VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis is meeting with a fellow green activist: Leonardo DiCaprio.
The Oscar-nominated actor had a morning audience with the pope Thursday. The Vatican offered no immediate comment, other than to confirm the meeting was on the pope’s agenda.
Francis’ environmental encyclical Laudato Si (Praise Be) has been embraced by environmentalists for its denunciation of the world’s fossil fuel-based economy and demand for greener energy sources.
Di Caprio, nominated for an Oscar for his role in “The Revenant,” is a longtime environmental campaigner who in 1998 launched his eponymous foundation to support initiatives aimed at sustainability. He recently addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, announcing the foundation was donating another $15 million to environmental projects and pleading with business leaders to battle global warming.