Entertainment
Pope Leo surprises fans with Vatican meeting with Cate Blanchett, Chris Pine & more
Pope Leo told a group of leading Hollywood actors and filmmakers on Saturday that cinemas were struggling to survive and that more should be done to protect them and preserve the shared experience of watching movies.
Screen stars Cate Blanchett, Monica Bellucci, Chris Pine and Viggo Mortensen were among those invited to the private Vatican audience, along with award-winning directors Spike Lee, Gus Van Sant and Sally Potter.
Leo, the first U.S. pope, said cinema was a vital “workshop of hope” at a time of global uncertainty and digital overload.
“Cinemas are experiencing a troubling decline, with many being removed from cities and neighbourhoods,” he added.
“More than a few people are saying that the art of cinema and the cinematic experience are in danger. I urge institutions not to give up, but to cooperate in affirming the social and cultural value of this activity.”
Box office revenues in many countries remain well below the levels recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic, with multiplexes in the United States and Canada just suffering their worst summer since 1981, excluding the COVID shutdown.
POPE SAYS LOGIC OF ALGORITHMS MUST BE RESISTED
Leo said cinema, which marks its 130th anniversary this year, had grown from a play of light and shadow into a form capable of revealing humanity’s deepest questions.
“Cinema is not just moving pictures; it sets hope in motion,” he said, adding that entering a theatre was “like crossing a threshold” where the imagination widens and even pain can find new meaning.
A culture shaped by constant digital stimuli risks reducing stories to what algorithms predict will succeed, he said.
“The logic of algorithms tends to repeat what works, but art opens up what is possible,” he said, urging filmmakers to defend “slowness, silence and difference” when they serve the story.
The pope also encouraged artists to confront violence, war, poverty and loneliness with honesty, saying good cinema “does not exploit pain; it recognizes and explores it”.
Australia’s Cate Blanchett said his call carried weight.
“His Holiness’s words today were a real charge not to shy away from difficult, painful stories,” she told reporters. “He really urged us to go back into our day jobs and inspire people.”
The pope praised not only directors and actors but the vast array of behind-the-scenes workers whose craft makes movies possible, calling filmmaking “a collective endeavour in which no one is self-sufficient”.
At the end of his speech, the long list of invitees met the pope one-by-one, many offering him gifts, including Spike Lee, who gave him a New York Knicks basketball shirt emblazoned with “Pope Leo 14”.
“It was a surprise to me that I even got an invitation,” Lee told reporters. “I’ve been to Rome many, many times. But (this was) the first time in the Vatican City and the first time meeting the pope. So it was… a great day, a great day.”
Ahead of Saturday’s meeting, the Vatican shared four of the pope’s favourite films: Robert Wise’s family musical “The Sound of Music”, Frank Capra’s feel-good “It’s a Wonderful Life”, Robert Redford’s heart-wrenching “Ordinary People” and Roberto Benigni’s sentimental World War Two drama “Life Is Beautiful”.
King Charles shows that royal family members are not great huggers when a group of women embrace him at an event
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Amid rumors of an impending divorce, an expert comes forward with insight into why he thinks Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are possibly end game.
The expert that in question is royal expert Duncan Larcombe and he recently sat down with The Mirror to dish on what he thinks makes the Sussexes click.
The conversation began with him saying, “There have been times in their marriage where it’s been Meghan and Harry against the world.”
Furthermore, according to Mr Larcombe, “a clear theme from when they first met in the very beginning, has been how protective Harry is of Meghan. He’s a very loyal husband – much more so than most, because Meghan gets an awful lot of negative publicity, especially online.”
Not to mention, “we’ve seen Harry supporting her in court cases, and also speaking out against those people that have wronged Meghan, which in his mind has included the Princess of Wales, Catherine.”
“There’s also been a lot of heartbreak in their marriage but their similar past experiences and traumas are what holds them together and makes them stronger.”
For those unversed, there have been many an incidents described in Prince Harry’s memoir Spare, that highlight just how bad Meghan Markle’s mental health was during their time in the UK.
Whether it was due to tabloid news or rumored rifts within the Firm, with senior members like Prince William and Kate Middleton, reports erupted like wild fires during the Sussexes’ short tenure as full time royals.
A revelation was also made that Meghan Markle started feeling suicidal at one point.
The Duchess revealed it back in 2024 with CBS Sunday Morning, for their Parents Network initiative and said, “When you’ve been through any level of pain or trauma, I believe part of our healing journey, certainly part of mine, is being able to be really open about it. And I haven’t really scraped the surface on my experience. But I do think that I would never want someone else to feel that way.”
“And I would never want someone else to be making those sorts of plans. And I would never want someone else to not be believed. If me voicing what I have overcome will save someone, or encourage someone in their life to really, genuinely check in on them, and not assume that the appearance is good so everything’s okay, then that’s worth it. I’ll take a hit for that.”
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday said the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is set to become “bigger” with the addition of two new teams in the upcoming edition, as the board launched the process to sell the teams.
Announcing the expansion on his X handle, Naqvi wrote: “Time for two new dreams,” referring to the league’s planned expansion.
“PSL is about to get bigger and better. The process for the sale of two new teams has been launched,” he added.
He also shared an invitation banner, designed by the cricket board, comprising guidelines for bidders interested in acquiring the two new franchises, with the deadline for the submission of technical proposals set on December 15.
“PCB invites bids from interested parties who wish to acquire the Team Franchise Rights for two new teams of the PSL,” the invitation letter read.
“Bid documents containing all relevant details, may be obtained from the undersigned. Deadline for submission of Technical Proposals is 15th December 2025 at 11:00 AM. The proposals shall be opened at 11:30 AM on the same day. Only technically qualified bidders will be allowed to participate further in the process.”
For the unversed, the development came the following day, PCB finalised the independent valuation process for the PSL franchises and other commercial assets.
Following the completion of the exercise, the PCB issued renewal offer letters to all compliant PSL franchises, detailing the revised franchise fees for the upcoming 10-year cycle.
Franchises were asked to respond within the specified deadline.
To ensure transparency and provide complete clarity on the valuation process, the board arranged both joint and individual meetings between franchise officials and the independent valuer, EY MENA.
These sessions will allow franchises to review the valuation methodology and raise queries directly with the evaluators.
Meanwhile, the PCB also received valuation reports for two new PSL teams. Interested bidders will be able to select from the following shortlisted city names:
- Hyderabad
- Sialkot
- Muzaffarabad
- Faisalabad
- Gilgit
- Rawalpindi
Reaffirming its commitment to a fair and transparent process, the PCB said it aims to further strengthen its long-standing partnership with PSL stakeholders.
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Expert breaks down what makes Prince Harry, Meghan Markle stick together
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