Famed director Zeffirelli: Cardinals should have chosen a more theatrical Pope
August 19, 2009
In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times, 86-year-old film director Franco Zeffirelli-- perhaps best remembered for his 1977 Jesus of Nazareth-- called Pope Benedict a “wonderful man” theologically but said that the cardinals made an “image error” when they elected him. “Catholic is another thing,” he said. “It’s open, it’s theatrical, it’s flashy,” adding, “when you have to deal with the Vatican-- St. Peter’s, ‘The Last Judgment’ of Michelangelo-- you have to be larger than life, you can’t be a professor from north Germany.”
As the New York Times article writer observed, the Pontiff hails from southern Germany.
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