Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV told a large gathering of actors, directors, filmmakers, and scriptwriters at the Vatican that cinema is far more than entertainment, calling it a powerful art that inspires hope and helps people understand life more deeply.

Meeting members of the World of Cinema inside the Apostolic Palace, Pope reflected on the long journey of film since the first public screening in 1895. He said movies have grown into a meaningful form of storytelling that reveals both the greatness and the fragility of human life.

Pope described cinema as a “popular art” that reaches everyone and helps viewers look at their own experiences with fresh eyes. This ability to help people think, question, and rediscover hope, he said, is one of film’s greatest contributions to society.

He explained that entering a cinema is like crossing a threshold. The darkness of the theater sharpens our senses and opens our imagination, allowing us to explore meaning, beauty, and justice in new ways. According to the Pope, a film screen can become a place where memories, desires, and questions meet.

Pope Leo also noted that cinemas and theaters have long served as cultural centers and “the beating hearts of communities,” but many are facing decline. He urged filmmakers and cultural institutions to continue working to protect the social and cultural value of cinema.

Art, he said, is not meant to offer escape but to invite people to see what is possible. When cinema is true to itself, it challenges us and encourages us to face difficult questions with honesty.

As the Church prepares for the Jubilee Year, the Pope said artists are also “pilgrims of hope,” not traveling by distance but through images, emotions, and shared stories. He expressed his wish to renew the friendship between the Church and the cinema world, calling film a “workshop of hope” where people can rediscover purpose.

Pope encouraged filmmakers not to shy away from portraying the struggles of the world. Good cinema, he said, does not use suffering for spectacle but seeks to understand it. Giving voice to painful or complex emotions is, he added, “an act of love.”

He also praised the teamwork behind every film, acknowledging the role of everyone from directors to electricians and makeup artists who work together to bring stories to life.

After his address, each artist had the opportunity to greet the Pope. Actress Cate Blanchett presented him with a bracelet, and filmmaker Spike Lee offered him a personalized New York Knicks basketball jersey.