Pope Francis will take part in the Netflix series on the perspectives of the elderly

A book by Pope Francis on the perspectives of the elderly is the basis for an upcoming Netflix series and the pope is ready to participate.

“Sharing the Wisdom of Time” was published in English and Italian in 2018. The book consists of interviews with elderly people from around the world and includes Pope Francis' responses to 31 of the testimonies, as transmitted in conversations with Fr. Antonio Spadaro, Jesuit and director of "La Civilta Cattolica".

The four-episode series has not yet been named. It will include an exclusive interview with Pope Francis. He will continue his call to recognize the elders as sources of wisdom and memory. The seniors surveyed in the book are from a variety of countries, religions, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. They will be interviewed by young directors living in their countries and the pope will comment, according to Loyola Press, on an apostolate of the Jesuit province of the Midwest.

The anti-poverty association Unbound, which collaborated with Loyola Press on the book, will help with the documentary project. Italian company Stand By Me Productions is the producer of the documentary series, scheduled for a global release on Netflix in 2021.

At the presentation of the book “Sharing the Wisdom of Time” on October 23, 2018, Pope Francis spoke about the wisdom and knowledge of the faith that seniors can share with young people.

"One of the virtues of grandparents is that they have seen many things in their life," the pope said. He advised grandparents to have "lots of love, lots of tenderness ... and prayers" for the young people in their lives who have abandoned the faith.

“Faith is always transmitted in dialect. The dialect of the house, the dialect of friendship, ”he said.

The fillmmakers for the project will work under Fernando Meirelles, the Brazilian director of the 2019 Netflix production The Two Popes. That film focused on several imaginary encounters between Benedict XVI and Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio in the period between the 2005 conclave that elected Benedict and the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis. Critics said the film did not accurately represent Pope Benedict and Pope Francis, and instead reflects an ideological approach to the two men.

Meirelles is best known for co-directing "City of God," the 2002 film set in a Rio de Janeiro favela. He said he was a Catholic but stopped attending mass as a child.

Netflix was recently criticized for Cuties, a French-made film about a dance company that drew sustained criticism for its sexualized portrayal of minors when the film launched on the streaming service in September 2020. The film contrasts conservative culture of Muslim immigrants in which the main character is elevated to the libertine culture of secular France.

The Netflix series 13 Reasons Why also drew criticism from mental health professionals for its presentation of teen suicide as an act of revenge and a power play. Some have expressed concerns that its debut in early 2017 may have contributed to a measurable spike in teenage male suicide