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Archbishop Frank Leo of Toronto stands during the chanting of the creed during Mass with Pope Francis June 29, 2023, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
CNS photo/Lola Gomez
October 17, 2025
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Salt and Light Media is preparing to air a short documentary film capturing the humble "yes" of Cardinal Francis Leo.
Titled FIAT: The Making of a Cardinal, the film was sparked by Pope Francis' Oct. 6, 2024 announcement that elevated the Archbishop of Toronto to the College of Cardinals, a significant moment for Catholics both locally and nationally.
“ It was a great moment of joy for our organization to know that one of the shepherds of our Church in Canada was called to this College of the Cardinals and so we decided that this would be a momentous occasion to be able to, not only celebrate our shepherd in Toronto being called by the Holy Father, but also a moment for us to really celebrate what it means to say yes to a call, even when we least expect it,” said Fr. Haig Chahinian, CEO of Salt and Light Media.
Chahinian says the film is not, nor was it intended to be, a biographical documentary on Leo the person. He touts the film as a celebration of following God’s will, inspired by Mary’s Fiat to the angel Gabriel, while Leo’s elevation serves as a lens to explore this universal theme.
“ This is not Cardinal Leo the movie, but a shepherd, a son of God, saying yes to being prepared to shed his blood for his Church and for Jesus Christ — that is the heart of the film,” he said.
“The idea was to take this moment of a humble shepherd and to use it as an inspiration for faithful Catholics and non-Catholics around the world to understand what it means to say yes to God's will in line with Fiat, coming from Latin as ‘let it be done’. ”
Special moments were captured through direct interviews with Leo, ones producers hope resonate deeply with the audience.
“ When you hear the Cardinal articulate that this was a natural next step in his journey with the Cross, not the ceremony itself, not being vested by the late Pope Francis, none of the moments that we would see on the front page of a newspaper, but the articulation of his Eminence’s understanding that what he's been called to do now touches each and every single member of Christ’s Church and will touch for the rest of history,” Chahinian said.
It was the global role Leo now finds himself serving that the team found joy in celebrating through the documentary, highlighting the leadership of the Church not as glorified positions but rather acts of humble obedience.
The film is set to be released in both English and French, with Chahinian teasing a release as “coming very soon.”
“ It's a special project to coincide with a special moment for the Church in Toronto and the Church in Canada, clergy and laypeople alike, to understand the heart of all this is a humble servant saying yes, just like our Blessed Mother did,” he said.
For information on the release of FIAT: The Making of a Cardinal, see slmedia.org.
A version of this story appeared in the October 19, 2025, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "Doc chronicles Cardinal’s humble ‘yes’".
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