Pope Francis’s screen debut in a narrative feature film gets its first official showing on Wednesday night at the Vatican, before the film’s Christmas release.

Starring as himself, the head of the Catholic church has a cameo role in Beyond the Sun, an evangelical story about children searching for God. He is expected to attend the screening. A copy of the film has already been sent to him.

All the film’s proceeds will go to charities for disadvantaged children in Argentina, the country of the 80-year-old pontiff’s birth.

The film’s producers include Andrea Iervolino, an Italian-born Hollywood film-maker. He told the Guardian that, for devout Catholics like himself, the pope is “God on Earth” and filming him was an overwhelming experience.

Read more