Copyright Variety
Pope Leo is set to host a Hollywood gathering at the Vatican. The Chicago-born pontiff — who is also the first pope from the U.S. — will be holding a special audience at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on Saturday morning to be attended by dozens of stars including Cate Blanchett, Chris Pine, Viggo Mortensen, Alison Brie, Dave Franco and Monica Bellucci, the Vatican has announced. Oscar-winning directors Spike Lee, George Miller, Giuseppe Tornatore and Gus Van Sant are also expected at the event, which is being organized by the Vatican’s culture office as part of the Catholic Church’s ongoing Holy Year celebrations. The pope “has expressed his desire to deepen dialogue with the World of Cinema… exploring the possibilities that artistic creativity offers to the mission of the Church and the promotion of human values,” the Vatican said in a statement. In a further signal that Pope Leo is intent on cultivating a close rapport with the movie milieu, the Vatican shared four of the pope’s favorite films. They are: Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946), Robert Wise’s “The Sound of Music” (1965), Robert Redford’s “Ordinary People” (1980) and Roberto Benigni’s “Life Is Beautiful” (1997). There is no precedent in recent memory for an event of this type at the Vatican, though the late Pope Francis in June 2024 hosted an Vatican gathering for comedians that included U.S. late-night hosts Conan O’Brien, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon. The announcement comes after Pope Leo met with Robert De Niro and his children, Julian De Niro and Drena De Niro, at the Vatican last week. De Niro was in Rome being honored with the Lupa Capitolina, the city’s top honor, and attending the inauguration of his Nobu Hotel Roma on the iconic Via Veneto.
