Al Pacino Meets With Pope Leo XIV, Becoming First Movie Star to Get Audience With First American Pope

Al Pacino met with Pope Leo XIV on Monday at the Vatican, in what is the first reported official audience between the first American pope and a movie star.

“We are honored to announce that this morning His Holiness Pope Leo XIV received in a private audience at the Holy See a delegation from the film ‘Maserati: The Brothers,’ including Oscar winner actor Al Pacino and the film’s producer Andrea Iervolino,” Iervolino said in a statement. “The meeting was a moment of profound spiritual and cultural inspiration, centered around shared values that lie at the heart of both the Catholic Church and the film: family unity, love, compassion and the importance of contributing to the common good.”

The statement continued: “These values, which Pope Leo XIV has consistently emphasized in his recent messages to the world, resonate deeply with the story of the Maserati brothers: a family whose legacy was built not only on innovation and excellence but on profound mutual respect, solidarity and a shared vision.”

Pacino, according to Italian press reports, arrived in Rome by private jet from New York on Sunday.

In May, it was announced that Pacino had joined the cast of the Bobby Moresco-directed “Maserati: The Brothers,” in which he will play businessman Vincenzo Vaccaro, who supported the Maserati family and invested in the early days of the company. The film is shooting in Italy.

The previously announced “Maserati” cast – who did not attend the papal audience – comprises Anthony Hopkins, Andy Garcia, Jessica Alba, Michele Morrone and Salvatore Esposito.