--- title: Martin Scorsese and Pope Francis Met To Discuss ”Silence“ description: 28 years after "Last Temptation of Christ" the Catholic Church is finally talking to Martin Scorsese again. canonical: https://time.com/4585989/martin-scorsese-meets-pope-francis/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-11-30T16:12:01.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:39:02.384Z og:title: Martin Scorsese and Pope Francis Met To Discuss ”Silence“ og:description: 28 years after "Last Temptation of Christ" the Church is talking to Scorsese og:url: https://time.com/4585989/martin-scorsese-meets-pope-francis/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt76eab71c99b80423/6988b026428a9e370acd5261/gettyimages-623561860.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: The Rolling Stones - Exhibitionism Opening Night og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Martin Scorsese and Pope Francis Met To Discuss ”Silence“ twitter:description: 28 years after "Last Temptation of Christ" the Church is talking to Scorsese twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt76eab71c99b80423/6988b026428a9e370acd5261/gettyimages-623561860.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Pope Francis Met Martin Scorsese to Discuss His New Movie About Priests by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Nov 30, 2016 4:12 PM UTC  NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 15: Director Martin Scorsese attends The Rolling Stones Exhibitionism opening night held at Industria Superstudio on November 15, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/FilmMagic) NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 15: Director Martin Scorsese attends The Rolling Stones Exhibitionism opening night held at Industria Superstudio on November 15, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/FilmMagic)Brent N. Clarke-FilmMagic by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Nov 30, 2016 4:12 PM UTC Acclaimed film director Martin Scorsese met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday, to discuss his [latest movie, _Silence_,](http://time.com/4581099/scorsese-silence-andrew-garfield-liam-neeson/?iid=sr-link2) which stars Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield, and Liam Neeson, inspired by the real life work of Jesuit priests in 17th century Japan. Quick history: the Catholic Church his 1988 film _The Last Temptation of Christ_ “morally offensive,” and three California bishops and two prominent nuns condemned it, according to the [_LA Times_](http://articles.latimes.com/1988-08-10/local/me-88%5F1%5Ftemptation-morally-offensive). The new film screened to [300 Jesuit priests](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/nov/25/martin-scorsese-silence-premiere-vatican-jesuit-missionaries-japan) at a pontifical college, an event that suggests that the church has moved past the blacklash that surrounded _The Last Temptation of Christ_. [Scorsese](http://entertainment.time.com/2013/12/27/the-wolf-of-wall-street-scorsese-and-dicaprio-fall-for-the-big-con/?iid=sr-link9) and his family had a brief, but “[very cordial](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/30/martin-scorsese-meets-pope-francis-30-years-after-christ-film-row?CMP=twt%5Fgu)” meeting with Pope Francis where they discussed Shusaku Endo’s 1966 novel that inspired the film, and exchanged gifts, according to [_The Guardian_](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/30/martin-scorsese-meets-pope-francis-30-years-after-christ-film-row). Pope Francis gave his visitors rosaries, while Scorsese presented the Pope with framed pictures of the Virgin of Nagasaki and a portrait of the “martyrs of Japan”. > [](https://twitter.com/javierMbrocal/status/803924095624708096) While Scorsese’s _The Last Temptation of Christ_ was critically acclaimed, and earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Director, some in the Catholic Church took issue with the film’s portrayal of Christ as a young, conflicted man with shocking dreams about Mary Magdalene. The film was deemed blasphemous and was banned in many cinemas and countries, including, [according to _The Guardian,_ ](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/30/martin-scorsese-meets-pope-francis-30-years-after-christ-film-row?CMP=twt%5Fgu)Pope Francis’s homeland of Argentina. \[H/T [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/30/martin-scorsese-meets-pope-francis-30-years-after-christ-film-row?CMP=twt%5Fgu)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4585989/martin-scorsese-meets-pope-francis/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4585989/martin-scorsese-meets-pope-francis/"},"headline":"Pope Francis Met Martin Scorsese to Discuss His New Movie About Priests","datePublished":"2016-11-30T16:12:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:39:02.384Z","description":"28 years after Last Temptation of Christ the Church is finally talking to Scorsese again","url":"https://time.com/4585989/martin-scorsese-meets-pope-francis/","keywords":["Newsfeed","movies","Religion","Pope Francis topic","Catholic Church","martin scorsese"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt76eab71c99b80423/6988b026428a9e370acd5261/gettyimages-623561860.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt76eab71c99b80423/6988b026428a9e370acd5261/gettyimages-623561860.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The Rolling Stones - Exhibitionism Opening Night","caption":"The Rolling Stones - Exhibitionism Opening Night","creditText":"Brent N. 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