Pope Francis Doc on Pop Culture Artists to Be Shot in Sistine Chapel

Pope Francis is set to feature in a documentary filmed in the Sistine Chapel about the universal power of pop culture and the performing arts, titled “Preacher of Beauty: A Spiritual Journey Through Art and Faith.”

The documentary will feature the pontiff in conversations with unspecified prominent international artists. It is being produced by Italy’s Andrea Iervolino (“Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend”), via his new film and TV outfit called The Andrea Iervolino Company, and Luis Quinelli, who is founder of a non-profit called Vitae Foundation. The director is still being decided.

The project was officially confirmed after Iervolino and Quinelli met with the pope on Monday in the private library of the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, they said in a statement.

Shooting is planned to start in March on “Preacher of Beauty,” with production taking place entirely in the Sistine Chapel, which the statement noted is “one of the most iconic and spiritually significant locations in the world.”

The doc’s title takes its cue from a 2022 summit organized by the Vitae Foundation in Rome, where celebrities of various types gathered with the pope to discuss their role “in triggering a cultural transformation that promotes the common good, universal values and a culture of encounter,” according to a Vatican statement at that time. Pope Francis joined participants at the end of the summit and encouraged them to be “preachers of beauty,” Vatican news reported. The Vitae Summit guest list included Denzel Washington, Andrea Bocelli and Patricia Heaton, the Vatican said. 

“’Preachers of Beauty’ is not just a documentary film; it is a spiritual call to embrace the transformative power of art,” Iervolino said in the statement.

Commented Quinelli: “This project stems from a profound desire to show how art can reflect the greatness of creation and bring souls closer together.”

He added, “Pope Francis inspires us to see art as a vehicle for unity, a bridge between heaven and earth, capable of sparking positive change in the hearts of all. With ‘Preachers of Beauty,’ we aim to deliver a message of universal love and renewed hope.”