If you were hoping Pope Leo XIV was partial to movies like The Conclave or The Exorcist, sorry to disappoint. Ahead of a Hollywood gathering at the Vatican, the pontiff has revealed his four favorite films, which are all, unsurprisingly, extremely safe.
In a video posted by Variety, the pope listed 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life starring Jimmy Stewart, 1965’s The Sound of Music featuring Julie Andrews, 1980’s Ordinary People starring Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore, and 1997’s Life Is Beautiful (La Vita è Bella) with Roberto Benigni.
Of those four films, three won Oscars, and the fourth was a nominee whose loss is considered one of the Academy’s worst snubs. The Sound of Music and Ordinary People each won Best Picture and Best Director, while Life Is Beautiful received an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor for Benigni. It’s a Wonderful Life was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, but lost that award to The Best Years of Our Lives in 1946.
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As reported by Variety, Pope Leo is set to host a Vatican event on Saturday, November 15th, which will be attended by Hollywood stars including Cate Blanchett, Chris Pine, Viggo Mortensen, Alison Brie, Dave Franco, and Monica Bellucci.
Filmmakers Spike Lee, Gus Van Sant, George Miller, and Giuseppe Tornatore are also expected to attend. The gathering was organized by the Vatican’s culture office as part of the Catholic Church’s Holy Year celebrations.
In a statement, the Vatican said the pope aims “to deepen dialogue with the World of Cinema” while “exploring the possibilities that artistic creativity offers to the mission of the Church and the promotion of human values.”
It’s a clear move to deepen ties with Hollywood compared to his predecessor. While the late Pope Francis hosted late night hosts Conan O’Brien, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Fallon in June 2024, Pope Leo seems to be intent on courting Hollywood A-list stars.
Pope Leo has been meeting with several movie stars as of late, including Al Pacino in June and Robert De Niro last week. Last month, he denounced clickbait during a private meeting with media members and urged companies to be proactive in addressing AI.
#PopeLeoXIV reveals his four favorite movies of all-time.
Read the full story on the Pope’s plans for a big Hollywood gathering at the Vatican: https://t.co/yqWaKaM20e pic.twitter.com/roRp1M1jlI
— Variety (@Variety) November 11, 2025