Pope urges Cate Blanchett, Spike Lee, more stars to confront world's 'wounds' amid cinema's 'decline' at Vatican
- - Pope urges Cate Blanchett, Spike Lee, more stars to confront world's 'wounds' amid cinema's 'decline' at Vatican
Wesley StenzelNovember 15, 2025 at 11:32 PM
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Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty
Cate Blanchett and Pope Leo XIV meet at a special film industry event at the Vatican on Nov. 15, 2025Key points -
Pope Leo XIV hosted filmmakers and actors from around the world at a Vatican event celebrating cinema on Saturday.
Attendees included Cate Blanchett, Spike Lee, Adam Scott, Chris Pine, Greta Gerwig, Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Judd Apatow, and many more.
In his speech, the pope urged filmmakers to "confront the world's wounds" amid a "troubling decline" in cinema.
The first American pope just brought Hollywood to the Vatican.
Pope Leo XIV welcomed an eclectic group of film and TV icons to the Catholic Church's HQ on Saturday to celebrate cinema, which he described as "a popular art in the noblest sense, intended for and accessible to all,” reported NBC News.
In his speech, which Deadline published in its entirety, he also encouraged filmmakers to use their medium to empathize with the downtrodden and ask important questions.
"In the present era, there is a need for witnesses of hope, beauty, and truth. You can fulfill this role through your artistic work," he said. "Good cinema and those who create and star in it have the power to recover the authenticity of imagery in order to safeguard and promote human dignity. Do not be afraid to confront the world’s wounds. Violence, poverty, exile, loneliness, addiction, and forgotten wars are issues that need to be acknowledged and narrated."
Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty
Pope Leo XIV poses with filmmakers and actors at the Vatican on Nov. 15, 2025
Pope Leo XIV also addressed a "troubling decline" in society's investment in cinemas despite their communal importance. "Cultural facilities, such as cinemas and theaters, are the beating hearts of our communities because they contribute to making them more human," he declared. "More than a few people are saying that the art of cinema and the cinematic experience are in danger. I urge institutions not to give up, but to cooperate in affirming the social and cultural value of this activity."
He also pressed his audience to maintain their artistry and individuality as the industry continues to prioritize familiar escapism. "The logic of algorithms tends to repeat what 'works,' but art opens up what is possible," he said. "Not everything has to be immediate or predictable. Defend slowness when it serves a purpose, silence when it speaks, and difference when evocative."
The pope continued, "Beauty is not just a means of escape; it is above all an invocation. When cinema is authentic, it does not merely console, but challenges. It articulates the questions that dwell within us, and sometimes, even provokes tears that we did not know we needed to express."
Cate Blanchett was among the celebrities in the audience at the event, and echoed the pope's sentiments about cinema in comments to reporters. "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, according to NBC News. "Sitting in the dark with strangers is a way in which we can reconnect to what unites us rather than what divides us."
Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty
Pope Leo XIV and Spike Lee at the Vatican on Nov. 15, 2025
Also in attendance was Spike Lee, who admitted that he did not expect to make the cut. "It was a surprise to me that I even got invited," the Do the Right Thing director said on the red carpet.
Lee, a die-hard New York Knicks fan, gave the pope a custom jersey representing his favorite NBA team, noting that three of the franchise's players — Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges — attended the same university as the Chicago-born pontiff.
"This afternoon in Vatican City, I presented Pope Leo with a New York Knicks Brand Jordan jersey," the Malcolm X filmmaker wrote on Instagram. "The pontiff graduated from Villanova and so did Brunson, Hart, and Bridges. Orange and blue skies. Ya-dig. Sh🏀-Nuff."
Mario Tomassetti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty
Pope Leo XIV and Monica Bellucci at the Vatican on Nov. 15, 2025
Others in attendance included Greta Gerwig, Viggo Mortensen, Chris Pine, Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Monica Bellucci, Judd Apatow, Leslie Mann, Adam Scott, Darren Aronofsky, Gus Van Sant, The Green Knight filmmaker David Lowery, Succession star J. Smith Cameron, Manchester by the Sea director Kenneth Lonergan, and Across the Universe director Julie Taymor.
Other filmmakers from around the world also attended the event, including Gaspar Noe (Climax), Bertrand Bonello (The Beast), Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir), Marco Bellocchio (The Traitor), and Albert Serra (Pacification).
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Leo, who ascended to the papacy in May, is a noted cinephile, and recently shared his four favorite movies of all time: Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, Robert Wise's The Sound of Music, Robert Redford's Ordinary People, and Roberto Benigni's Life Is Beautiful.
on Entertainment Weekly
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