young_scholar Cardinal Lustinger's confession of faith is a compelling story. Yet, I do not find Catholics speaking much of him. I suspect there is an important clue in this movie why Jean - Paul gave Lustinger the Red Hat. In their first meeting Jean - Paul told Lustinger "there are alot of perfumed Italian priests who'd like to teach me how to be pope." Jean - Paul also spoke of his childhood Jewish playmate, Jerzey. I suspect Jean - Paul, the master of languages, needed someone nearby with whom he could converse privately in a tongue incomprehensible to snooping ears. In addition to negotiating the departure of the Carmelite nuns from Auschwitz, Cardinal Lustinger must be credited for being the very first in the Christian world to detect the fallacies in a popular movie about the passion.

sergelamarche This seems to be a TV movie. It explains his impacts in the 80s but it is not an epic journey. His life however was probably more epic. Lots of arguing but the film seems to lack poise. It is somewhat light like a comedy. Also, too much smoking by the church representants looks like sin nowaday. Although probably accurate, it does not convey the stress but rather a bad habit.

Alex Deleon Viewed at the Third Jewish Film Festival of Budapest, November 20-23, 2014."Le Métis de Dieu" or "The Jewish Cardinal" is a most poignant docudrama based on the actual biography of Jean-Marie Lustiger, the Archbishop of Orléans from 1981 to 2005. NOTE: The French word "métis" means Half-breed" so a direct translation of the French title would be "God's Half-breed" -- not inappropriate! The Jewish catch of this film -- and what a catch it is -- is that Lustiger was actually a Polish born Jew who was made to convert to Catholicism early in life and then rose through the ranks of the French Catholic hierarchy in an unstoppable arc. Always aware of his Jewish background he suffers all kinds of conflicts, internal and external, but eventually becomes buddies with Polish Pope John Paul II -- so friendly in fact that he calls the Pope by his secular first name, Karol, (originally Karol Wojtyla) at the dinner table. The portrayal of Pope Jean- Paul II by actor Aurélien Recoing is so off-the-wall that this aspect of the film alone would be well worth the price of admission to any self-respecting Polak. It is known that Jean Paul was athletic, but here we see him plunging into his private swimming pool, driving a car, and generally cavorting about like a rather ribald ordinary citizen. Obviously a point director Ilan Duran Cohen (Obviously Jewish) wanted to make in passing. The climax is reached when at The Pope's behest Lustiger is called upon to act as an intermediary negotiator at the gates of Auschwitz between Christian proponents of a Carmelite Convent Which has popped up next to the former Concentration Camp, and vehemently protesting Jews who consider it an outrage to erect a Christian monument on the very ground where so many Jews were murdered -- (by Christian! -- even if not in the name of religion.). This is a gripping drama straight through with complex psychological repercussions at every turn. Originally made for French TV but reads far more like an in situ cinema film. Laurent Lucas is Lustiger in a role to remember. Great picture, and not only for the obviously Jewish content. BRAVO, Ilan D. Cohen, Regisseur!

dbrayshaw This movie carries with it a large amount of animosity between Jews and Catholics, especially in regard to who owned the rights to display Auschwitz as a central part of their history of suffering. But, to me, it expresses a great need to announce to the world the completeness by those Jews who have grown to accept Jesus as their long awaited Messiah. What some have come to call themselves today -- those who are both Christian and Jewish at birth -- is a "completed Jew." There are today many Messianic Christian fellowships, one of which is called Jews for Jesus. Obviously, during the time this film was made, there weren't that many completed Jews making public statements, so that is why it was so newsworthy in the mid 80s. Today, this fact should be old news.