Vatican uncovers screen gems to inaugurate newly restored theater

Published: 2005-01-26

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Sifting through thousands of films tucked away in the Vatican Film Library, members of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications dug back in time and picked their oldest and most precious screen gems to show for the grand unveiling of the Vatican's newly restored and modern-equipped cinema. For the Jan. 20 inauguration of the remodeled theater, invited guests were shown an 1896 reel of Pope Leo XIII and a rare 1910 dramatization of Dante's "Inferno," along with a sneak preview of a new documentary by Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni. U.S. Archbishop John P. Foley, head of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, welcomed dozens of special guests, including the council's president emeritus, Cardinal Andrzej Deskur. The new theater, "Sala Cardinal Deskur," was dedicated to the Polish-born prelate in honor of 50 years of service to the Holy See. Funding for the makeover came from the Knights of Columbus as well as from the Italian film companies Cinecitta and Istituto Luce.

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