as well as dignitaries of the Roman Curia, including the Vicar General Joseph G. Roesch and Salvatore De Giorgi – the Archbishop of Palermo. The Vatican premiere was also of symbolic significance, as it took place on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the introduction by the Holy See of a ban on spreading the cult of Divine Mercy according to the visions of Sister Faustina. On 6 March 1959, the Holy Office issued a notification which forbade all forms of worship of images and writings that promote devotion to Divine Mercy in the forms proposed by Sister Faustina. This ban was in force for 19 years and was lifted only on 15 April 1978 – mainly thanks to the efforts of the Metropolitan of Kraków Karol Wojtyła, future Pope John Paul II. The Polish Pope was also the greatest promoter of the Divine Mercy cult: it was he who elevated Faustina Kowalska to the altars and proclaimed her a saint in 2000. Thanks to his efforts, the Polish nun and the painting of Jesus she helped create became objects of worship all over the world. The film “Love and Mercy”, which tells this extraordinary story, will be shown in Polish cinemas starting on 29 March.
The film tells us about a Polish nun, sister Faustina, a mystic and visionary who was recognised as a saint by Pope John Paul II and who faced a very important mission in her life. The audience will get to know some unknown facts and learn about the birth of the unique cult of Divine Mercy, which has gained popularity in all corners the world. The role of Faustina is played by Kamila Kamińska – winner of the best newcomer actress award at the Gdynia Film Festival for her role in “Breaking the Limits” and “Letters to Santa 3”. “Love & Mercy” also stars Maciej Małysa, who played alongside John Voight himself in the famous miniseries “Pope John Paul II” and Janusz Chabior, known to the wider audience from films such as “Hatred”. Michał Kondrat is the film’s director – he also created, among others, “Two Crowns”, a feature film dedicated to the life of Father Maximilian Kolbe.
The peaceful and devout life of Sister Faustina Kowalska one day changes completely. The nun sees the vision of Jesus Christ who asks her to proclaim the truth about his Divine Mercy and prepare the world for his final coming. The task seems impossible to achieve; however, Sister Faustina does her best to meet this request. More evidence gradually comes to light confirming that the nun really did see Jesus Christ. After conducting scientific research, it turns out that the image of Christ visible in the portrait painted according to her instructions is identical to Christ’s facial features and his figure as featured on the Shroud of Turin. The actions of the Polish nun gave rise to the cult of Divine Mercy, which is worshipped by hundreds of millions of people on all continents of the world. The extraordinary meeting between Sister Faustina and Jesus was validated by numerous popes, including John Paul II, who officially made her a saint on 30 April 2000 and established the Divine Mercy Sunday, which Jesus himself demanded in his revelation to Sister Faustina.
Genre: historical/drama/religious
Production: Poland 2019
Written and directed by: Michał Kondrat (“Two Crowns”)
Production: Maximilian Kolbe Film Foundation, TVP. Cast: Kamila Kamińska (“Breaking the Limits”, “Letters to Santa 3”), Maciej Małysa (“The Mighty Angel”, “Pope John Paul II”, “Father’s Law”), Janusz Chabior (“Klecha”, “Women of Mafia”, “Botox”, “Cursed”, “Hatred”), Remigiusz Jankowski (“Hatred”, “General Nil”), Piotr Cyrwus (“Pan Tadeusz”, “God in Krakow”, “Cursed”), Jacek Borkowski (“Na plebanii w Wyszkowie”, “Czarna plaża”), Tadeusz Chudecki (“Two Crowns”, “Chemo”, “Warsaw 44”)
This text was published in DoRzeczy weekly on 14 March 2019. DoRzeczy 14.03.2019