Pope Leo XIV Meets Hollywood Stars at Vatican

Pope Leo XIV held an audience with Hollywood stars, including Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, and Spike Lee, urging them to continue their work as 'pilgrims of the imagination' and to help bring hope through their films. The Pope spoke out against the decline in cinema-going and praised the power of cinema to entertain, educate, and amaze. He also encouraged filmmakers not to shy away from depicting the world's wounds, such as violence, poverty, and exile. The gathering was seen as a way for the Catholic Church to engage with the world beyond and for the Pope to show his support for the global film industry.

Pope Leo XIV hosted a star-studded audience at the Vatican to celebrate the power of cinema, calling on artists to include marginalized voices and praising film's ability to console and challenge audiences. The event, attended by Hollywood stars like Cate Blanchett, Spike Lee, and Monica Bellucci, was part of the Vatican's efforts to engage with the secular world. Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pope, spent nearly an hour greeting guests and acknowledged the financial difficulties facing movie theaters, urging institutions to cooperate in affirming their social and cultural value. The pope's speech was well-received, with attendees like Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann praising its inspirational message.

Dozens of Hollywood stars, including Spike Lee, Cate Blanchett, and Greta Gerwig, met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican for a special audience to celebrate cinema. The Pope praised film as a 'popular art in the noblest sense' that challenges and articulates questions within us. Spike Lee gifted the Pope a New York Knicks basketball jersey, while Cate Blanchett found the Pope's comments inspiring, highlighting filmmaking's role in including marginalized voices. The Vatican's culture ministry organized the event to reach out to the secular world, convincing Hollywood agents that the invitation wasn't a hoax.