If you’re interested in the historical aspect of the Catholic church you should probably be watching Pope: The Most Powerful Man in History. If you’re interested in the religious aspect and getting the true nature of Catholicism however then you might want to take this show with a big grain of salt. It doesn’t come out bashing the Catholic church as you might expect but it also omits a great many things as it jumps and skips throughout history in an effort to cram as much into the show as possible. The pope is perhaps one of the most powerful men in all of history as countless followers have worshiped and believed in the manner that is set down by the Roman Catholic church and have followed the words of the spiritual leader at the top of the hierarchy that has existed since the first tenet of faith was laid for this denomination.
So far there is a lot of criticism concerning what the show is covering and there’s good reason for it since politics, like a bad stain that can’t get washed out, is one of the biggest discussion points that is being brought up in the show. Instead of focusing on the good that the church has done for the people and the positive aspects that have been present throughout its existence those that are running the show seem to want to focus on the power structure of the church and how the pope figures into it. This makes the show become more about the influence of the pope and the Catholic church and less about the history and the culture that it’s brought to the world.
In fairness there has been scandal and a great deal of skepticism about the Catholic church throughout the years. As with any organized body there will always be dissidents that attempt to use faith and religion to lord over those that have little and to gain power for their own cause rather than the righteous path that they are said to walk. But despite the fact that the show doesn’t delve into this type of material with relish it doesn’t necessarily make the church seem all that benevolent either. While the good and the bad need to be represented there has to be a certain balance that should be recognized as necessary when attempting to showcase something that is seen as a rather sensitive topic to so many. Catholics don’t want to see their spiritual leader and their religion trashed, but they also don’t want to see the truth buried beneath a list of facts and data that have little bearing on the true history of the church.
From an objective standpoint there are a few things that could be done differently but there are also moments in the show when you get the feeling that you’re getting to see at least one of the true faces behind the church. Those that would gladly refute this are usually those that don’t want that face to be seen.
