Notable Catholics voice support for upcoming miniseries
If you’re a Christian who prefers a bit of accuracy in your Biblical epics, it’s likely the recent one-two punch of Exodus: Gods and Kings and The Red Tent have left you feeling a bit let down. Well, not to worry, the producers behind 2013’s hit miniseries The Bible must have felt your pain because, just in time for Christmas, they’ve released a brand new trailer for their follow-up, A.D. This new twelve-part miniseries promises to accurately chronicle the early decades of the Church from the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus up to The Jews’ Great Revolt against Rome which began in 66 A.D.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_8xKFRxgyA]
Aware that Catholics will be greatly interested in how all this is portrayed, producer and actress Roma Downey has published a letter giving her assurances that the subject matter will be handled properly. She writes, “Mark and I were excited to have met with Pope Francis this year and we are thrilled to have received endorsements for A.D from a wide range of Catholic leaders including Cardinal Wuerl of Wash. D.C., Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia, Archbishop Gomez of L.A., Carl Anderson of the K of C, and many other Christian leaders as well.”
Those Catholic leaders who were given a sneak peek at the first couple of episodes of A.D. appear to be pleased with what they’ve seen so far. Cardinal Donald Wuerl of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. calls the show a triumph and explains, “The narrative recounts how, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, a small band of men and women witnesses to the Risen Lord set out to change the world. The mission endures today and people everywhere can find both drama and inspiration in this telling of the story of the Church, her origins, mission and timeless challenge.”
Bishop Dominick Lagonegro of the Archdiocese of New York concurs. “I am truly impressed with the inspirational quality of the material” he notes, “and I eagerly look forward to watching the series next Easter season.”
The only downside to all this praise is that we’ll have to wait a few months to see if the complete miniseries measures up to it. The first episode of “A.D.” airs on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015, and continues for 11 weeks afterwards.
In a world he didn’t create, in a time he didn’t choose, one man looks for signs of God in the world by… watching movies. When he’s not reviewing new releases for Aleteia, David Ives spends his time exploring the intersection of low-budget/cult cinema and Catholicism at The B-Movie Catechism.
