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Just because you\u2019re the pope, that doesn\u2019t meant mean you can\u2019t have a little fun. The dearly departed Pope Francis<\/a> had plenty of earthly passions, including soccer and cinema. Fellini\u2019s The Road,<\/em> Gabriel Axel\u2019s Babette’s Lunch<\/em>, Kurosawa\u2019s August Rhapsody<\/em>, and Rossellini\u2019s Rome Open City<\/em> were among the late pope\u2019s favorite films.<\/p>\n Apparently his successor, Pope Leo XIV,<\/strong><\/a> is not only a White Sox fan<\/a> but also something of a cinephile. Ahead of a meeting with iconic figures from the film world on Saturday, Leo XIV, the first ever American pope<\/a>, shared his four favorite movies of all time via a statement from the Vatican<\/a>. They include a Christmas classic, a beloved musical, an Oscar-winning drama, and an Italian film.<\/p>\n The first movie on Leo\u2019s list is Frank Capra\u2019s 1946 classic It\u2019s a Wonderful Life<\/em>\u2014where Jimmy Stewart\u2019s despondent businessman George Bailey learns to appreciate the beauty of life on Christmas. It\u2019s a fitting choice for the Catholic leader for obvious reasons (see: Christmas). Pope Leo XIV\u2019s next choice also makes sense thematically: the 1965 musical The Sound of Music<\/em>, directed by Robert Wise and based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical. Of course Pope Leo XIV loves the musical, which stars Julie Andrews<\/strong> as Maria, a nun-in-training tasked with looking after the seven Von Trapp children as the Nazis begin to invade Austria: singing nuns and escaping the Nazis are catnip to a pope.<\/p>\n Pope Leo XIV\u2019s next two choices veer a little bit farther from the papacy. He name-checked Robert Redford\u2019s 1980 film Ordinary People<\/em>, starring Mary Tyler Moore, Donald Sutherland, and Timothy Hutton.<\/strong> Winner of the Oscar for best film, it follows a family of three dealing with the death of their eldest son\u2014decidedly darker fare than either The Sound of Music<\/em> or It\u2019s A Wonderful Life<\/em>. Pope Leo XIV\u2019s fourth and final choice is the 1997 film Life Is Beautiful,<\/em> directed by and starring Roberto Benigni<\/strong> as a Jewish-Italian waiter who is taken to a concentration camp with his young son.\u00a0The Oscar-winning Italian film makes sense given Leo\u2019s new residency in the Vatican City.<\/p>\n According to a statement from the Vatican, Leo XIV \u201chas expressed his desire to deepen 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.\u201d As such, prominent Hollywood figures such as Cate Blanchett, Spike Lee, Monica Bellucci,<\/strong> and Gaspar No\u00e9,<\/strong>\u00a0as well as Italian cinema staples Marco Bellocchio<\/strong>, Raoul Bova<\/a>,<\/strong> and Sergio Castellitto<\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0will have an audience with the pope in Vatican City this weekend.<\/p>\n Perhaps on Saturday, the cinephiles will learn which films just missed the cut for Leo XIV: maybe Sister Act<\/em> one or two, Doubt,<\/em> or the recent hit One Battle After Another,<\/em> in which nuns prominently figure. In any case, it\u2019s clear that it\u2019s time to get Pope Leo XIV on Letterboxd: We\u2019d love to see his Conclave<\/em> review.<\/p>\n Original story appeared in<\/em> VF Italia<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n