Herni 1
A Theatre for Cold Catholicism: A Historical Analysis of Paolo Sorrentino’s The Young Pope
in relation to American-European political bonds during the Early Cold War
Julia Herni
6759882
Imagining Europe: American Constructions of the Old World, 1776-present
GE3V17053
3280 words
3 February 2022
, Herni 2
A Theatre for Cold Catholicism: A Historical Analysis of Paolo Sorrentino’s The Young Pope
in relation to American-European political bonds during the Early Cold War
When Eugenio Pacelli became Pope Pius XII in March 1939, Europe was only six months
away from a German invasion.1 It was, however, the rise of communism and the Soviet Union
that troubled Pius XII more than the malevolence of the German Nazis.2 According to Pius
XII, the western European countries as well as the United States did not understand nor tackle
the communist problem when it was needed in September ’39.3 But when the Soviet Union
expanded its territory in Eastern Europe just after the conclusion of World War II, American
president Truman immediately reached out to the Holy See, claiming that US relations with
the Church were crucial in defeating the Soviet power.4 Most importantly, America needed
faith and religion to survive.5
In 2016, Europe and America were reminded of their ties via the popular TV-series
The Young Pope.6 The series shows Pius XII’s fictional successor Pius XIII, who’s pedestrian
name is Lenny Belardo. He is a young, but conservative American man. He struggles to
believe in God as he is still coping with his parentless past. This crisis of faith along with
methods of secrecy and treason in the TV-series’ Americanised Vatican allude to a similar
tension found in the American government when in 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy, advised
by the Catholic Edmund Walsh who had great status in the Vatican, claimed there were
communist spies in the US State Department.7 As the Cold War is characterised through the
presence of fear, the character of Pius XIII introduces a religion of fear, which is unpopular
among the cardinals in the Holy See.8 Similarly, it can be said that Pius XIII’s predecessor
1
Kent 15
2
Kent 15-6
3
Kent 16
4
Rooney 8
5
Ibid.
6
The Young Pope
7
Gallagher 208-9; McNamara xii
8
Jansen & Urban 237
, Herni 3
practiced a religion of fear. For example, Charles Gallagher argues that the Holy See under
Pius XII would resort to espionage easily if that could mean stopping the communists; Pius
actively fights against atheism.9 On the other hand, Frank Coppa rather sees Pius as someone
who looks for conciliation instead of conflict in a world with fascism and communism.10
Thus, the Italian director’s choice to have an American pope and consequently, an
Americanised Vatican cannot have come out of thin air. During the reign of Pius XIII’s
predecessor, American diplomacy and procedure had been influencing Roman Catholic policy
for several decades via Joseph Hurley and William Philips for example; this influence was
both financial and ideological.11 As the Cold War progressed, Pius dealt with diplomacy and
political representation more than with the religion of Catholicism.12 The Young Pope
approaches Pius XIII’s papacy likewise, where overt anti-Catholic tones make up for a focus
on the search for (a public) identity. This research aims to use The Young Pope as a case study
to understand the American influence in Europe. Thus, the following question is posed: To
what extent and how does The Young Pope, in particular the character Lenny Belardo/Pius
XIII, comment on the relationship between American political leaders and the European Pius
XII during the Early Cold War?
With The Young Pope being published in 2016 by the American television network
Home Box Office (HBO) in collaboration with the European networks of Canal+ and Sky
Atlantic, the TV-series starts off as an international phenomenon.13 Since the director, Paolo
Sorrentino, is Italian and the role of Lenny Belardo/Pius XIII is played by an English man,
Jude Law, the series reflects more of a European perspective on American influence in Cold-
War Europe than an American perspective. Consequently, the series’ portrayal of Americans
and their culture is distorted. For the sake of this paper, the American characters will be seen
9
Gallagher 162
10
Coppa 248-9
11
Gallagher 93-6
12
Coppa 247
13
Manzato & Mascio 245
