By Michaela Gordoni
GARFIELD THE MOVIE star Chris Pratt will host a new documentary about St. Peter’s tomb.
The star is currently filming the untitled doc at St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Necropolis, which is a burial ground underneath Vatican City. The doc is produced by Vatican Media.
“It is an extraordinary honor,” Pratt told Vatican News last week, “to partner with Pope Leo and the Vatican on this project. St. Peter’s story is foundational to the Christian faith.”
Pratt will guide viewers through St. Peter’s history. Peter was a fisherman and disciple of Jesus who was martyred on Vatican Hill in 64 AD. In 1939, Pope Pius XII began excavations under the Basilica to locate the apostle’s burial site. His remains were not found until 1968.
Related: Actor Chris Pratt and His Brother Cully Step Up to Help Kids in an Incredible Way
“The relics of Peter,” Pontiff Paul VI said at the time, “have been identified in a way that we can consider convincing…We have reason to believe that the few, but sacrosanct, mortal remains of the Prince of the Apostles have been found.”
St. Peter’s bones were not publicly displayed until many years later in 2013, when Pope Francis held them during a Mass in St. Peter’s Square and marked the end of the Church’s Year of Faith, Catholic News Agency reported.
Paula Ortiz will direct the documentary, and Andrea Tornielli will write it. It will come out next year, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the current St. Peter’s Basilica on November 18, 1626, Deadline reported.
Pratt is a born-again Christian, but his wife is Catholic and they are raising their children Catholic, EWTN reported. Pratt frequently gets involved in Catholic projects and is partnering with the Catholic prayer app, Hallow.
“It is an extraordinary honor to partner with Pope Leo and the Vatican on this project,” Pratt said in a statement. “St. Peter’s story is foundational to the Christian faith, and I’m deeply grateful for the trust and access granted to help bring his legacy to the screen.”
The documentary synopsis says, “Step by step, in an exciting journey through time, through exclusive images never seen before, the viewer will be involved in an engaging journey that will lead them to discover the tomb of Peter, which Emperor Constantine wanted to preserve by leveling the Vatican Hill to build the first large Basilica in which the tomb area was incorporated.”
It’s not expressly clear what date the documentary will come out next year, but it will likely be late fall, lining up with St. Peter’s Basilica’s anniversary.
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +1Share:
– Content: +1