The film’s most audacious scene occurs in the Sistine Chapel, beneath the gaze of Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment . Here, Bergoglio confesses his sins to the Pope. It is a stunning inversion of power: the future pope confessing to the current pope. But the scene is not about absolution; it is about revelation.
As of 2025, this unique experiment continues. Pope Francis, despite his own health issues, remains active, traveling globally and reforming the Vatican constitution. Pope Benedict XVI passed away on December 31, 2022, bringing an end to the unprecedented cohabitation. But his legacy as the Pope who retired has fundamentally changed the papacy forever.
The genius of the film is that, despite these fictions, it captures the emotional truth of Los Dos Papas : two old men trying to save an institution they love from different perspectives.
Yet, critics on the left say Francis hasn’t gone far enough; critics on the right say Benedict’s hard-line orthodoxy was the only way to prevent the moral collapse. Los Dos Papas represent the two incomplete solutions to the Church’s deepest wound. los dos papas
The Netflix film Los Dos Papas , directed by Fernando Meirelles and starring Anthony Hopkins (Benedict) and Jonathan Pryce (Francis), took significant creative liberties. Here is what actually happened versus what Hollywood invented.
The phrase "Los Dos Papas" has permeated popular culture, most notably through the acclaimed 2019 Netflix film of the same name. Yet, beyond the cinematic dramatization, lies a complex reality of theological divergence, personal friendship, and a unique "co-habitation" within the walls of the Vatican. The presence of an "Emeritus" Pope living alongside a reigning Pontiff has sparked debates on governance, doctrine, and the future of the Church.
: In an increasingly polarized world, seeing two rivals find common ground—even over a slice of pizza and a World Cup match—is deeply refreshing. The film’s most audacious scene occurs in the
as the future Pope Francis, the film explores the unlikely friendship between two men with diametrically opposed worldviews. A Clash of Ideologies
In the annals of cinema, few films have dared to place two men in a room, set them at ideological odds, and emerge with something as fragile and revolutionary as hope. Fernando Meirelles’ Los Dos Papas (2019) is precisely that film. On its surface, it is a buddy dramedy set in the gilded cages of the Vatican. But beneath the Latin chanting and the white cassocks lies a searing, profoundly human argument about the nature of faith, the burden of tradition, and the terrifying necessity of change.
If you watch Los Dos Papas on Netflix, you will be entertained by the witty dialogue, the lush cinematography, and the brilliant performances of Hopkins and Pryce. But remember: the real story of is far more complex and fascinating. But the scene is not about absolution; it
In the 2019 film Los Dos Papas The Two Popes ), director Fernando Meirelles takes what could have been a dry theological debate and turns it into a masterclass in performance and human connection. Starring Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict XVI and Jonathan Pryce
The era of Los Dos Papas teaches us three critical lessons:
