As the world watches the last days of Benedict XVI as Pope, a film based in Chicano literature’s classic novel hit theaters in San Diego with clear anti-Catholic faith themes.

“Bless Me, Ultima,” a film based on the 1970s Chicano novel by Rudolfo Anaya that opened Feb. 22 in San Diego, has major anti-Catholic motifs.

When a mysterious curandera, Ultima, comes to live with his family, she teaches him about the power of the spiritual world. As their relationship grows, Antonio begins to question the strict Catholic doctrine he has been taught by his parents.

Through a series of mysterious and, at times, terrifying events Antonio must grapple with questions about his own destiny, the relationship between good vs. evil and, ultimately, how to reconcile Ultima’s powers with those of the God of his church.

Six-year-old Antonio Márez (Luke Ganalon) is reunited with elderly and wise Ultima (Miriam Colon) when she comes to stay with his family in their small house in Guadalupe, New Mexico. The family has taken in Ultima out of a respect for her healing powers, her knowledge of plant lore, and her long use of folk magic in service of the community. Though they have great respect for Ultima’s spirituality, the family is anxious about her arrival, especially Antonio’s mother María (Dolores Heredia), who is devoutly Catholic.

Antonio’s father, Gabriel (Benito Martinez), is a former vaquero or cowboy, who wandered the llanos or great plains of New Mexico. María is the daughter of farmers, people who tended to their land.

Antonio’s parents argue about his future; Gabriel hopes he will become a vaquero, and María hopes he will become a priest. When Antonio was born, Ultima served as his midwife and it is believed that she is the only one who knows what lays in his future.

Antonio enjoys spending time with Ultima, learning about plants and trees and helping her gather herbs. One night, Antonio’s innocence is shattered when he witnesses the death of Lupito (Bernardo Saracino), a soldier recently returned from World War II. After witnessing Lupito’s murder, Antonio begins to wonder about sin, death, and hell. Antonio walks to church with Ultima the next morning, and she tells him that each person must make his or her own moral choices, must choose a set of values to use to understand the world.

His mother tells him that he will understand his moral questions better when he begins to take Communion, and he begins to look forward anxiously to the day he will be old enough to do so.

Antonio’s beliefs are challenged even further when his uncle Lucas is cursed by the satanic Trementina sisters. The priest is unable to cure Lucas, but Ultima, with Antonio’s help, is able to banish the curse. Antonio realizes that there is no way to explain Ultima’s powers within the worldview of the Catholic Church.

Among the anti-Catholic references in the film are that Tony’s priest is a strict, mean Catechism teacher who hits children; the film mocks the Sacrament of Penitence, or Confession; when Tony receives his First Holy Communion, children inside the church disrespect the ceremony all along; and the credibility of the Church is questioned throughout the film by Ultima’s beliefs in the natural and spiritual world.

If you’re a devout Catholic, do not go see this film, as it might be at the least uncomfortable to watch. As media coverage of the Pope’s last days before his resignation has increased, negative views of Catholicism are common on television and newspapers. With “Bless Me, Ultima,” now the big screen joins in that anti-Catholic Church mode.