The Vatican shared the spotlight with Hollywood on Saturday as Pope Leo XIV hosted dozens of stars, including Cate Blanchett, Spike Lee and Monica Bellucci for a special audience celebrating the power of cinema. 

The event, organized by the Vatican’s culture ministry, took place in a frescoed Vatican audience hall. Leo called on the attending artists to use their art to include marginalized voices and praised film to console and challenge audiences. 

“It articulates the questions that dwell within us, and sometimes, even provokes tears that we did not know we needed to express,” Leo said. 

The first U.S.-born pope also acknowledged the financial difficulties facing movie theaters. He said institutions should not give up, but “cooperate in affirming the social and cultural value” of theaters, drawing applause from the audience. 

“His speech was beautiful and very inspiring, about hope and our work in cinema. We’re glad we came,” said Judd Apatow, who attended the audience with his wife and fellow Hollywood star Leslie Mann. 

“It was so inspiring,” Mann added. 

Leo spent nearly an hour greeting guests and making conversation with each attendee. Lee, a basketball lover, gifted the pontiff a New York Knicks jersey that featured the No. 14 and Leo’s name on the back. Leo may be a known Chicago Bulls fan, but Lee said he told the pope that the Knicks’ current roster includes three players from Villanova University, the Holy Father’s alma mater. Lee said Leo’s words about film were “very, very moving.” 

Pope Francis held similar audiences with artists and comedians. The audiences are part of the Vatican’s efforts to reach out beyond the Catholic Church to engage with the secular world.

A pope who “grew up with cinema”

Leo is the first American-born Pope and grew up during Hollywood’s heyday. Earlier this week, he listed his four favorite movies: “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “The Sound of Music,” “Ordinary People,” and “Life Is Beautiful,” all classics that celebrate love and hope in the face of darkness. Leo will also be the subject of his own movie, a documentary from the Vatican that traces his life from Chicago to St. Peter’s. 

“He is a pope who grew up with television and grew up with cinema, and it’s a natural (medium) to tell his story,” said Monsignor Paul Tighe, the Vatican’s culture secretary, in a conversation with CBS Saturday Morning. 

Tighe said the large group of filmmakers and actors was pulled together during the last three months. Vatican officials used contacts in Hollywood, including Martin Scorsese, to help craft the list of attendees. The hardest part, Tighe said, was convincing Hollywood agents that the invitation wasn’t a hoax. Tighe told CBS Saturday Morning that he hopes the event shows that the Church embraces the arts, instead of just tolerating them. 

“We have to trust that the artist, even when he or she is being provocative, is trying to wake us up, grab our attention, and make us think about things that are important,” Tighe said.