The Washington Post on Friday gushed over a new Catholic-bashing HBO drama that features an “a-hole” Pope. Reviewer Hank Stuever, of course, linked this despicable character to Donald Trump. The Young Pope stars Jude Law as an “ice-blooded American cardinal” chosen to be the leader of the Catholic Church.
This ten part series features an arrogant, hateful Pope who may or may not have an affair with a married woman. Naturally, Stuever concluded, “It’s almost impossible to watch The Young Pope and not think of another newly anointed dilettante who shuns expertise and institutional precedence in favor of a radical reordering of power.”
Diane Keaton plays "Sister Mary," described by the Post journalist as a “Kellyanne Conway (of sorts).”
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Law’s character, "Pius XIII," has out of control demands:
Pius tells the Vatican’s savvy communications director, Sofia Dubois (Cécile de France), that he wishes to never be seen in public. He will not pose for photos, nor will his image grace any official souvenirs. He also fires the cardinal in charge of official papal trips, telling him that his job no longer exists, because this pope won’t travel. The world shall come to him.
Stuever marveled, “In other words: Christ, what an A-hole.”
Naturally, a horrible, arrogant, Trump-esque Pope is, according to the Post, “captivating” and “instantly fascinating.” The journalist concluded, "The Young Pope largely reads as an implausible, if cautionary, tale of absolute power, sprinkled with hints of true divinity beneath Pius’s cruel veneer.”
Certainly, the show has implausibilities. A 40-year old American Pope who refuses to be seen? These are bizarre elements. But apparently bashing Catholicism is too much fun for HBO to resist and for the Washington Post to praise.
