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Rumors spread that Pope Francis plans to discuss church portrayal in media with Oprah and Matt Damon in a special meeting
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Oprah and Ari Emanuel, along with other Hollywood stare, were reportedly approached by Vatican representatives with Pope Francis' invitation for a special meeting. The meeting, according to the initial report done by The Hollywood Reporter, would be held this fall and focused on improving the church portrayal in the media. However, a key spokesperson said there might be some misunderstanding.
Highlights
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
8/7/2015 (9 years ago)
Published in Celebrity
Keywords: Pope Francis, Hollywood, Oprah, Ari Emanuel, Hollywood, Media, Perception, Image, Catholic Church, Special Meeting, Vatican, Valkrey Foundation
MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - Pope Francis is interested in uplifting the image of the Catholic Church in the portrayal of Western media, which is often a more negative side. Yet, the Pontiff, who is known to be well-liked even by the people less-likely to do so, is not new on building connections in the media and entertainment industry, as Angelina Jolie and Darren Aronofsky had asked for his blessing for their films, according to The Vanity Fair.
As cool as the guests perceive the Catholic Church's leader, the meeting will focus on the perception of the media on the church as a whole alongside a discussion on how to improve it.
However, the Varkey Foundation, the supposed partner on this pursuit, downplayed the reports. According to a spokesperson, as cited in NY Daily News, circulating news about the special meeting are at point inaccurate.
"The Varkey Foundation has been in discussions with representatives of the Vatican about a potential meeting examining the role of media on the values of young people throughout the world. Recent media speculation about the purpose and possible participants of such a meeting is inaccurate and premature. The meeting under consideration is emphatically not a discussion about the reputation of the Catholic Church and never has been."
Among the figures reported to have been invited are actor Matt Damon and film and TV producer Brian Grazer. No report have yet stated any comment from them.
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