CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) — Even when the Catholic Church suffers, “faith creates joy,” Pope Benedict XVI said after previewing a German television film about his first five years in office.

The film, “Five Years of Pope Benedict XVI,” was produced by the Bavarian network Bayerischer Rundfunk and is scheduled for a Christmas season broadcast in Germany and Austria. After watching the film July 29 at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Benedict said it allowed him to experience again some of the most important events of his pontificate, which began in April 2005.

“Personally, it was very moving to see certain moments, especially the moment when the Lord placed the Petrine service on my shoulders, a weight that no one could ever carry alone with just his own strength; it can be carried only because the Lord carries us, carries me,” he said.

The music-loving pontiff said he also appreciated the filmmakers’ decision to use Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony” — the “Ode to Joy” — as the soundtrack because it expresses the joy of redemption. “Even today, although the church may suffer much … it is a joyful church,” he said.