Recently, the 75th birthday of Archbishop Bernard Boberg was celebrated with a full-on rave. The event, at a 14th-century Slovakian cathedral, was emceed by Pope Leo XIV. To the sound of pumping beats and the brilliance of flashing lights, he extoled the virtues of coming together and living life with enthusiasm.
The former Robert Prevost has always loved words and dramatic gestures. As a child, he would act out the Mass with his brothers. Even now, he regularly plays games like Wordle with them. A fluent speaker of five languages, Pope Leo is a modern man. He’s the first pope to write his own emails and wear a smartwatch. Inspired by his namesake Pope Leo XIII, who initiated a dialogue between the church and the modern world, he’s weighing in on AI and other issues that pose new challenges for human beings.
With his keen radar for social changes, it’s not surprising that Pope Leo is a big movie fan. Recently, he welcomed Hollywood stars like Viggo Mortensen, Cate Blanchett, Greta Gerwig and Spike Lee to the Vatican, to share a stirring message about the importance of film to reflect and shape the human experience. In the face of struggling theaters and cinemas, he urged directors, actors and moviegoers to not give up, and issued an eloquent plea to cherish movie theaters as vital places for community.
“Entering a cinema is like crossing a threshold,” he said. “In the darkness and silence, vision becomes sharper, the heart opens up and the mind becomes receptive to things not yet imagined. We live in an age where digital screens are always on. There is a constant flow of information. However, cinema is much more than just a screen; it is an intersection of desires, memories and questions. It is a sensory journey in which light pierces the darkness and words meet silence. As the plot unfolds, our mind is educated, our imagination broadens and even pain can find new meaning.”
Two of Pope Leo’s favorite movies are It’s a Wonderful Life and Life is Beautiful. Both films feature light-hearted, slapstick humor juxtaposed with darkness and death. They are testaments to hope and beauty in the face of unimaginable difficulties. Their message is the same: Have faith in Spirit no matter what.
It’s no surprise that Pope Leo (Sept. 14, 1955, time unknown, Chicago IL) has his Sun conjunct beauty-loving Venus in articulate, caring, Mercury-ruled Virgo. We don’t know whether his Moon is in late Leo or early Virgo, but I’m betting on Leo not only because of his chosen name, but because he loves the spotlight and has a big heart.
With his Sun and Venus square the karmic South Node in another Mercury-ruled sign, Gemini, he’s been honing his intellect and communication skills for lifetimes. Therefore, Pope Leo is our representative for the Gemini Full Moon (Dec. 4, 3:14 pm PT.) At this Supermoon, which mirrors the Pope’s nodal axis in Gemini-Sagittarius, he inspires us to speak our truth, pay attention to details and keep an open mind. This Full Moon squares the Nodes in Virgo-Pisces, also mutable signs. Mutability means change, so don’t expect things to stay the same as this busy, buzzy lunation lights things up. Virgo and Pisces are related to hope and divine inspiration. It’s a great time to share, be social and seek knowledge; just be aware that words and tempers will be amped up, so think before you blurt. Mercury will have turned direct a week prior, on Nov. 29, and is starting to pick up speed – adding to the desire to make things happen.
Gemini is a flexible air sign, born of the wind that can lift the spirit. At the end of the speech to his invited guests, Pope Leo quoted pioneering filmmaker D.W. Griffith, who once said: “What the modern movie lacks is beauty, the beauty of the moving wind in the trees.” The Pope said that this reference reminded him of a passage from John’s Gospel (3:8). “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” At this mutable lunation, let the wind cleanse your mind and heart. Whether you do this to thumping beats and flashing lights or quietly, in meditation, allow the Spirit to move you.
Such a delight to find out that movies are so important in your life, Simone. I completely share your feedback and impressions on classical movies and their place in life.
The fact that the new pope shares this love for cinema was a wonderful surprise. I m not catholic, I was born in an orthodox country but formalized religion is not in my upbringing or my present life. Spirituality nonetheless is.
I m always looking forward for your articles on the New/Full Moon.
So glad you enjoyed it, Roxana! I’m not Catholic either, but I know true spirituality when I see it. Many blessings to you!