Hollywood legend Al Pacino has become the first major film star to have a private audience with newly elected Pope Leo XIV. The 85-year-old Oscar-winning actor met the pontiff at the Vatican on Monday, while taking a break from filming his next film ‘Maserati: The Brothers’ in Italy.The meeting at the Holy See was attended by members of the film’s team, including Italian-Canadian producer Andrea Iervolino. After the meeting, the team issued a statement that read, “We are honoured to announce that this morning His Holiness Pope Leo XIV received in a private audience a delegation from the film Maserati: The Brothers, including Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino and producer Andrea Iervolino.”The meeting reportedly focused on shared values between the Catholic Church and the themes explored in the film that include family, mutual respect, and social responsibility. “These values… resonate deeply with the story of the Maserati brothers.”Photos doing the rounds on social media, see Iervolino presenting the pontiff with a miniature Maserati model encased in glass, while Pacino looks on with a smile.In the upcoming biographical drama, Pacino plays Vincenzo Vaccaro, an early investor in the Maserati automobile empire. The star-studded cast also includes Anthony Hopkins, Andy Garcia, and Jessica Alba.Pacino, who was raised Catholic by his Italian parents, opened up about his questions of faith, particularly after a near-death experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his 2024 memoir, he wrote, “I believe I experienced death that day. I returned, and I can tell you there was nothing out there. It’s over. You’re here, then you’re not.”
