(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 06.17.2025).- Al Pacino met privately with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Monday, June 16, 2025. The audience marked the first officially reported meeting between the American-born pontiff and a major film star since his election — a symbolic encounter bridging art, faith, and shared narratives of human dignity.
The Oscar-winning actor arrived in Rome the previous evening aboard a private flight from New York, ahead of the meeting arranged in conjunction with his latest project: «Maserati: The Brothers», a film currently in production across various locations in Italy. The Vatican confirmed the encounter shortly afterward, noting that Pope Leo received a delegation from the film that included Pacino and Italian-Canadian producer Andrea Iervolino.
Iervolino described the meeting as «a moment of profound spiritual and cultural resonance.» According to a statement issued on behalf of the production, the conversation centered on core human values that unite both the Catholic tradition and the cinematic portrayal of the Maserati family: fidelity, compassion, and a commitment to the common good.
“Pope Leo’s message about rebuilding the human community through shared responsibility and respect deeply echoes the story we’re telling,” said Iervolino. “The Maserati brothers weren’t just engineers and visionaries — they were a family bound by a deep sense of loyalty and purpose. That’s what we brought to the Vatican today.”
Al Pacino, who plays Vincenzo Vaccaro — a little-known but pivotal financier who supported the fledgling Maserati business in the early 20th century — is filming under the direction of Bobby Moresco. The production, though steeped in automotive history, frames its story around familial perseverance and moral conviction — themes clearly in tune with the priorities of Pope Leo, who has consistently emphasized mercy, community ties, and cultural dialogue in his young pontificate.
Although Pacino was the most high-profile member of the delegation, the broader cast includes a formidable lineup: Anthony Hopkins, Andy García, Jessica Alba, Michele Morrone, and Salvatore Esposito. None of them were present at the Vatican audience.
Vatican watchers have noted that the meeting reflects Leo XIV’s openness to engaging with the arts and contemporary culture without diluting the Church’s core message. It also illustrates the pope’s ongoing effort to harness storytelling — in all its modern forms — as a vehicle for evangelization and social reflection.
This encounter adds a distinctive footnote to Pope Leo’s emerging papal identity: that of a bridge-builder not only between nations and faiths, but between the sacred and the secular. The meeting with one of cinema’s most iconic figures underscores a simple yet potent message — that meaning, wherever it arises, is worth the Church’s attention.
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