The Pope is coming! The Pope is coming to Discovery+ just in time to start Holy Week on Sunday, March 28. Francesco will be released in virtual cinemas before it debuts on the streaming service. Francesco premiered at last October’s Rome Film Festival. Pope Francis documentary was directed and produced by the Oscar and Emmy nominated filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky for 2015’s Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom. 

Afineevsky was given unique access to the Pope and the Vatican. The documentary explores the Pope’s ministry and spiritual leadership across the globe and his views on LGBTQ issues, climate change, women’s rights, sexual exploitation, the growing right-wing populist movements, the global refugee crisis, and the run-up to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is an honor to host the global premiere of Francesco on Discovery+, spotlighting an intimate look at one of the world’s most beloved and influential leaders, Pope Francis,” said Lisa Holme, group SVP of content and commercial strategy at Discovery, in a statement. “We are thrilled to work with a powerful storyteller like Evgeny on this important project, which is emblematic of our ability to expand our documentary programming aperture on Discovery+ to serve subscribers around the world with a diverse and growing slate of originals.”

The documentary features interviews with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Francis’ nephew Jose Ignacio Bergoglio, Juan Carlos Cruz, a survivor of sexual abuse by a priest, and Pope Francis.