Pope Leo XIV celebrates the power of cinema with a star-studded audience at the Vatican

The Vatican shared the spotlight with Hollywood on Saturday when Pope Leo XIV hosted dozens of stars, including Cate BlanchettSpike Lee and Monica Bellucci for a special audience celebrating the power of cinema.

The event, organized by the Vatican Ministry of Culture, took place in a frescoed Vatican audience hall. Leo asked attending artists to use their art to include marginalized voices and praised film to comfort and challenge audiences.

“It articulates the questions that live within us and sometimes even brings tears that we didn’t know we needed to express,” Leo said.

The first American-born pope also acknowledged financial difficulties in front of movie theaters. He said institutions should not give up, but “cooperate to affirm the social and cultural value” of theaters, drawing applause from the public.

“His speech was beautiful and very inspiring, about hope and our work in cinema. We are happy to have come,” he said. Judd Apatowwho attended the hearing with his wife and fellow Hollywood star Leslie Mann.

“It was very inspiring,” Mann added.

Leo spent almost an hour greeting guests and chatting with each attendee. Leeward, a basketball lovergave the pontiff a New York Knicks jersey that had the number 14 and Leo’s name on the back. Leo may be a well-known Chicago Bulls fan, but Lee said he told the Pope that the current Knicks roster includes three players from Villanova Universitythe alma mater of the Holy Father. Lee said Leo’s words about cinema were “very, very moving.”

Pope Francis held similar audiences with artists and comedians. The hearings are part of the Vatican’s efforts to reach beyond the Catholic Church to engage with the secular world.

A Pope who “grew up with cinema”

Leo is the first pope born in the United States and grew up during the heyday of Hollywood. Earlier this week, he listed his four favorite movies: “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “The Sound of Music,” “Ordinary People” and “Life is Beautiful,” all classics that celebrate love and hope in the face of darkness. Leo will also be the subject of his own film, a Vatican documentary that traces his life from Chicago to St. Peter’s.

“He is a pope who grew up with television and with cinema, and it is a natural (medium) to tell his story,” said Monsignor Paul Tighe, the Vatican’s culture secretary, in a conversation with News Saturday Morning.

Tighe said the large group of filmmakers and actors came together over the past three months. Vatican officials used contacts in Hollywood, including Martin Scorseseto help compile the list of attendees. The hardest part, Tighe said, was convincing Hollywood agents that the invitation wasn’t a hoax. Tighe told News Saturday Morning that he hopes the event demonstrates that the Church embraces the arts, rather than simply tolerates them.

“We have to trust that the artist, even when he is being provocative, is trying to wake us up, get our attention and make us think about things that are important,” Tighe said.