Poor Italian peasant boy Francesco is certain he will become a priest. After entering the Capuchin Order, Padre Pio (his new name) finds he has powers: He heals the sick and “reads” strangers’ souls. He opens a hospital for the poor, saying, “Christ is in every ill person, but in poor ill, he is twice as much,” and telling doctors, “Remember, if you don’t bring LOVE to your work, all your efforts are nothing.” In 1918, stigmata appear on his hands and feet, and a cult grows around him. Considering him a charlatan, the Catholic Church prohibits him from carrying out his role as a priest. But ordinary people believe in him and the miracles. Before his death in 1968, Padre Pio reconciles with the Vatican, which in 2002 recognizes him as a saint. (2000)
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Paul Edgecombe (Tom Hanks) is in charge of death row in a 1935 Louisiana penitentiary. The cell block is called “The Green Mile” due to its green linoleum floor – the path an inmate walks from his cell to the room with the electric chair. Edgecombe’s life changes with the admission of John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), who was convicted of the rape and murder of two young sisters. Coffey possesses a miraculous, mysterious power to heal, and Paul realizes he is innocent of the crime. While Coffey awaits execution on death row, he infects others with life. (1999)
Sponsored by the Center on Religion & the Professions