First pope with cameo in feature film was 88

Pope Francis, who oversaw a groundbreaking pontificate as the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died. He was 88.

The pope’s death was announced by the Vatican on April 21, one day after Francis made his final public appearance on Easter Sunday, to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.

“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, said Monday morning, per the Associated Press. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”

Francis had battled several health issues in recent years. A month before his death, he was discharged from the hospital after being treated for double pneumonia, following a 38-day stay.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936, Francis made history upon his 2013 appointment to the papacy as the first pope from the Americas, the first Jesuit pope, and the first pope since the eighth century not to be from Europe. As the leader of the Catholic Church for 12 years, Francis was known to frequently clash with traditionalists due to progressive stances that included speaking out against climate change and expanding the church’s acceptance of same-sex couples and transgender people.

Pope John Paul II made him a cardinal in 2001. Twelve years later, he was elected pope in March 2013, following the surprise resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. 

In 2016, Francis made headlines as the first pope to appear in a feature film, making a brief cameo in the Ambi Pictures indie, Beyond the Sun, a faith-based film that saw the pontiff play himself. Francis was also the subject of Pope Francis: A Man of His Word, a 2018 Wim Wenders documentary based on his life.

Of working with Francis, Wenders told BBC, “The Pope has the same presence as some of the greatest movie stars I’ve worked with. But it comes from inside, from his convictions and his faith, and from his desire to talk to all of us. He doesn’t have it because he’s full of himself; he’s incredibly modest — a real, humble man. It’s not an act; he’s not an actor. He’s interested in everybody he meets, and in true communication.”

Over the years, Pope Francis was vocal about his love of cinema and forged relationships with several Hollywood stars, including Whoopi Goldberg, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Angelina Jolie.

In 2023, the Pope met with legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese at the Vatican, prompting the Oscar-winner to announce an upcoming project about the life of Jesus Christ.

“I have responded to the Pope’s appeal to artists in the only way I know how: by imagining and writing a screenplay for a film about Jesus, and I’m about to start making it,” Scorsese announced that weekend, following the premiere of his latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon.

As for Francis’ onscreen portrayals, he was also the subject of 2020’s documentary Francesco from director Evgeny Afineevsky, the 2021 four-part Netflix docuseries Stories of a Generation — with Pope Francis, and 2022’s In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis, a travelogue of 35 journeys made by Francis.