One of Pope Leo XIV’s wishes is for the Vatican to connect to popular culture. He has demonstrated this since he was elected pontiff last May, after the death of Pope Francis. In addition to the more usual meetings with European monarchs and politicians, the Vatican organizes special audiences with well-known faces from international cinema. The last meeting was with Robert De Niro, who last Friday went to the Vatican with part of his family for a private audience in which Leandro, nephew of the actor who died at the age of 19 from an overdose in 2023, was remembered.
The Pontiff’s next step is the special audience he will offer next Saturday morning at the Apostolic Palace, where he will receive a delegation of Hollywood stars, as reported by the Vatican. Among the celebrities who will participate in the event are the actors Cate Blanchett, Monica Bellucci, Viggo Mortensen and Dave Franco, the director Spike Lee and the Spanish director Albert Serra. The objective is to explore “the possibilities that artistic creativity offers the Church”. Oscar-winning directors George Miller, Giuseppe Tornatore and Gus Van Sant are also expected.
According to the Vatican, the meeting is part of the Holy Year celebrations carried out by the Church and aims to “deepen dialogue with the world of cinema and the promotion of human values”. Other well-known faces of Italian cinema will also be present, such as directors Gianni Amelio, Francesca Archibugi and Marco Bellocchio.
The event is promoted by the Dicastery for Culture and Education, in collaboration with the Dicastery for Communication and the Vatican Museums, and gives continuity to other meetings dedicated to the arts, such as those held on Figurative Arts in 2023 and on Humor in 2024.
With this audience, the Vatican adds, Pope Leo XIV strengthens the Church’s approach to contemporary cultural expressions and reaffirms its interest in the dialogue between faith and artistic creativity. The event resumes the spirit of the Jubilee of artists and the world of culture celebrated last February, when Pope Francis had planned to visit the legendary Cinecittà studios and meet more than 700 artists, but in the end he was unable to do so due to bronchitis which forced him to be hospitalized.
To commemorate Saturday’s meeting, the Pontiff revealed his four favorite films in history: How beautiful it is to live (1946), by Frank Capra; smiles and tears (1965), by Robert Wise; common people (1980), by Robert Redford; AND life is beautiful (1997), by Roberto Benigni. All are part of the classics of cinema and international culture.
Robert De Niro’s visit
Robert De Niro’s visit last week came after the actor traveled to Rome with his family to receive one of the city’s highest honors: the Capitoline Wolf. This is a recognition that was given to him in a solemn ceremony by the mayor Roberto Gualtieri, for his Italian origins and his exceptional cinematographic career.
During his visit to the Vatican, the interpreter received a rosary from Leo XIV. He was accompanied by two of his children: Drena, mother of the late Leandro, and Julian De Niro. Just last Sunday, two days after her visit, Drena published a writing on her Instagram account: “Maybe I will never find the words to discover the fullness of my heart. My little Leo gave us so many signs of his constant presence during this journey. My mantilla fell every time his holiness approached me: I almost felt him taking it off while he silently scared me and kept putting it back on my head”, wrote the actor’s daughter together with an image of the family inside of the Vatican. She continued, “I was given this blessing not only in memory of my Leo, but in recognition of all the young, beautiful lives that were taken away too soon. I am filled with gratitude.”
The death occurred in July 2023, when New York emergency services responded to the scene and found the young man “unconscious and unresponsive.” A month later, an autopsy confirmed that fentanyl, cocaine and ketamine, among other substances, were found in his body. At the end of last October, five people were charged in the overdose deaths of Leandro and two other 19-year-olds. New York authorities accuse the suspects of running a fentanyl distribution ring that sold counterfeit prescription opioid pills via social media to teenagers and young adults in the city.
