Monica Bellucci, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, Chris Pine, and Giuseppe Tornatore were just some of the more than 70 artists from the world of cinema who have had the opportunity to meet with Pope Leo XIV.
The Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace was the setting chosen for this gathering, in which the pontiff did not hesitate to praise the ability of this art form to help people see the world “with new eyes.”
POPE LEO XIV
Original Italian
One of the most valuable contributions of cinema is precisely that of helping the viewer return to themselves, to look with fresh eyes at the complexity of their own experience, to see the world as if it were the first time, and to rediscover, in this process, a part of that hope without which our existence is incomplete.
He also took the opportunity to emphasize that cinema is not going through its best moment and highlighted the need to care for the seventh art.
POPE LEO XIV
But movie theaters are suffering from a worrying erosion that is distancing them from cities and neighborhoods. And many say that the art of cinema and the cinematic experience are in danger. I invite institutions not to resign themselves and to work together to affirm the social and cultural value of this activity.
Books, drawings, records, a film slate, and even a New York Knicks basketball jersey were among the gifts that artists and directors, like Spike Lee, had the chance to give Pope Leo.
SPIKE LEE
American director
The reason I gave him the jersey is because the Pope went to Villanova—both in high school and university… in Philadelphia. And the New York Knicks have three players who come from Villanova.
FLASH
He laughed when I gave it to him, he laughed.
Australian actress Cate Blanchett, famous for her roles in The Lord of the Rings, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Blue Jasmine, among others, took the opportunity to give the pope a bracelet with deep meaning.
CATE BLANCHETT
Australian actress
I worked with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the gift was a bracelet. I wore it in solidarity with displaced people. And, in fact, at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, we created a fund for displaced filmmakers—for refugee filmmakers—because those voices are often marginalized from the mainstream. So being able to mention that to His Holiness was truly wonderful.
It was an encounter that touched the hearts of these directors, producers, and actors—personalities who stepped off the screen to gather at the Vatican for this event organized by the Dicastery for Culture.
GUS VAN SANT
American director
It was really wonderful for me to meet the Pope and hear his message of support for cinema, as well as to meet many of the people who came today.
LORENZO HENRIE
American actor
He asks filmmakers to create meaningful content, because we need meaningful content. I agree with him. And, you know, beauty and truth are some of the greatest things one can offer. And as an artist—well, just look at the Vatican, look at the beauty of the art.
This gathering also continues the legacy of the Jubilee of Artists celebrated last February—an event meant to highlight that the artistic creativity generated by cinema is itself a reason for hope for humanity.
Trans. CRT
