Actor Antonio Banderas Tells Pope Leo XIV "I am here today, Holy Father, confessing that I have been a victim of God’s spell"
Pope Leo XIV listened to testimonies at the Movistar Arena in Madrid on the evening of June 7th, for the event "Networking with the World of Culture, Art, Business, and Sport." At Madrid's Movistar Arena during Pope Leo's meeting with the world of culture, art, business, and sport; before approximately 15,000 people at the Salamanca neighborhood venue.
Antonio Banderas, age 66, is an internationally acclaimed Spanish actor, director, and producer. Born in Málaga in 1960, Spain.
FULL TEXT Speech of Antonio Banderas
Authorities, dear friends: there are encounters that are not measured solely by time, but by their meaning. Your presence in Madrid today, Holy Father, is not just a visit; it is a gesture, a gesture of listening, of closeness, of dialogue with civil society, and this society undoubtedly appreciates it. Sometimes it is helpful to reinforce this dialogue by using a common language.
That language is, and has been on many occasions throughout history, art. The relationship between the Catholic Church and art has not only been fruitful, it has been decisive. We are not afraid to say that the Church has been the greatest producer of art in the history of humankind. At the heart of this creative pulse is the one who transcends centuries, styles, and cultures, and who has certainly been the most represented figure in the history of art.
This is Jesus Christ, the great protagonist of the story of life. In all the arts, Christ emerges as an icon of peace, love, and sacrifice, shrouded in an inexhaustible mystery. I could simply list the great artists whose work has magnified the message of Jesus' words. I could also limit myself to providing a series of facts that illustrate the journey undertaken by the Church, artists, intellectuals, and philosophers. But today, Holy Father, I feel a certain obligation to offer a brief reflection on my own experience. And to do so, I must go back in time to the Holy Week celebrations in my beloved Málaga, back in the 1960s.
Those popular demonstrations that take to the streets, unfolding a majestic ritual of art and faith, of culture and devotion. And it was there, Holy Father, within that framework of anonymous folk art, that at just four or five years old, a question was born within me, a question that contained only one word: God. Little by little, I began to find answers, some as simple as the one I recognized in my mother's eyes as she fixed her gaze and her devout heart on the Virgin of Hope, who passed by on her throne in those distant years; or through the voices that pierced the clear spring air of the saeta singers; or among the humble and good people of my city, who every year took to the streets with their neighborhood on their shoulders, carrying the images that help them find themselves while they search for God. And they do so by leaving behind the "I" to cling to the "we."
And from "we" they move to "they," and from "they" to "everyone," and from "everyone" to the world, and from the world to the universe, and from the universe to God, only to then return to earth, sensing that God can be in every particle, in every molecule, of every drop of water, of every sea, of every rose petal, of every heartbeat, of every sigh.
But art is not only beauty. Art is questioning, reflection, contrast, revolution, and the tension between what we know and what we intuit. Art has been, and must continue to be, the mirror reflecting lives that pass by our wounded neighbors. It is also a denunciation of empty creeds that have forgotten love. It is a warning to societies that have grown accustomed to injustice. Art must be an alternative to violence, to all forms of violence. Thus, just as Christ himself did, the artist must act with courage and not abandon their role as a critical voice for society, for art itself, and for religion itself.
Holy Father, we share an obligation. We are obliged to look and see, and to try to understand the complexities of the human soul. All human beings face the great questions of our existence: Who are we? What is the meaning of life and suffering? What does it truly mean to love our neighbor as ourselves? What lies beyond, Holy Father?
In a world that rushes by, that fragments, that sometimes oversimplifies, art helps us recover the depth and soul that artificial intelligences are trying to steal, intelligences that should be at the service of humankind, not the other way around. A soul that whispers to us that there is something more; the constant whisper of hope for that something more. We need to keep creating and sharing, keep asking questions, keep seeking beauty, yes, but also truth, because wherever we dare to ask profound questions, a path always begins, a path that can lead us toward the spiritual. And this is nothing other than the fraternity that beats in the heart of every human being, as well as in the mysterious heart of God.
"You say that times are bad. Be better, and times will be better. You are the times," said Saint Augustine.
“You say that times are bad. Be better, and times will be better. You are the times,” said Saint Augustine.
Holy Father, Holy Father, I am here because of Godspell. Godspell is a musical theater piece created, composed, and performed in its country of origin. You know very well that Godspell means “the spell of God” (the Gospel). I am here today, Holy Father, confessing that I have been a victim of God’s spell.
Thank you very much.
This is Jesus Christ, the great protagonist of the story of life. In all the arts, Christ emerges as an icon of peace, love, and sacrifice, shrouded in an inexhaustible mystery. I could simply list the great artists whose work has magnified the message of Jesus' words. I could also limit myself to providing a series of facts that illustrate the journey undertaken by the Church, artists, intellectuals, and philosophers. But today, Holy Father, I feel a certain obligation to offer a brief reflection on my own experience. And to do so, I must go back in time to the Holy Week celebrations in my beloved Málaga, back in the 1960s.
Those popular demonstrations that take to the streets, unfolding a majestic ritual of art and faith, of culture and devotion. And it was there, Holy Father, within that framework of anonymous folk art, that at just four or five years old, a question was born within me, a question that contained only one word: God. Little by little, I began to find answers, some as simple as the one I recognized in my mother's eyes as she fixed her gaze and her devout heart on the Virgin of Hope, who passed by on her throne in those distant years; or through the voices that pierced the clear spring air of the saeta singers; or among the humble and good people of my city, who every year took to the streets with their neighborhood on their shoulders, carrying the images that help them find themselves while they search for God. And they do so by leaving behind the "I" to cling to the "we."
And from "we" they move to "they," and from "they" to "everyone," and from "everyone" to the world, and from the world to the universe, and from the universe to God, only to then return to earth, sensing that God can be in every particle, in every molecule, of every drop of water, of every sea, of every rose petal, of every heartbeat, of every sigh.
But art is not only beauty. Art is questioning, reflection, contrast, revolution, and the tension between what we know and what we intuit. Art has been, and must continue to be, the mirror reflecting lives that pass by our wounded neighbors. It is also a denunciation of empty creeds that have forgotten love. It is a warning to societies that have grown accustomed to injustice. Art must be an alternative to violence, to all forms of violence. Thus, just as Christ himself did, the artist must act with courage and not abandon their role as a critical voice for society, for art itself, and for religion itself.
Holy Father, we share an obligation. We are obliged to look and see, and to try to understand the complexities of the human soul. All human beings face the great questions of our existence: Who are we? What is the meaning of life and suffering? What does it truly mean to love our neighbor as ourselves? What lies beyond, Holy Father?
In a world that rushes by, that fragments, that sometimes oversimplifies, art helps us recover the depth and soul that artificial intelligences are trying to steal, intelligences that should be at the service of humankind, not the other way around. A soul that whispers to us that there is something more; the constant whisper of hope for that something more. We need to keep creating and sharing, keep asking questions, keep seeking beauty, yes, but also truth, because wherever we dare to ask profound questions, a path always begins, a path that can lead us toward the spiritual. And this is nothing other than the fraternity that beats in the heart of every human being, as well as in the mysterious heart of God.
"You say that times are bad. Be better, and times will be better. You are the times," said Saint Augustine.
“You say that times are bad. Be better, and times will be better. You are the times,” said Saint Augustine.
Holy Father, Holy Father, I am here because of Godspell. Godspell is a musical theater piece created, composed, and performed in its country of origin. You know very well that Godspell means “the spell of God” (the Gospel). I am here today, Holy Father, confessing that I have been a victim of God’s spell.
Thank you very much.
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