NEED TO KNOW
- Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus Christ on The Chosen, met Pope Leo XIV during the pope’s general audience on Wednesday, June 25
- The pope shared a photo of the moment to Instagram the same day that showed Roumie taking a selfie with him
- Pope Leo XIV is the first American pope in the history of the Catholic Church
A crossover that’ll make you say “holy moly.”
Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus Christ on The Chosen, met Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope in the history of the Catholic Church, during the pontiff’s general audience in Vatican City on Wednesday, June 25.
Pope Leo XIV shared a photo of the moment within a carousel posted to his Instagram the same day. In the snap, Roumie has his arm stretched out holding his iPhone as both men smile for a selfie.
While the pope didn’t tag or address Roumie specifically in the caption, he did share an uplifting message for the world.
“Every time we perform an act of faith addressed to Jesus, we grow in our connection with Him, and His grace is bestowed immediately,” he wrote. “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.”
Pope Leo XIV shared the message in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French and German.
Roumie opened up about what meeting Pope Leo XIV would mean to him during a press conference on Monday.
“The fact that we’re here now, sitting at the Vatican… is a testament to, I think, how God wants to continue to further this mission to bring more people to Jesus and bring Jesus to them,” the actor said, according to the Catholic News Agency.
Roumie called the chance to meet the pope “extraordinary for so many reasons.”
“When [Pope Leo XIV] was elected, I wept, because I never thought I’d see an American pope in my lifetime,” he said, adding that “to communicate to him in our native language this week is just something I never thought I would see in my life.”
Roumie previously opened up to PEOPLE about the show’s success, breaking down in tears as he said “nobody thought” the show “would go anywhere.”
The actor said at first he treated the show as a passion project and saw it as “an opportunity just to put this story out there.”
Years later, the show boasts nearly 300 million viewers and Roumie now sees it as “an opportunity that I get to spend more time with a character and a person that I love and has changed my own life and makes me want to be the best version of myself on a daily basis.”
The Chosen, created by Dallas Jenkins, began with its pilot in 2017.
The show is streaming its fifth season, with two additional seasons on the way to wrap up Jesus’ story. The final two seasons will deal with Jesus’ crucifixion (season 6) and resurrection (season 7).
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Seasons 1 through 5 are now streaming on Prime Video.
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