Pope Leo XIV recently welcomed a group of famous Hollywood actors and filmmakers to the Vatican. They included Cate Blanchett, Spike Lee, and Viggo Mortensen. They talked about the problems cinemas around the world are having and the fact that fewer people are going to the movies.
The Pope was sad that fewer people were going to the movies. He stressed how important it is to keep the communal movie experience that brings people together and gives them hope. He told the film community to fight against the power of algorithms and digital saturation, saying that cinema is a “workshop of hope” in today’s broken world.
The Pope told filmmakers to deal with important global issues like violence, poverty, and loneliness honestly and with moral clarity. He said that powerful stories could help people understand and feel empathy. This important event showed that the Vatican is still involved in arts and culture. It also stressed the need to help neighborhood cinemas that are having trouble staying open because of changing viewing habits.
