Spike Lee presented a New York Knicks jersey to Pope Leo XIV on Saturday as the US Pope welcomed movie stars to the Vatican, where he called cinema a medium of hope.
More than 100 film industry professionals, whether actors, directors or producers, were welcomed by the Pope inside the Apostolic Palace, including Cate Blanchett, Alison Brie, Judd Apatow and Viggo Mortensen.
Blanchett told reporters after the audience, “His words were extraordinary and I want cultural ministers around the world to take note. He talked about compassion and leaning into the problems of the world.”
Italians Monica Bellucci, Dario Argento and Matteo Garrone were also present for the audience with the Pope, who personally shook hands with all invitees, including director Lee, an avid Knicks fan, who presented him with the basketball team’s jersey.
Lee later said, “He’s the 14th Pope, so the number was 14. And in the back, Pope Leo said,” adding that the Knicks had three players from Villanova University of Pennsylvania, which former Robert Prevost attended.
The 70-year-old Pope, dressed in white, told the group that “when the magic light of the cinema illuminates the darkness, it also ignites the eyes of the soul.”
He said, “One of cinema’s most valuable contributions is to help audiences reflect on their lives, to see the complexity of their experiences with new eyes, and to examine the world as if for the first time. In doing so, they rediscover a part of the hope that is essential for humanity to live fully.”
– ‘Harbinger of humanity’ –
On Wednesday, the Vatican said the invitation to the world of cinema was aimed at exploring “the possibilities offered by artistic creativity to promote the mission of the Church and human values.”
In front of the audience, Leo revealed four of his favorite films, most of which had hope as a central theme.
The films were: “It’s a Wonderful Life”, in which an angel is sent from heaven to help a desperate family man, the iconic musical “The Sound of Music”, Robert Redford’s family drama “Ordinary People” and Roberto Benigni’s “Life Is Beautiful”, about a father trying to save his son from the horrors of a World War II concentration camp.
On Saturday, the Pope called film professionals “pilgrims of the imagination” and “storytellers of hope and harbingers of humanity.”
The artist, he said, “was able to recognize beauty even in the depths of pain and discern hope in the violence and tragedy of war”.
He said, “Don’t be afraid to confront the wounds of the world. Violence, poverty, exile, loneliness, addiction and forgotten wars are issues that need to be acknowledged and heard.”
“Good cinema doesn’t exploit pain; it recognizes it and explores it. That’s what all the great directors have done.”
Leo’s predecessor Pope Francis held a similar event at the Vatican in June 2024, inviting more than 100 comedians, including Stephen Colbert, Whoopi Goldberg and Jimmy Fallon.
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