The Vatican is famous for holding its cards close, a habit that has spawned a thousand conspiracy theories. As such, it is rare that the Vatican collaborates with outsiders. They made a rare exception for three time Academy Award nominee Wim Wenders and his film “Pope Francis – A Man of His Word.” The film is only the second co-production the Vatican has made with an outside film maker.

“Pope Francis” is not meant to be a biographical documentary about the 266^th leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Instead, it is “intended to be a personal journey with Pope Francis…[and] the Pope’s ideas and his message are central to [the] documentary.” The film follows the Pope around the world and includes footage of him speaking at the United Nations, United States Congress and mourning at Ground Zero and Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem.

The dedicated camera crew followed Pope Francis to the Holy Land, Africa, South America and Asia while the Pope shared “his vision of the Church and his deep concern for the poor, his involvement in environmental issues and social justice, and his call for peace in areas of conflict and between world religions.” Given the Pope’s areas of interest, the film also explores accounts of the Pope’s namesake, the original Saint Francis, who was himself a reformer and early ecologist.

According to the film’s website, a “symphony of questions” forms the “backbone for the film” which “sets out to present his work of reform and his answers to today’s global questions from death, social justice, immigration, ecology, wealthy inequality, materialism and the role of the family.”

The choice of Wim Wenders as writer and director has caught as much national attention as the premise of the film itself. Wenders was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Academy Award for his work on “The Salt of the Earth,” “Pina” and “Buena Vista Social Club.” That he was the man the Vatican chose to open its doors to and collaborate with has been a source of fascination to those interested in the upcoming film.

“Pope Francis–A Man of His Word” will be released on May 18, 2018, and give the world an unprecedented glimpse into the inner workings of the Vatican and the life of the man who heads the largest Christian domination on Earth. The trailer is available online now, and more information about the film can be found on the official website.