‘The Chosen’ star Jonathan Roumie meets Pope Leo in Rome

Actor Jonathan Roumie, known for his portrayal of Jesus in The Chosen, met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on June 25 during the Pope’s general audience. 

A photo of the meeting was later shared to Pope Leo’s official Instagram page, with the caption: “Every time we perform an act of faith addressed to Jesus, we grow in our connection with Him, and His grace is bestowed immediately. At times we are unaware of it, but in a secret and real way, His grace reaches us and gradually transforms our life from within.”

The meeting followed a major press event held just two days earlier, when The Chosen cast and crew paused filming in Matera, Italy, to visit Rome, Vatican News reported. Roumie, along with cast members George Xanthis, Elizabeth Tabish, Vanessa Benavente, and series creator Dallas Jenkins, appeared at the Vatican to discuss the show’s fifth season.

Speaking at the June 23 press conference, Roumie called the opportunity to share the show’s mission from within the Vatican walls “a testament to how God wants to continue to further this mission to bring more people to Jesus.”

Roumie, a devout Catholic, was deeply moved by the election of the new Holy Father, USA Today reported.

“When [Pope Leo] was elected, I wept, because I never thought I’d see an American pope in my lifetime,” he said during the conference, “to communicate to him in our native language this week is just something I never thought I would see in my life.”

The day concluded with a special screening of episode four from the new season inside the Vatican. Cast members later met with fans of the show in St. Peter’s Square.

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