Renowned director Martin Scorsese, known for his deep interest in religious themes, recently embarked on a post-Cannes tour of Italy. During this tour, he had the privilege of meeting with Pope Francis and made an exciting announcement that he intends to create a film centered around Jesus.

According to multiple reports, Scorsese shared his intentions during a conference titled "The Global Aesthetics of the Catholic Imagination" held at the Vatican in Rome. "I have responded to the Pope's call to artists in the best way I know how: by envisioning and penning a screenplay for a film about Jesus," Scorsese declared. He further revealed his plans to commence the production, hinting that this project could become his next cinematic endeavor.

Prior to the conference, on the same day, Scorsese and his wife Helen Morris had a brief private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican. The conference itself was organized by the Jesuit publication La Civiltà Cattolica and Georgetown University. Antonio Spadaro, the editor of the religious periodical, mentioned on the publication's website that during their discussions, Scorsese intertwined references to his own films, personal anecdotes, and how the Pope's plea "to let us see Jesus" deeply impacted him.

In the course of their conversation, Scorsese expressed his admiration for Pier Paolo Pasolini's "The Gospel According to St. Matthew" and discussed the significance of his own controversial 1988 epic, "The Last Temptation of Christ," as well as his more recent exploration of the figure of Jesus in the 2016 drama "Silence." The latter film, which delves into the persecution of Jesuit Christians in 17th-century Japan, was screened at the Vatican in 2016. Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope, had joined the Jesuit order with the aspiration of becoming a missionary in Japan.

There has been no immediate response from Scorsese's manager, Rick Yorn, regarding further details about the director's new project centered around religion.

Alongside his film-related activities, Scorsese's Italian tour includes screenings of his films paired with works that have inspired his own creations. These screenings will take place at Rome's Casa del Cinema cinematheque on Monday. On Tuesday, Scorsese will conduct a master class for students at Rome's Centro Sperimentale film school. Lastly, he will participate in an on-stage conversation in Bologna on Friday as a guest of the Cineteca di Bologna, which runs the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival dedicated to preserving heritage films.