Pope Leo XIV hosts Hollywood stars at Vatican, laments decline in movie-going

Sanatate

Pope Leo XIV told a group of leading Hollywood actors and filmmakers on Saturday that cinemas were struggling to survive and that more should be done to protect them and preserve the shared experience of watching movies.Screen stars Cate Blanchett, Monica Bellucci, Chris Pine, and Viggo Mortensen were among those invited to the private Vatican audience, along with award-winning directors Spike Lee, Gus Van Sant, and Sally Potter.Leo, the first US pope, said cinema was a vital "workshop of hope"