In a significant address at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV has issued a direct and urgent warning to prominent Hollywood figures about the troubling decline of the cinema industry.
A Call to Preserve the Big Screen
The pontiff spoke to a gathering of film stars on Saturday, 15th November 2025, which included Cate Blanchett, Monica Bellucci, Chris Pine, and Oscar-winning director Spike Lee. He expressed deep concern that cinemas are being removed from cities and neighbourhoods, urging institutions to cooperate in affirming the activity's social and cultural worth.
He described the current state of the industry as a cause for alarm, with many people believing the art of cinema and the cinematic experience are in genuine danger. His comments come at a time when box office revenues in many countries remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels, with multiplexes in the United States and Canada recently recording their worst summer performance since 1981, excluding the Covid-19 shutdown period.
Cinema as a 'Workshop of Hope'
The first American pope framed cinema as a vital workshop of hope in an era of global uncertainty and digital overload. Celebrating its 130th anniversary, he reflected on its evolution from a simple play of light and shadow into a powerful medium capable of revealing humanity's deepest questions.
"Cinema is not just moving pictures; it sets hope in motion," he stated, adding that entering a theatre was like crossing a threshold where the imagination widens and even pain can find new meaning.
Defending Art Against Algorithms
Pope Leo directly criticised a culture shaped by constant digital stimuli, which he said risks reducing stories to what algorithms predict will succeed. "The logic of algorithms tends to repeat what works, but art opens up what is possible," he argued.
He urged filmmakers to courageously defend slowness, silence and difference when they serve a story. He also encouraged artists to confront difficult subjects like violence, war, poverty, and loneliness with honesty, noting that good cinema does not exploit pain; it recognises and explores it.
Praising the collaborative nature of filmmaking, he called it a collective endeavour in which no one is self-sufficient, highlighting not just directors and actors but the vast array of behind-the-scenes workers whose craft makes movies possible.
The audience concluded with the long list of invitees meeting the pope individually. Many offered gifts, including Spike Lee, who presented him with a New York Knicks basketball shirt emblazoned with "Pope Leo 14". This meeting follows the pontiff's earlier audience with actor Robert De Niro in November.
Ahead of the gathering, the Vatican shared a list of the pope's four favourite films, offering a glimpse into his cinematic tastes:
- The Sound of Music directed by Robert Wise
- It's a Wonderful Life by Frank Capra
- Ordinary People by Robert Redford
- Life Is Beautiful by Roberto Benigni
