Pope Francis’ Favorite Movie Was — How Do We Say This — a Very Bold Choice for a Man of the Cloth

This past week, the world mourned the death of Pope Francis. The head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State was 88 years old, and his influence on the church will live on for eternity. The first Latin American pope, his forward-thinking and progressive beliefs were groundbreaking for his eminent position. Francis's open-minded approach to guiding the Catholic faithstemmed from his youth, where he was exposed to many great works of cinema that brought clarity to the world. It is fitting that the late Pope's all-time favorite film, La Strada, was directed by Federico Fellini, in many ways the "pope" of Italian cinema. While the Catholic Church and Fellini are closely synonymous with Italy, the harsh subject and tone of Fellini's early masterwork doesn't seem very Pope-friendly on paper. Beneath the trauma, however, is a story of redemption and finding your inner purpose.