In May, Pope Leo XIV was elected by his fellow red-robed cardinals to lead the Catholic Church. As the first U.S.-born pope, (and, I strongly suspect, the first pope to wear Chicago White Sox merch), his appointment immediately made history. Apparently, now he’s bringing another piece of the U.S. into Vatican City: Hollywood.
On November 15, the pope will host a special “World of Cinema” gathering at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. According to Variety, dozens of stars were invited to the pope’s little party, including Cate Blanchett, Chris Pine, Adam Scott, Viggo Mortensen, Alison Brie, Dave Franco, and Monica Bellucci. Directors Spike Lee, George Miller, Giuseppe Tornatore, and Gus Van Sant have also scored invites.
To further cement his status as a pope for the arts, the pontiff also listed his four favorite films for a video posted by Variety: It’s a Wonderful Life, The Sound of Music, Ordinary People, and Life Is Beautiful. Get this guy in the Criterion closet stat.
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@varietymagazine #PopeLeoXIV reveals his four favorite movies of all-time.
Apparently, these Hollywood stunts aren’t just because Leo is a cinephile — the pope “has expressed his desire to deepen dialogue with the World of Cinema, and in particular with actors and directors, exploring the possibilities that artistic creativity offers to the mission of the Church and the promotion of human values,” according to a statement the Vatican sent to the New York Times.
So far, it seems like he’s doing great. I hope someone on the Vatican’s communications team is brainstorming other ways to harness the pope’s star power — the guy has 14.2 million followers and great taste in classic cinema. Has he considered Hot Ones?
