![\"American](\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/multimedia\/2026\/ottobre\/12\/2026-10-12-film-petros-eni.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.750.422.jpeg\" "\\"American")
<\/p>\nOn the 400th anniversary of the consecration of St Peter\u2019s Basilica, a new film explores the faith, history and archaeology at its heart. The trailer premiered at the Rome Film Festival and features Pope Leo XIV reflecting on St Peter.<\/p>\n
By Fabio Colagrande and Eugenio Murrali<\/p>\n
The film\u00a0P\u00e9tros en\u00ed: Alla scoperta delle origini (P\u00e9tros en\u00ed: Discovering the Origins) premiered this morning, 16 October, at the Rome Film Festival, where the audience gave a warm round of applause to Pope Leo XIV, who is currently receiving treatment at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.<\/p>\n
The spontaneous and heartfelt tribute came as Dr. Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, expressed his hope that the Pope\u2019s recovery \u201ccontinues to progress well\u201d following surgery.<\/p>\n
Produced by AF Films in collaboration with Vatican Media and the Fabric of St Peter, to mark the 400th anniversary of the consecration of St Peter’s Basilica on 18 November 1626, the documentary is directed by Paula Ortiz, written by Andrea Tornielli, narrated by American actor Chris Pratt and features an appearance by Pope Leo.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n American actor Chris Pratt narrates the film\n <\/p>\n
Peter: An imperfect man <\/p>\n
In a video message addressed to the audience at the Rome Film Festival and shown before the screening at the Gianni Borgna Studio Theatre in the Auditorium Parco della Musica, Pratt spoke of how deeply he had been involved in making P\u00e9tros en\u00ed.<\/p>\n
In an interview filmed at the Vatican, the actor, who \u201creturned to the Catholic faith about six years ago,\u201d also said he had been profoundly moved by his experience at St Peter\u2019s Basilica, which he described as \u201ca special and sacred place\u201d, during the film\u2019s production. He spoke of the documentary as a personal experience that is \u201chelping me define my faith\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I would like audiences to understand about Peter after watching this documentary is that he was an imperfect man,\u201d Pratt added. \u201cHe was a weak man. He was a human being. And I believe we are all broken, imperfect and weak. But his strength lies in the grace of Jesus and his faith in God. With that strength, through grace and faith, you can be incredibly strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
This truth emerges throughout the film. As Dr. Ruffini noted in his acknowledgements, its greatest appeal lies in \u201cthe Christian paradox: a Church that Jesus entrusted to the leadership of a weak and sinful man, the fisherman from Galilee who had denied him but was forgiven when their eyes met\u201d.<\/p>\n
![\"Paula](\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/content\/dam\/vaticannews\/multimedia\/2026\/ottobre\/16\/45.jpg\/_jcr_content\/renditions\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.750.422.jpeg\" "\\"Paula")
<\/p>\n
\n Paula Ortiz, the film\u2019s director, Manu Vega of AF Films, and Paolo Ruffini, Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, during the film\u2019s presentation (from left)\n <\/p>\n
A journey through time <\/p>\n
In the film, Pratt guides viewers on a journey to discover the Apostle\u2019s tomb, his life and his humanity. The images are all the more remarkable because, as explicitly stated in the opening credits, they have not been altered in any way using artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
Over the course of approximately 60 minutes, Pratt becomes a pilgrim alongside the viewer, embarking on a profound journey to the heart of the Vatican Necropolis. He first appears outside the Basilica, walking alone through St Peter\u2019s Square at night, an ordinary man making his way on foot. When he enters the illuminated Basilica alone, his sense of wonder is palpable.<\/p>\n
He slowly walks along the nave, taking in the whispers of a history spanning millennia: statues, stones and symbols of Christianity. Their voices blend gently with the soundtrack, reaching the audience as well. Pratt tells the story of a Church whose foundations rest on the blood of the Apostle.<\/p>\n
The narrative takes viewers back in time to the Constantinian Basilica and further still, to the Roman necropolis so remarkably preserved beneath St Peter\u2019s Basilica.<\/p>\n
P\u00e9tros en\u00ed <\/p>\n
From the first excavations commissioned by Pope Pius XII during the Second World War to the definitive confirmation, under Pope Paul VI, that Peter\u2019s remains had been found, Pratt retraces an archaeological story rich in spirituality, scientific rigour and discovery.<\/p>\n
The direction, screenplay and editing by Pablo G\u00f3mez-Pan skilfully bring together documents from the Archives of the Fabric of St Peter; contributions from Pietro Zander, one of the leading experts on the Vatican Necropolis, which he also oversees; images and audio recordings of the Popes; and archival footage of the renowned epigrapher Margherita Guarducci, passionately and expertly explaining her research.<\/p>\n
Pratt\u2019s journey is thus enriched by documentary evidence, bringing to life the work that began with the sampietrini (the workers responsible for the upkeep of St Peter\u2019s Basilica) and the fossori (the grave diggers), who undertook delicate excavations during wartime. Their efforts ultimately led to the identification of Peter\u2019s burial place and the discovery of the simple box containing his bones.<\/p>\n
The film is a descent into the depths of the earth in search of a truth brought back to the surface: the humanity and enduring power of the faith of the Prince of the Apostles, the humble fisherman upon whom Christ founded his Church.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On the 400th anniversary of the consecration of St Peter\u2019s Basilica, a new film explores the faith, history…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":649919,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[292112,292111,292113,40489,1503,146,292114,85,46,14655],"class_list":["post-649918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-docufilm","tag-archeologia","tag-basilica-di-san-pietro","tag-cinema","tag-culture","tag-entertainment","tag-fabbrica-di-san-pietro","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-pope-leo-xiv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=649918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649918\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/649919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=649918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=649918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=649918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}