Pope Benedict has been offered a make-over by famous Italian film and opera director to help him portray a "happy image"Reuters reports Franco Zeffirelli says he will gladly be the image maker of the Pope, who "comes across as cold".
Zeffirelli added the Pontiff needs to review his wardrobe, describing the Papal robes as "too sumptuous and flashy."
In an interview in Italian newspaper La Stampa, Zeffirelli says it is difficult for Benedict who has come after "media-savvy pope like John Paul II".
"Benedict still communicates coldly, in a way that is not suited with what is happening around him," Zeffirelli said.
"It's an issue I have been discussing with people who have key roles in the Vatican.
"The Pope does not smile much, but he is an intellectual. He has a very rigid Bavarian structure," he said.
Zeffirelli said he was had also made proposals to "defend the image of faith in cinema, the image of the sacred."
"The Holy See intends to pay a lot more attention to this," he said.
"I am a Christian down to the depths of my spirit. I can't stand by while this disaster unfolds. I am available to put myself at the service of the Church," he said.
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