Pope and Sylvester Stallone Spar: Sylvester Stallone recently paid a visit to the Vatican and was pleasantly surprised to find out that the Pope is an admirer of his movies.
The Vatican Encounter: The seasoned Hollywood star and his family were granted a private audience with Pope Francis, as reported by Vatican News, the official source of news from the Vatican.
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
Pope and Sylvester Stallone Spar
In a video capturing the encounter, shared on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) on September 8, Stallone can be seen warmly greeting the Pontiff within the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.
Following the introductions of his wife, Jennifer Flavin, and their daughters Sophia, Sistine, and Scarlet Stallone, as well as his brother Frank Stallone, the “Rocky” star expressed his gratitude to the Pope, saying, “We sincerely appreciate you taking time out of your busy day for us.”
Source – Vatican News
The Pope expressed, “He is honored.” To which Stallone, taken aback, responded, “I’m honored as well.”
Via a translator, the Pope conveyed, “We grew up with his films.” In a lighthearted exchange, the 77-year-old Stallone quipped, “Ready? We box,” referencing his iconic boxing film franchise, and playfully pumped his fists. The Pope playfully responded with a few light air jabs of his own.
During their visit to Italy, the reality stars from “The Family Stallone” also made a stop in Gioia del Colle. Here, the “Expend4bles” actor and his 73-year-old brother received the distinction of being named honorary citizens, acknowledging their family’s ties to the region. This recognition was reported by the Catholic News Agency.
Sylvester Stallone, who is the focus of an upcoming Netflix documentary titled “Sly,” was raised in the Catholic faith but, as an adult, chose to discontinue attending church services.
In an interview with Catholic News Service, it was revealed that he rekindled his faith when his eldest daughter fell seriously ill as an infant in 1996. By 2006, he fully embraced his faith once more, considering himself a devout churchgoing Catholic.
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About Sylvester Stallone
Actor and director Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone hails from the United States. He struggled as an actor for many years after moving to New York City in 1969 and then Hollywood in 1974.
For his co-starring part as Stanley Rosiello in The Lords of Flatbush, he received his first critical praise. After that, Stallone gradually found work as an extra or supporting actor in movies with sizable budgets until, starting in 1976 with his portrayal of boxer Rocky Balboa in the first movie of the popular Rocky series (1976–present), for which he also wrote the screenplays, he experienced his greatest critical and commercial success as an actor and screenwriter.
Rocky is portrayed in the movies as an underdog boxer who battles many vicious opponents and twice takes home the heavyweight title.
Stallone was the third performer in movie history to receive nominations for both the Best performer and Best Original Screenplay Academy Awards in 1977. Rocky, starring Sylvester Stallone, was added to the National Film Registry, and the Smithsonian Museum now houses its props.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s main entrance was used by Stallone in the Rocky film series, earning the place the moniker “Rocky Steps.” Rocky has a statue that is permanently located close to a museum in Philadelphia, and he was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
