Pope Francis meets with Denzel Washington and other celebrities at the Vatican

ROME – After a difficult last week of August, Pope Francis will have a chance to relax with Denzel Washington, Patricia Heaton and Andrea Bocelli.

On August 31st and September 1st an ecumenical summit meeting will take place in the Vatican, bringing together artists from different disciplines and different Christian traditions.

Pope Francis is expected to attend the summit and address participants who, in addition to Washington, Warm up and Bocelliwill also include Jessica and David Oyelowo, Jonathan Roumie – who portrays Jesus in – The chosen ones, Eduardo VerasteguiJ. Balvin, Marcus Mumford and many other artists from the film, television and music industries.

The event is organized by Vitae, which, according to its website, leverages the media, arts and entertainment industries to “instill values ​​throughout society and create a heart-changing encounter to inspire a world that always… getting better”.

“In a society full of bad news and negative facts on the public agenda, the international Vitae movement aims to make good fashionable; To articulate actions of diverse working groups, individuals and organizations to promote a better world for all,” said Luis Quinelli, executive director of the Vitae Foundation, introducing the first Vitae Summit.

The event consists of a working meeting between artists to agree on guidelines and guidelines for “the development of global initiatives towards a world where good is promoted for all,” he said, and it will be held at the Vatican Academy of Sciences occur .

Last November, Quinelli had a private meeting with Pope Francis at the Casa Santa Marta, the residence in Vatican City State where the pope has lived since the beginning of his pontificate. On this occasion, Quinelli presented to the Pope the work of the Foundation and the proposal that the Vatican should be the venue for the first Vitae Summit.

“This is not an ordinary event to give or receive, it will be an event where, with the presence and inspiration of the Pope, participants can share experiences and find, in a collaborative scheme, those messages that inspire a better world , where the great problems plaguing humanity, such as hunger, war, human trafficking and other problems, can be addressed,” said Quinelli.

The two-day event won’t be the first time Pope Francis has joined celebrities for a good cause, although this will arguably bring together the largest number of stars at the Vatican in recent years.

For example, in 2021, Francis, along with Bono and Oprah, sent a message to the International Council of Nurses, which brought together – virtually – 5,500 nurses from around the world to discuss the challenges, opportunities and future of the nursing profession and healthcare.

The Pope and Bono reunited earlier this year for an event promoting the empowerment of women in an event organized by Scholas Occurentes.

A long line of Hollywood personalities have made pilgrimages to the Vatican to meet the Pope, or at least to greet him at the end of one of his public audiences, including singer Katy Perry, actor Orlando Bloom, singer Patty Smith and film director Martin Scorsese , actor Leonardo DiCaprio, actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor Richard Gere and actress Angelina Jolie.

Although they have all expressed appreciation, if not admiration, for Pope Francis, he may not have enjoyed their works, as he famously said in an interview years ago that he had not watched television since 1990 after making a promise to the Virgin Mary .