Pope Leo XIV stated that the art of cinema and the cinematic experience are in danger. Inviting institutions not to resign themselves and to cooperate to affirm the social and cultural value of this activity, he drew applause from those present. Pope Leo XIV has invited numerous actors, actresses, and filmmakers from Hollywood and other industries to the Vatican to 'explore the options that artistic creativity offers the Church to promote human values,' according to the Dicastery for Culture. Also present at the event were filmmakers such as Spanish Albert Serra, Marco Bellocchio, Emir Kusturica, George Miller, Gaspar Noé, Gus van Sant, or Argentine Laura Citarella. The American pope defined cinema as 'a popular art in the noblest sense, which is born for all and speaks to all.' 'It is beautiful to recognize that when the magic lantern of cinema lights up in the dark, the gaze of the soul is lit up at the same time, because cinema knows how to associate what seems to be just entertainment with the narration of the spiritual adventure of the human being,' he said. Inhabit cultural spaces In his defense of the seventh art, of which he is a recognized passionate enthusiast, Leo XIV affirmed that 'cultural structures, such as cinemas and theaters, are the palpitating hearts of our territories, because they contribute to their humanization.' 'If a city is alive, it is also thanks to its cultural spaces: we must inhabit them, build relationships in them, day after day,' he warned. Because, he emphasized, 'our time needs witnesses of hope, of beauty, of truth,' and actors, actresses, or filmmakers can help in this, recovering 'the authenticity of the image to safeguard and promote human dignity.' 'Do not be afraid to confront the wounds of the world. Beauty is not just escapism, but above all an invocation'; he encouraged the artists who were listening to him. Likewise, the pope recalled that exactly 130 years ago, on December 28, 1895, Paris hosted the first public film screening with the Lumière brothers. Pope Leo XIV denounced this Saturday the 'worrying erosion' of cinemas and urged institutions to defend their 'social value' during an audience at the Vatican with stars such as Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, or Spike Lee. 'Cinemas are suffering a worrying erosion that is stripping them away from cities and neighborhoods. Great cinema does not exploit pain: it accompanies it, it investigates it. This is what all great directors have done,' he stated. The importance of the seventh art, he indicated, does not depend on 'the logic of the algorithm' which, he illustrated, 'tends to repeat what works'. 'Not everything has to be immediate or predictable: defend slowness when necessary, silence when it speaks, difference when it provokes. Violence, poverty, exile, loneliness, addictions, forgotten wars are wounds that ask to be seen and told.'
