**Pope Leo XIV Welcomes Hollywood Luminaries to Special Vatican Audience Celebrating Cinema**
*Vatican City* — Pope Leo XIV welcomed Spike Lee, Cate Blanchett, Greta Gerwig, and dozens of other Hollywood luminaries to a special Vatican audience on Saturday, celebrating cinema and its unique ability to inspire and unite people.
Addressing the filmmakers and celebrities gathered in a frescoed Vatican audience hall, Leo encouraged them to use their art to include marginalized voices, describing film as “a popular art in the noblest sense, intended for and accessible to all.”
“When cinema is authentic, it does not merely console, but challenges,” he told the stars. “It articulates the questions that dwell within us, and sometimes, even provokes tears that we did not know we needed to express.”
The encounter, organized by the Vatican’s culture ministry, follows similar audiences Pope Francis has held in recent years with artists and comedians. It is part of the Vatican’s ongoing efforts to reach out beyond the Catholic Church and engage with the secular world.
The gathering held particular meaning for history’s first American pope, who grew up during Hollywood’s golden era. The 70-year-old, Chicago-born Leo recently revealed his four favorite films: *It’s a Wonderful Life*, *The Sound of Music*, *Ordinary People*, and *Life Is Beautiful*.
In a sign of his enthusiasm, Leo spent nearly an hour after the audience greeting and chatting amiably with each participant, an unusual gesture for such a large audience.
Drawing applause from the celebrities, Leo acknowledged the ongoing decline in the film industry and cinemas worldwide, noting that theaters—once vital social and cultural meeting points—are disappearing from neighborhoods.
“I urge institutions not to give up, but to cooperate in affirming the social and cultural value” of movie theaters, he said.
Many celebrities described Leo’s words as inspiring and expressed awe as they toured the halls of the Vatican apostolic palace, where a luncheon reception awaited them after the audience.
“It was a surprise to me that I even got invited,” Spike Lee told reporters as he walked the red carpet through the palace.
During the audience, Lee presented Leo with a jersey from his beloved Knicks basketball team, featuring the number 14 and the pope’s name on the back. Although Leo is a known Chicago Bulls fan, Lee mentioned to the pope that the Knicks now boast three players from the pope’s alma mater, Villanova University.
Cate Blanchett said the pope’s comments were inspiring because he recognized cinema’s crucial role in transcending borders and exploring difficult subjects without causing division.
“Filmmaking is about entertainment, but it’s about including voices that are often marginalized and not shying away from the pain and complexity that we’re all living through right now,” she said.
Blanchett noted that Leo’s reflections on the experience of watching a film in a dark theatre clearly demonstrated his understanding of the cultural importance of cinemas.
“Sitting in the dark with strangers is a way in which we can reconnect to what unites us rather than what divides us,” she added.
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*Image Credit: Vatican Media*
https://www.clickorlando.com/entertainment/2025/11/15/pope-leo-xiv-celebrates-cinema-with-hollywood-stars-and-urges-inclusion-of-marginal-voices/