Pope Francis' joke about whisky in a documentary about seminarians at the Pontifical Scots College in Rome was censored by the Vatican, according to the Scottish Daily Record. In one of the scenes in the film, shot over 18 months in 2018 and 2019, students presented the head of the Holy See with a bottle of whisky, reportedly the pontiff’s favourite alcoholic beverage.
According to director Tony Kearney, instead of handing the present to his personal assistant as the Pope always does, Francis held the bottle and said: "Questa e la vera acqua santa", which means "this is real holy water". "He guffawed with laughter and it was a real ice-breaker with the students and put everyone at ease", said director Kearney.
Kearney said his company had an agreement with the Vatican’s media office under which the latter approved the content of the footage before it was broadcast. The media office cut out the scene, saying it "didn’t want the Pope to be seen endorsing whisky".
Kearney said his company was annoyed by the decision and said he wished that other clergymen would catch up with Francis. "I think it’s quite funny how guarded his image is. Francis is ripping up the rule book, he’s ahead of the curve, and the flunkies around about him need to catch up."
The one-hour documentary, titled "Priest School", will be aired on BBC on 19 April. The director said the film would provide rare access into an ancient organization and will show what’s it like to train a priest. "These are down to earth, ordinary blokes who like a drink, like the football and live ordinary lives. It smashes the mystery", Kearney said.