Cinema “plays a significant social role as a medium and above all as an art, that is, it can tell reality by showing it close, by delving into the karst folds of man’s life, without shying away from complex or problematic glances. But cinema never forgets it is also the herald of a different view that opens rays of light on the horizon”. This is the belief of mgr. Dario Edoardo Viganò, prefect of the Secretariat for Communication of the Holy See and an expert of cinema and religion, who spoke this morning at the meeting “Spiritualité et Cinéma”. The event, promoted as part of “Festival Sacré de la Beauté” (festivalsacredelabeaute.org) at the 70^th Cannes Film Festival (17-28 May), is also attended by German filmmaker Wim Wenders.

Cinema, as pointed out by Viganò, “even managed to delve into the traces of the invisible, of God, to capture proofs of His mercy in man’s history”. This is why he mentioned directors such as Robert Bresson, Federico Fellini, Ken Loach, Jean – Pierre and Luc Dardenne and their stories of inhumanity as well as redemption and therefore of hope. “This urgency for a story of hope – the prefect of the Vatican ministry points out – has been told by Pope Francis in his Message for the 51^st World Day for Social Communications, which will be celebrated on Sunday May 28^th”, about “Don’t be afraid for I am with you (Is 43,5). Communicating hope and faith in our time”. A title, he explains, that has been chosen by Francis “to draw the attention of all media professionals and the whole community to the promotion of a real, honest message, without omitting confidence in the present and in the future”. “I would like to invite you all to offer the men and women of our time stories inspired by the perspective of the “Gospel”, the Pope urged. “That’s what – Viganò concludes – we (always) expect of a good film…”.