Seth MacFarlane's Ted is most definitely a raunchy movie. It's titular character is a foul-mouthed, drug-loving, perverted teddy bear, and his best friend, played by Mark Wahlberg, has plenty of shared interests. Being a Catholic, it seems that Wahlberg carries a bit of guilt for the project, and as a result, found himself actually apologizing to Pope Francis for it (albeit jokingly).
This weekend, the actor served as host at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which the pope was attending as part of his six-day visit here in the United States of America. During the event, a 14-year-old boy named Bobby Hill performed an opera solo in honor of the guest, and Wahlberg spoke to the audience about a personal interaction he had with the kid backstage. Apparently Hill really enjoyed the R-rated Ted, which gave Wahlberg a pang of guilt. He said,
He whispered in my ear that he liked the movie Ted. I told him that was not appropriate for his age. Holy Father, please forgive me.
Of course, this isn't exactly a case where Mark Wahlberg is begging to know how many Hail Marys he needs to say before he's absolved (after all, it's not like he bought the kid's ticket), but it is worth driving home the fact that Ted is most definitely not a movie that is suitable for young viewers. Enter Exhibit A:
Of course, if Mark Wahlberg were to start apologizing for all his R-rated movies and their possible negative effect on more impressionable viewers, then Ted would really only be the start of the list. Here's a fun fact: since 2010, Wahlberg has been in 14 movies, and of those only Transformers: Age of Extinction, The Other Guys and Date Night got something other than an R from the MPAA. It's pretty apparent that the guy likes making movies with opportunities for swearing, sex and violence - and it's hard to blame him considering it's all worked our fairly well so far.
In his time as the head of the Catholic church, which began in early 2013, Pope Francis has had a few run-ins with the folks from Hollywood. For example, late last year the movie Unbroken - centering on devout Christian and war hero Louis Zamperini - led to a meeting between the religious leader and director Angelina Jolie. Just last month it was also reported that Pope Francis had created a shortlist of entertainment community members to invite to the Vatican this fall, with the idea of helping the church be better portrayed in Western media.
Mark Wahlberg will next be on the big screen - potentially continuing his R-rated streak - in the new comedy Daddy's Home which will reunite him with Will Ferrell. Only time will tell if it winds up causing the star to ask Pope Francis for forgiveness once again.
