Pope Leo XIV Urges Filmmakers to Embrace Cinema as a “Workshopโข of Hope”
Vatican City – Pope Leo XIV deliveredโ a powerful message to a gathering of international film artists today, asserting that cinema is โfar more than mere entertainment; it’sโ a vital force for fostering community, exploring the human condition, and igniting hope in a world desperately โin need of beauty and truth.
Addressing actors,directors,writers,and filmmakers,the Popeโ described entering a โcinema as โ”crossing a threshold,” a space where heightened sensesโ and open minds allow for engagement with โpreviously unimagined ideas. He emphasized that audiences seek not only entertainment, but also “meaning, beauty, and justice,” and that โขcinema hasโ the potential to offer precisely that in an increasingly screen-saturated world.
“It is indeed an intersection of โdesires,โ memories and questions,” Pope Leo stressed, adding thatโ cinema educates the mind and cultivates inventiveness. He further highlightedโค the crucial role cinemas play as โ”the beating heartsโฃ of our communities because they contribute to making them more human.”
However, the Pope acknowledged the current challenges facing the industry, noting the decline of theaters and theโ danger to “the art of cinema and the cinematic experience.” He urged โคinstitutions to persevere and collaborateโค to preserve the cultural and social value of cinema, stating that beauty is “not an escape from reality, but a call.”
Pope Leo XIV underscored the power of authentic cinema to challenge rather than simply console, prompting reflection on the questions within our hearts. He โขconnected this to the current jubilee Year, framing all those present as “pilgrimsโ of hope,”โค whose journey is measured “not in kilometersโ butโข in images, words, emotions, shared memories and โฃcollective desires.”
The Pope expressed his desire to renew the friendship between the Church and the world of cinema, describing cinema asโ “a workshop โคof hope, a place where people can once again โฃfind themselves and their purpose,” and callingโข on all involvedโค to make it “an art of the Spirit.” Heโ challenged filmmakers to be bold in confronting the world’s problems, stating, “Good cinema doesโ not exploit pain; โฃit recognizes and explores โฃit,” – a practice he attributed to “all the great directors.” He further noted that giving voice to complex emotions is “an act of love.”
Acknowledging the collaborative nature of filmmaking, Pope leo XIVโ emphasized the โฃimportance of every role, from directors and prop masters to electricians and makeup artists, โขin bringing a vision to life. He celebrated the “mixture of gifts and talents” that allows each individual to “make their unique charisma shine in a collaborative and โfraternalโข atmosphere.”
The audience concluded withโ personal greetings to Pope Leo โXIV.American actress Cate Blanchett presented the Pope with a bracelet,โข while American filmmaker Spike Lee gifted him a personalized basketball jersey of the new York Knicks.
