WOF 533: Hollywood & Catholic Priests

WOF 533: Hollywood & Catholic Priests

From The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture by Bishop Robert Barron

April 13, 2026 · 39 min · Episode 533

About this episode

The episode explores Hollywood's ambivalence towards Catholicism and the portrayal of Catholic priests in film.

Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show . I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show . Thank you for joining us. Hollywood is not known for being friendly to Christianity in general or Catholicism in particular, especially nowadays; unfortunately, there is no shortage of storylines and characters that mock and even demonize believers. At the same time, however, whenever the film industry wishes to depict a "religious looking" scene or add a transcendent element to the plot, it frequently employs Catholic architecture, Catholic sacramentals, and even Catholic priests to do so. What should we make of this ambivalence to the faith? What does Hollywood get wrong, and what, perhaps to our surprise, does Hollywood get right about Catholicism and the priesthood? What do these portrayals tell us more broadly about potential openness within the entertainment industry to God's existence, the divinity of Christ, good and evil, and life after death? Here to take a look at some pivotal classic and contemporary films that prominently feature Catholicism and Catholic priests, with an eye to unpacking their significance for the wider…

People in this episode

Host: Matthew Petrusek

Guest: Bishop Robert Barron

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Word on Fire Institute

Books & works: Hollywood, Catholicism, Catholic priests

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