Pope Leo is all set to host a star-studded Hollywood gathering in the Vatican as part of Jubilee Year celebrations.
According to Variety, the first US-born pope will hold a special audience at the Apostolic Palace on Saturday, November 15, that will be attended by dozens of celebrities, including Cate Blanchett, Chris Pine, Viggo Mortensen, Alison Brie, Dave Franco and Monica Bellucci.
The Sovereign of Vatican City State will also meet Oscar-winning directors Spike Lee, George Miller, Giuseppe Tornatore and Gus Van Sant in the special event that is part of the Catholic Church’s ongoing Holy Year celebrations by Vatican’s culture office.
The Vatican stated that 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.”
Ahead of the cinema-themed event, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church also unveiled Pope Leo's favourite films, which were It's a Wonderful Life (1946), The Sound of Music (1965), Ordinary People (1980), and La vita è bella (1997).
Notably, Al Pacino in June became the first Hollywood star to meet the pope, who last week met another legendary American actor, Robert De Niro, at the Vatican.
The late Pope Francis also hosted visual arts figures in June 2023, comedians in June 2024, and the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture earlier this year before his death at the age of 88.
