Pope Francis is the leader of the Catholic Church, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a human being who enjoys regular stuff. He’s regularly shown glimpses of his humanity over the years, from revealing that he takes shots of tequila to dull his knee pain to calling out anti-LGBT laws. Now, Pope Francis has revealed that he also happens to be a big fan of Sylvester Stallone and the “Rocky” films. He’s just like us!
- The Pope met with Sylvester Stallone and his family at the Vatican recently. The 77-year-old actor was in Rome on Friday, September 8, and was welcomed at the Vatican by the 86-year-old religious leader. There, he and wife Jennifer Flavin and daughters Sophia, Sistine, and Scarlet Stallone, as well as his brother Frank graciously greeted Pope Francis during a private audience.
- The Pope revealed that he’s a “big fan” of Stallone’s work. In a video shared by Vatican News on X, Stallone can be seen expressing his admiration and gratitude for the meeting. “Well, thank you very much for taking time from your busy day,” Stallone says in the clip. “We appreciate this very much.”
- The pleasure was all Pope Francis’. No one was more surprised than Stallone to learn that the Pope was actually just as excited for the meeting. “I am honored,” the Pope told him. “We grew up with your films.”
- That’s when things got really fun. Once Sylvester Stallone learned that Pope Francis liked his movies, he decided to have a little fun. “Ready? We box,” he joked. That’s when the Pope threw a few playful punches in his direction.
- People on social media loved the exchange. “That made me smile just now,” one person commented. Another wrote, “Sylvester Stallone’s family and the Pope. There’s something very heartwarming about this exchange.” Another simply described the meeting as “awesome.” Frankly, I couldn’t agree more.
Pope Francis meets with American actor Sylvester Stallone and his family at a private audience in the Vatican. pic.twitter.com/f9tLUScwfj
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) September 8, 2023
