5 famous Hollywood celebrities who’ve shared a moment with Pope Francis

Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, passed away on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88. As per Cardinal Kevin Farrell's official statement, he passed away at 7:35 am local time at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta. News of his death came one month after he was discharged from a 38-day stay at the hospital for double pneumonia.

He was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in the capital city of Argentina and assumed the papacy on March 13, 2013, two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI's unexpected resignation. Pope Francis' appointment made history as he was the first non-European pope since the eighth century, the first pope from the Americas, and the first Jesuit pope.

Pope Francis was popular among Hollywood celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie, etc.

1) Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio as seen with Pope Francis in 2016 (Image via Instagram/@leonardodicaprio)

Hollywood A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio met the pope in January 2016, to discuss regarding environmental issues and the climate change. At that time, he was filming the National Geographic documentary Before the Flood, which was released in October 2016.

Leonardo DiCaprio's filmography includes hit films like The Aviator, Django Unchained, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Inception, The Wolf of Wall Street, Don't Look Up, Blood Diamond, etc. Moreover, he won his first and only Oscar for his role as Hugh Glass in the epic Western film, The Revenant.

2) Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie as seen at the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards in February 2025 (Image via Getty)

In January 2015, Angelina Jolie hosted a private screening of her movie Unbroken at The Vatican for Pope Francis.

Jolie has appeared in films such as Girl, Interrupted, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Maleficent, Changeling, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, A Mighty Heart, and more. She has also lent her voice to Tigress in the animated film franchise Kung Fu Panda and the femme fatale Lola in 2004's Shark Tale.

Furthermore, the 49-year-old star has directed war films like In the Land of Blood and Honey, Unbroken, First They Killed My Father, and Without Blood.

3) George Clooney and Amal Clooney

George Clooney and Amal Clooney seen at the 'Un Muro o Un Ponte' Seminary in May 2016 (Image via Getty)

The power couple George and Amal Clooney attended the Un Muro o Un Ponte Seminary in May 2016 and met with the pope to discuss his arts foundation, Scholas Occurrentes.

Clooney has given memorable performances in films like Syriana, Michael Clayton, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Gravity, The Descendants, as well as the heist film Ocean's Eleven and its sequels. As a director, he has helmed Good Night, and Good Luck, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, The Ides of March, The Monuments Men, The Boys in the Boat, and others.

Moreover, his wife, Amal, is a human rights lawyer. She has represented political figures like the Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed and Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Additionally, she has worked for the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, and several journalists like Maria Ressa, Khadija Ismayilova, and Mohamed Fahmy.

4) Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger as seen greeting Pope Francis in January 2017 (Image via X/@Arnold)

The Terminator star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, met the pontiff during a weekly general audience at The Vatican in January 2017. He later posted on X about his meeting and praised the pope by calling him "a true leader for the Church & a steward for all of God's creatures."

Arnold Schwarzenegger is known for his roles in action as well as comedy films. Among his most noteworthy films are Conan the Barbarian, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Running Man, Junior, True Lies, Predator, and Kindergarten Cop.

5) Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese as seen with Pope Francis in January 2024 (Image via Getty)

Martin Scorsese met Pope Francis numerous times at The Vatican, including in 2016 and most recently in 2024. Following his death, the filmmaker released the following statement to Variety in his honor on April 21, 2025:

"He was, in every way, a remarkable human being. He acknowledged his own failings. He radiated wisdom. He radiated goodness. He had an ironclad commitment to the good...And, he embraced, preached, and practiced forgiveness. Universal and constant forgiveness"

The acclaimed director has collaborated with Robert De Niro in popular films like Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Good Fellas, and The Irishman, among others. He has also worked with Leonardo DiCaprio in six films, including The Aviator, Gangs of New York, Killers of the Flower Moon, and The Departed.

About the author

Deepti is an entertainment writer at Sportskeeda. She comes with more than 6 years of experience in the creative writing field and has written extensively for the entertainment and travel domains.

She holds a degree in Chemistry, but her true interest always lay in the creative field. A passion for reading from a young age fueled her desire to make a career change later in life and take up writing as her profession.

Apart from reading, her hobbies include watching movies, listening to music, and going to the beach. In her free time, she can be found looking up reviews of new and old films to add to her watchlist. She also enjoys watching foreign language films that help expand her knowledge base regarding different cultures around the world.

Asked to describe herself, she would promptly mention that she is a die-hard Swiftie and enjoys nothing more than listening to Taylor Swift songs on loop while writing.

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Edited by Aatreyee Aich