As Pope Leo XIV prepares to meet with the world of cinema this Saturday, Nov. 15, the Vatican has shared a rare glimpse into the Holy Father’s personal love of film, revealing a list of his four favorite movies that reflect themes of faith, family, and the triumph of good over evil.
According to Catholic News Agency, the Vatican named The Sound of Music (1965), It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), Ordinary People (1980), and Life Is Beautiful (1997) as the “most significant films” for Pope Leo XIV.
Each title embodies moral courage and hope, offering insight into the kind of storytelling the Pope believes still has the power to inspire.
Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life tells the story of George Bailey, a man whose despair on Christmas Eve is met by the compassionate intervention of his guardian angel—a reminder of the dignity and purpose found in every human life.
Robert Wise’s The Sound of Music, centered on love, family, and moral conviction in the face of Nazi oppression, also made the list. According to the Vatican’s statement, the Pope’s appreciation for such films reflects his desire “to deepen the dialogue with the world of cinema, and in particular with actors and directors, exploring the possibilities that artistic creativity offers to the mission of the Church and the promotion of human values.”
Other selections—Robert Redford’s Ordinary People and Roberto Benigni’s Life Is Beautiful—capture the fragility of human suffering and the redemptive power of love. In Benigni’s film, a father shields his son from the horrors of a concentration camp through imagination and sacrifice, a reflection of hope amid tragedy.
The Holy Father’s meeting with artists will take place at 11 a.m. Rome time in the Apostolic Palace, hosted by the Dicastery for Culture and Education in collaboration with the Vatican Museums. The event follows earlier Vatican gatherings with the worlds of visual arts, comedy, and culture.
Among those confirmed to attend are acclaimed performers and directors including Monica Bellucci, who portrayed Mary Magdalene in The Passion of the Christ, and fellow Italian actress Maria Grazia Cucinotta. Hollywood and international figures such as Cate Blanchett, Spike Lee, Gus Van Sant, George Miller, and Giuseppe Tornatore—director of Cinema Paradiso—will also join the Pope for the occasion, according to CNA.
In highlighting this meeting, the Vatican continues Pope Leo XIV’s growing dialogue with artists who seek to illuminate truth and beauty through their craft—an effort deeply rooted in the Church’s long tradition of engaging the arts in service of faith and humanity.
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