A new documentary about St. Peter’s tomb features Pope Leo XIV
The documentary “Pétros ení: Discovering the Origins” marks the 400th anniversary of the consecration of St. Peter’s Basilica and explores the tomb of the Apostle Peter. Directed by Paula Ortiz and written by Andrea Tornielli, the film features Chris Pratt and was made with Vatican Media and the Fabric of St. Peter. Pope Leo XIV appears in the final scenes to discuss Peter and the significance of his tomb beneath the Basilica. The documentary traces the history and archaeological investigation of the tomb, including the discoveries announced by Popes Pius XII and Paul VI. A special preview screening is scheduled for October 16 at the Rome Film Festival.
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A new documentary, Pétros ení: Discovering the Origins, follows the history and archaeology of the tomb traditionally identified as St. Peter’s beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. Chris Pratt guides the film, which includes a rare appearance by Pope Leo XIV and is set for an advance screening at the Rome Film Festival on October 16, ahead of the basilica’s 400th anniversary in 2026. 1 2
Directed by Spanish filmmaker Paula Ortiz and written by Andrea Tornielli, the film was produced by AF Films in collaboration with Vatican Media and the Fabric of St. Peter. Archaeologist Pietro Zander, an expert on the Vatican Necropolis, also advised the production. 1 2
Pratt leads viewers into the Vatican Necropolis beneath the basilica, including areas ordinarily hidden from visitors; the documentary also features images described as never before captured on film. Leo XIV appears in the final scenes to discuss Peter’s significance and the meaning of his tomb beneath the church. 1 2
The film’s advance screening is scheduled for October 16 at the Rome Film Festival. Its anniversary focus is the dedication of the present-day basilica on November 18, 1626. 1 2
The documentary recounts the Christian tradition that Peter, a fisherman from Galilee and a leader of the early Church, was martyred in Rome during the persecution under Emperor Nero. The area on Vatican Hill associated with his burial became a place of devotion, and early Christians sought burial places nearby. 1 2
In the fourth century, Emperor Constantine ordered a major basilica built over the burial area. Construction required leveling part of Vatican Hill’s slope, while incorporating the area around the tomb into the building. 1 2
The film traces excavations supported by Pope Pius XII, which began during the Second World War. Pius XII announced the discovery of the area identified as Peter’s burial place in 1950; in 1968, Pope Paul VI announced that the apostle’s bones had also been identified, describing the evidence as convincing. 1 2
The accounts distinguish the identification of the burial site from the later claim that human remains belonging to Peter had been identified. The documentary draws on archaeological findings and historical accounts to explain how researchers reached those conclusions. 2*
The relationship between archaeological evidence and Catholic tradition in affirming Peter’s tomb as a foundation of Church authority
Archaeological evidence and Catholic tradition support related but distinct claims: archaeology bears on whether Peter was present, martyred, and buried in Rome; the Church’s teaching about the authority of the Bishop of Rome rests principally on Christ’s commission to Peter and the Church’s understanding of apostolic succession. The tomb is therefore a significant historical witness to the Roman Church’s Petrine identity, but it is not, by itself, a proof of papal authority.
The excavations beneath St Peter’s Basilica identified an ancient burial area and a site venerated as Peter’s tomb. Pope Pius XII reported that the excavations uncovered a tomb beneath the basilica’s dome, directly below the papal altar, and said that the result had been accepted by most critics. He also explicitly cautioned that monumental proof of Peter’s stay and death in Rome was not essential to Catholic faith.
The archaeological case gains context from early Christian memory. An older account in the Catholic Encyclopedia points to early-second-century testimony about apostolic memorials in Rome and describes the Vatican tomb as a long-standing pilgrimage site. That account also records complexities in the history of the apostles’ relics, including a tradition that they were temporarily moved during persecution. Thus the physical evidence is best understood alongside written testimony and the history of Christian veneration, rather than as a simple, self-interpreting identification.
Archaeology can make the tradition of Peter’s Roman burial historically more plausible and illuminate how early Christians honored the site. It cannot, on its own, establish every detail of the tradition or demonstrate a theological claim about the jurisdiction of later popes.
Catholic reasoning about Roman authority is broader than the location of Peter’s grave. It joins the New Testament’s Petrine texts—especially Jesus’ words to Peter in Matthew 16 and the commission to shepherd in John 21—with the Church’s belief that Peter’s pastoral mission continues in his successors. The Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity describes Peter’s burial and martyrdom in Rome as an early basis for applying those texts to the Bishop of Rome; it also traces how this connection became more explicit over time, especially in the teaching of Pope Leo I.
That development matters: the Catholic claim is not that the archaeological discovery created the papacy, but that Rome’s remembered link to Peter became a concrete historical and devotional witness to a ministry the Church understands as instituted by Christ. Benedict XVI likewise explained that the Roman See’s significance rests on its reception of Peter’s mission and that the bishop’s “chair” symbolizes his service to the unity and faith of the whole Church.
Christians have not interpreted Peter’s role or its implications for Roman primacy in the same way. The Dicastery’s ecumenical study notes that Eastern traditions have understood the relevant Scriptures and patristic evidence differently; some traditions also associate Peter’s succession with Antioch. It presents the history of the Roman claim as a theological development, not as an interpretation universally shared by all Christians.
So the tomb functions as a powerful historical sign of Rome’s Petrine memory and as support for the tradition that Peter ended his ministry there. The specifically Catholic conclusion about the Bishop of Rome’s authority depends on how Scripture, apostolic succession, and the Church’s received tradition are read together—not on archaeology alone.