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NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� When was a child growing up in New York鈥檚 Little Italy, he would gaze up at the figures he saw around St. Patrick鈥檚 Old Cathedral.

鈥淲ho are these people? What is a saint?鈥� Scorsese recalls. 鈥淭he minute I walk out the door of the cathedral and I don鈥檛 see any saints. I saw people trying to behave well within a world that was very primal and oppressed by organized crime. As a child, you wonder about the saints: Are they human?鈥�

For decades, Scorsese has pondered a project dedicated to the saints. Now, he鈥檚 finally realized it in an eight-part docudrama series debuting Sunday on Fox Nation, the streaming service from Fox News Media.

The one-hour episodes, written by Kent Jones and directed by Elizabeth Chomko, each chronicle a saint: Joan of Arc, Francis of Assisi, John the Baptist, Thomas Becket, Mary Magdalene, Moses the Black, Sebastian and Maximillian Kolbe. Joan of Arc kicks off the series on Sunday, with three weekly installments to follow; the last four will stream closer to Easter next year.

In naturalistic reenactments followed by brief Scorsese-led discussions with experts, 鈥淭he Saints鈥� emphasizes that, yes, the saints were very human. They were flawed, imperfect people, which, to Scorsese, only heightens their great sacrifices and gestures of compassion. The Polish priest Kolbe, for example, helped spread antisemitism before, during WWII, sheltering Jews and, ultimately, volunteering to die in the place of a man who had been condemned at Auschwitz.

Here are some key quotes from a recent interview with Scorsese, who turns 82 on Sunday. An expanded version can be found at

On the saints

鈥淚t took time to think about that and to learn that, no, the point is that they are human. For me, if they were able to do that, it鈥檚 a good example for us. If you take it and put it in a tough world 鈥� if you鈥檙e in a world of business or Hollywood or politics or whatever 鈥� if you鈥檙e grounded in something which is a real, acting out of compassion and love, this is something that has to be admired and emulated.鈥�

On Fox Nation

鈥淭hey went with the scripts. They went with the shoot. They went with the cuts. Now what I think is: Do we take these thoughts or expressions and only express them to people who agree with us? It鈥檚 not going to do us any good. I鈥檓 talking about keeping an open mind.鈥�

On his faith and cinema

鈥淭he filmmaking comes from God. It comes from a gift. And that gift is also involved with an energy or a need to tell stories. As a storyteller, somehow there鈥檚 a grace that鈥檚 been given to me that鈥檚 made me obsessive about that. The grace has been through me having that ability but also to fight over the years to create these films. Because each one is a fight. Sometimes you trip, you fall, you hit the canvas, can鈥檛 get up. You crawl over bleeding and knocked around. They throw some water on you and somehow you make it through. Then you go to another.鈥�

On his next film

鈥�(The Life of Jesus) is an option but I鈥檓 still working on it. There鈥檚 a very strong possibility of me doing a film version of Marilynne Robinson鈥檚 鈥淗ome,鈥� but that鈥檚 a scheduling issue. There鈥檚 also a possibility of me going back and dealing with the stories from my mother and father from the past and how they grew up. Stories about immigrants which tied into my trip to Sicily. Right now, there鈥檚 been a long period after 'Killers of the Flower Moon.' Even though I don鈥檛 like getting up early, I鈥檇 like to shoot a movie right now. Time is going. I鈥檒l be 82. Gotta go.鈥�

On recent movies

鈥淭here was one film I liked a great deal I saw two weeks ago called It really was emotionally and psychologically powerful and very moving. It builds on you, in a way. I didn鈥檛 know who made it. It鈥檚 this Jane Schoenbrun.鈥�

On the election

鈥淲ell, of course I have strong feelings. I think you can tell from my work, what I鈥檝e said over the years. I think it鈥檚 a great sadness, but at the same time, it鈥檚 an opportunity. A real opportunity to make changes ultimately, maybe, in the future, never to despair, and to understand the needs of other people, too. Deep introspection is needed at this point. Action? I鈥檓 not a politician. I鈥檇 be the worst you could imagine. I wouldn鈥檛 know what actions to take except to continue with dialogue and, somehow, compassion with each other. This is what it鈥檚 about.鈥�

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press